Your Supervisor Is Licensed in Another State. Do the Hours Count?

Two different situations hide behind this question, and the answers differ.

Situation A: you accrued hours in State X, under a supervisor licensed in State X, and now you want a license in State Y. Will Y credit them?

Situation B: you are accruing hours in State Y right now, but your supervisor is licensed somewhere else, perhaps your old supervisor from graduate school, working with you by video. Do those hours count in Y?

Situation A is usually fine if the paperwork is in order. Situation B is where associates lose months.

Situation A: hours earned elsewhere, under a local supervisor

The states we checked against their own rules in October 2026 generally credit this, with conditions:

• California accepts out-of-state experience that is substantially equivalent (Bus. & Prof. Code §4999.61). The supervisor must have held an active license, not on probation, in the state where supervision occurred, for at least 2 of the 5 years before supervising (16 CCR §1821.2). The out-of-state supervisor signs the board's out-of-state experience verification form. Hours more than six years old at application are not credited (§4999.46(e)).
• Florida credits post-master's experience earned in another state if it meets the statute (Rule 64B4-2.001), and a qualified supervisor may be "licensed or certified as a mental health counselor in another state" if they meet Florida's LMHC education and experience standards (Rule 64B4-31.007). Supervisors licensed outside Florida must supply a license verification with the experience form.
• New York may accept experience from another jurisdiction if the setting was authorized there and the supervisor was qualified "as determined by the department" (8 NYCRR §79-9.3).
• Virginia accepts "residency hours approved by the licensing board in another United States jurisdiction that meet the requirements" of its rule. The supervisor must have been licensed as an LPC or MFT in the jurisdiction where the supervision was provided (18VAC115-20-52).
• North Carolina accepts supervision by an "equivalently and actively licensed" professional meeting its supervisor standards (21 NCAC 53 .0209), without requiring a North Carolina license.
• Texas requires that, for experience physically in another jurisdiction, the supervisor be licensed or certified there in a profession that provides counseling and qualified to supervise, and the supervisor must verify their license (22 TAC §681.92).

The theme: the supervisor should have been properly licensed where the supervision happened, and the hours must meet the new state's own categories (totals, direct contact, supervision frequency, time span). Documentation is the usual stumbling block. See do your supervised hours transfer? for the fuller comparison.

Situation B: practicing in one state, supervised from another

Here the state where you are practicing sets the rules for your supervisor, and some states insist on their own credential.

• Texas: supervision for an internship physically in Texas must be by a Council-approved supervisor, an LPC holding the LPC-S designation (22 TAC §§681.92–681.93). A supervisor licensed only in another state does not qualify.
• Ohio: Ohio's rules call for supervision obtained in Ohio to come from an LPCC-S, with exceptions only on written request. We could not read the current Ohio rule text on the state's site from our location, so confirm with the board.
• Florida and North Carolina define qualified supervisors in a way that can include someone licensed elsewhere, but Florida adds supervisor training requirements for supervision provided in Florida. Read the rule before you sign a supervision agreement.

And there is a licensing question hiding inside Situation B. If your supervisor is in another state and your clients are in yours, the supervisor is not practicing on your clients; you are. But a supervisor who is not authorized in your state may not be able to accept responsibility for your cases under your state's rules. That is why some states require a local credential.

Before you sign with an out-of-state supervisor

1. Ask your board, in writing, whether hours supervised by this person will count, naming their license, state and years licensed.
2. Check whether your state requires a supervision plan or supervisor registration before hours begin to count.
3. Check the telesupervision rule, since an out-of-state supervisor almost always means video. See telesupervision across state lines.
4. Keep the supervisor's license verification printout with your log from day one.

Rules change; these citations reflect what we read in October 2026. If you are weighing a move mid-supervision, our Associate-to-Independent License Upgrade service includes getting written answers from the board; see pricing.