22 TAC Chapter 681: Licensure and Practice Rules
Reading Chapter 681 like a licensee
Title 22, Chapter 681 is the LPC Board's rulebook, now administered by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council. It covers licensure applications, the LPC-Associate pathway, supervisor approval, examinations, renewal, continuing education, inactive/retired status, and practice requirements. Organize the chapter into four questions: Who may apply? What supervised hours count? What must be done to renew? What practice conduct is regulated?
The associate pathway is the most heavily tested. The associate must hold a graduate degree, be licensed as an associate, practice only under a board-approved supervisor, and accumulate post-master's supervised experience. Hours earned before the associate license or under an unapproved supervisor generally do not count. Supervision must be documented and must include the required mix of individual and group sessions. The associate may not supervise another associate and may not practice independently.
Renewal questions test deadlines and content. Continuing education is not generic; the rules specify ethics hours and other required categories, and late renewal can involve fees or lapsed practice. Keep separate the national examination (NCE) and the Texas Jurisprudence Examination-both are licensure requirements, and passing one does not satisfy the other.
Worked example: An applicant completes the required post-master's hours, but some were earned before the associate license issued and some supervision was with an unapproved supervisor. Those hours are subtracted; the applicant must earn replacements. Rule of thumb: no associate license, no countable hours; no approved supervisor, no countable hours.