How long does the LMHCA period take?

36 mo full-time or 3,000 hrs. The Washington Department of Health sets a floor, not a ceiling: accumulate faster and you still can't apply before the duration minimum.

Does HourPath format Washington hours for the board?

Yes. Categories, ratios, and totals are encoded directly from WAC 246-809-230. When a rule changes, the tracker changes with it.

What is the Washington LICSWA hours requirement?

3,000 total, 1,000 direct, 100 supervision (≥60 individual, ≥70 by an LICSW). Duration: Not less than 2 years. Per WAC 246-809-330.

What is the Washington LMFTA hours requirement?

3,000 total, 1,000 direct (≥500 couples/family), 200 supervision (≥100 individual). Duration: Not less than 2 years. Per WAC 246-809-130.

RCW 18.225 · WAC 246-809

Washington clinical hour requirements.

What the Washington Department of Health actually asks for, encoded from the statute, not paraphrased from a summary page. All 3 tracks below: Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA), Licensed Independent Clinical Social Work Associate (LICSWA), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (LMFTA).

Board requirement

Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA)

WAC 246-809-230

Total

3,000

supervised hours

Direct client contact

1,200

minimum

Supervision

100

supervision hours

Duration

36 mo full-time or 3,000 hrs

What's specific to this track

•3,000 postgraduate supervised hours (or 36 months full-time)
•≥1,200 direct client contact · ≥100 immediate supervision
•CACREP graduates: +500 experience hrs & +50 supervision hrs credit
•SUDP (3+ yrs in last 10): total reduces to 2,700; sub-minimums unchanged

Source: WA Department of Health, RCW 18.225; WAC chapter 246-809. Board web pages occasionally lag rule amendments; where they disagree, the effective-dated rule text controls.

Every Washington track, answered

Washington supervision hour requirements by license.

Washington LMHCA hours requirement

A Washington Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA) needs 3,000 total, 1,200 direct and 100 supervision before applying for the LMHC license. The accrual period is 36 mo full-time or 3,000 hrs, per WAC 246-809-230.

Washington LMHCA hour tracker

HourPath logs LMHCA hours in the exact categories the Washington Department of Health counts, so direct client contact, supervision and the supervision total are separated as you go instead of reconstructed at application time.

•3,000 postgraduate supervised hours (or 36 months full-time)
•≥1,200 direct client contact · ≥100 immediate supervision
•CACREP graduates: +500 experience hrs & +50 supervision hrs credit
•SUDP (3+ yrs in last 10): total reduces to 2,700; sub-minimums unchanged

Washington LMHCA requirements

Washington LICSWA hours requirement

A Washington Licensed Independent Clinical Social Work Associate (LICSWA) needs 3,000 total, 1,000 direct and 100 supervision (≥60 individual, ≥70 by an LICSW) before applying for the LICSW license. The accrual period is not less than 2 years, per WAC 246-809-330 (Amended WSR 25-11-019, effective 6/12/2025).

Washington LICSWA hour tracker

HourPath logs LICSWA hours in the exact categories the Washington Department of Health counts, so direct client contact, supervision and the one-to-one supervision floor are separated as you go instead of reconstructed at application time.

•3,000 hrs over ≥2 years, postgraduate
•≥1,000 direct client contact · 100 supervision (≥60 one-to-one)
•≥70 of the 100 supervision hrs must be provided by an LICSW
•SUDP (3+ yrs in last 10): total reduces to 2,700; sub-minimums unchanged

Full Washington LICSWA requirements

Washington LMFTA hours requirement

A Washington Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (LMFTA) needs 3,000 total, 1,000 direct (≥500 couples/family) and 200 supervision (≥100 individual) before applying for the LMFT license. The accrual period is not less than 2 years, per WAC 246-809-130 (Supervisor experience amended WSR 25-11-019, effective 10/1/2025).

Washington LMFTA hour tracker

HourPath logs LMFTA hours in the exact categories the Washington Department of Health counts, so direct client contact, supervision and the one-to-one supervision floor are separated as you go instead of reconstructed at application time.