How to Choose an LLPC Supervisor in Michigan: Requirements, Questions to Ask & Finding the Right Fit
You finished graduate school. You have your counseling degree. You're getting ready to apply for, or have just received, your Limited Licensed Professional Counselor license.
And now you need to find an LLPC supervisor in Michigan.
The first question is usually: What am I supposed to look for?
There is a technical answer to that question. Michigan has specific requirements for who can provide supervision to an LLPC, and yes, you absolutely need to make sure the person you're considering is qualified to supervise you.
But that's only part of the answer.
You're potentially going to spend at least 100 hours sitting across from this person while you grow from a brand-new counselor into a fully licensed LPC.
That's a relationship worth choosing carefully.
What are the supervision requirements for LLPCs in Michigan?
Let's start with the rules.
For a master's-level counselor seeking full LPC licensure in Michigan, the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) currently requires 3,000 hours of post-degree counseling experience completed over a period of at least two years, including at least 100 hours of regularly scheduled supervision. Supervision can occur in the immediate physical presence of your supervisor or virtually using two-way, real-time audiovisual technology.
There's another important piece for new graduates: Michigan supervised experience must be completed after your limited counselor license has been issued. Hours accumulated before your LLPC is issued do not count toward the experience required for full licensure.
And not every Michigan LPC automatically qualifies to supervise LLPCs.
Under Michigan's current rules, an LPC must meet specific supervision-training and professional-experience requirements. For example, an LPC who first began providing counseling supervision on or after May 5, 2022 generally must have completed qualifying supervision training and have at least five years of post-master's counseling practice. An LPC who holds the Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) credential also satisfies one of LARA's pathways for supervisor qualification.
So before anything else, ask a potential supervisor:
Do you meet Michigan LARA's requirements to supervise LLPCs?
They should be able to answer that easily and explain how they meet the requirement.
Michigan Board of Counseling resources and licensing information
Meeting LARA requirements doesn't automatically make someone the right supervisor for you
Here's where I think the conversation about choosing an LLPC supervisor needs to go further.
Qualifications matter.
Experience matters.
Clinical expertise matters.
But fit matters, too.
Think about what supervision is actually going to look like.
Eventually, you're going to need to walk into supervision and say:
I don't know what I'm doing here.
Or:
I think I messed this up.
Or maybe:
Something about this client is getting under my skin and I don't understand why.
I'm worried I missed something.
I don't know what to do next.
I need help.
Those aren't failures. That's supervision.
And if you've chosen someone whose credentials look fantastic on paper but you don't feel comfortable being vulnerable with them, you're probably not going to get everything you could out of those 100+ hours.
Your LLPC supervisor doesn't need to be exactly like you
Sometimes new counselors look for a supervisor based almost entirely on clinical experience.
I want to work with children, so I need someone who works with children.
I'm interested in trauma, so I need a trauma therapist.
I use CBT, so I need a CBT supervisor.
Those things can absolutely matter, especially when you're developing competence in a particular population or clinical area.
But I would also ask:
How does this person think?
Do they give you answers, or do they help you learn how to find the answer?
Can they challenge you without making you feel small?
Can you disagree with them?
Can you tell them that something they suggested didn't work?
Can you say, “I don't know” without feeling like you're being evaluated?
And maybe the least clinical-sounding question—but one that I think matters a lot:
Does their vibe work with yours?
Yes, the "vibe" of your clinical supervisor matters
I mean that seriously.
Pay attention to how a potential LLPC supervisor shows up from your very first interaction.
How did they respond to your email?
Was communication clear?
Did you know what the next step was?
Did they show up on time?
How do they handle scheduling?
What happens if you need them between supervision sessions?
Do they communicate primarily by email, text, phone, or something else?
How structured are their supervision sessions?
Do they primarily teach? Ask questions? Review cases? Challenge you? Let you set the agenda?
None of these approaches is inherently right or wrong.
The question is whether the way they practice supervision works for the way you learn.
If you're someone who needs structure and your supervisor takes a completely open-ended “So, what do you want to talk about?” approach every week, you might struggle.
If you learn through reflection and conversation but your supervisor primarily tells you what they would do, that might not be the right fit either.
This is part of why I believe an initial consultation with a potential Michigan LLPC supervisor is so important.
You're interviewing them, too.
Questions to ask a potential LLPC supervisor in Michigan
When you're interviewing potential supervisors, don't limit yourself to “How long have you been a therapist?”
Ask about the actual experience of being supervised by them.
Some questions I recommend are:
How do you meet Michigan's requirements to provide LLPC supervision?
What does a typical supervision session with you look like?
How do you help new counselors develop clinical judgment rather than just telling them what to do?
How do you handle questions or urgent clinical situations between scheduled supervision sessions?
How do you give feedback when you think I'm getting something wrong?
What do you expect me to bring to supervision?
Do you offer individual supervision, group supervision, or both?
How do you track supervision hours and documentation for eventual LPC licensure?
What populations and clinical issues do you have experience with?
What happens if either of us decides this isn't a good supervisory fit?
And then ask yourself a question after the conversation:
How did I feel talking to this person?
Not, “Did they impress me?”
Could you actually imagine telling them the truth when things get messy?
That's a much more useful question.
What should good LLPC supervision actually feel like?
Clinical supervision isn't supposed to be another graduate-school class.
And your supervisor isn't simply there to sign off on hours.
Good supervision should help you develop the ability to think like a counselor independently.
That includes strengthening your clinical judgment, recognizing your limitations, understanding ethical and legal responsibilities, examining your own reactions to clients, learning when to seek consultation, developing confidence and figuring out who you are as a therapist.
Your supervisor shouldn't be trying to create a smaller version of themselves.
The goal is to help you become a competent, ethical and increasingly independent version of you.
There should be room in supervision for:
“I don't know.”
“I'm uncomfortable.”
“I think I screwed up.”
“I disagree.”
“Can we talk through this?”
And yes even:
“I'm scared.”
Because those conversations are often where some of the most important professional growth happens.
Looking for an LLPC supervisor in Michigan?
If you're graduating from a counseling program or beginning the process of becoming an LLPC in Michigan, don't wait until you desperately need someone to sign paperwork to start thinking about supervision.
Learn the requirements.
Talk with potential supervisors.
Ask questions.
Pay attention to credentials and connection.
Your LLPC supervision relationship will likely span years and at least 100 hours of supervision. Choose someone who meets Michigan's requirements but also choose someone you believe you can learn from, be challenged by and be honest with.
Because you're not just collecting supervision hours.
You're becoming a counselor.
About Elizabeth Carr, LPC, NCC, ACS
I'm Elizabeth Carr, a Michigan Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor and Approved Clinical Supervisor. Through The Michigan LPC Supervisor, I provide virtual individual and small-group clinical supervision for Michigan LLPCs working toward full LPC licensure.
My approach to supervision isn't about giving you all of my answers. It's about helping you develop the judgment, confidence and self-awareness to find your own while knowing when and how to ask for support.
