(a) The Council may issue an LPC Associate license to an applicant who has:
  (1) filed all application forms and paid all applicable fees;
  (2) met all of the academic requirements for licensure;
  (3) completed the required examinations with the requisite score as described in 681.72(a)(3) and (a)(4) of this title (relating to Required Application Materials);
  (4) entered into a supervisory agreement with a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S); and
  (5) not completed the supervised experience described in §681.92 of this title (relating to Experience Requirements (Internship)).
(b) An LPC Associate must comply with all provisions of the Act and Council rules.
(c) To practice counseling in Texas, a person must obtain an LPC Associate license before the person begins an internship or continues an internship. Hours obtained by an unlicensed person in any setting will not count toward the supervised experience requirements.
(d) An LPC Associate may practice counseling only as part of his or her internship and only under the supervision of a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S). The LPC Associate shall not engage in independent practice.
(e) An LPC Associate may have no more than two (2) Council-approved LPC supervisors at any given time.
(f) An LPC Associate must maintain their LPC Associate license during his or her supervised experience.
(g) An LPC Associate license will expire 60 months from the date of issuance.
(h) An LPC Associate who does not complete the required supervised experience hours during the 60-month time period must reapply for licensure.
(i) An LPC Associate must continue to be supervised after completion of the 3,000 hours of supervised experience and until the LPC Associate receives his or her LPC license. Supervision is complete upon the LPC Associate receiving the LPC license.
(j) The possession, access, retention, control, maintenance, and destruction of client records is the responsibility of the person or entity that employs or contracts with the LPC Associate, or in those cases where the LPC Associate is self-employed, the responsibility of the LPC-Associate.
(k) An LPC Associate must not employ a supervisor but may compensate the supervisor for time spent in supervision if the supervision is not a part of the supervisor's responsibilities as a paid employee of an agency, institution, clinic, or other business entity.
(l) All billing documents for services provided by an LPC Associate must reflect the LPC Associate holds an LPC Associate license and is under supervision.
(m) The LPC Associate must not represent himself or herself as an independent practitioner. The LPC Associate's name must be followed by a statement such as "supervised by (name of supervisor)" or a statement of similar effect, together with the name of the supervisor. This disclosure must appear on all marketing materials, billing documents, and practice related forms and documents where the LPC Associate's name appears, including websites and intake documents.

Source Note: The provisions of this §681.91 adopted to be effective November 19, 2020, 45 TexReg 8143; amended to be effective February 27, 2022, 47 TexReg 773