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California Board of Behavioral Sciences

Guides for every step of your BBS hours.

The forms, the requirements, and the rules that decide which hours count. Written in plain language for AMFTs (Associate Marriage and Family Therapists), APCCs (Associate Professional Clinical Counselors), and ASWs (Associate Clinical Social Workers).

All guides

  1. BBS License Renewal: What California Therapists Need to Know

    BBS license renewal made simple: 36 CE hours, $100-$120 fees, and a step-by-step guide for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. Get free email reminders here.

    Updated · 6 min read

  2. What counts as direct client contact.

    What lands in your clinical hours on each track and what does not, the smaller minimum nested inside, and why the ASW bucket has a different name and a shorter list.

    Updated · 9 min read

  3. Pre-degree and post-degree hours in California.

    AMFTs can count up to 1,300 hours earned before the degree. APCCs and ASWs count none at all. What your graduation date changes on each of the three tracks.

    Updated · 8 min read

  4. How California counts your MFT hours.

    The minimums and maximums inside the 3,000, the 40-hour weekly cap and how it is counted across settings, when a week owes you a unit of supervision, and where hours stop counting.

    Updated · 8 min read

  5. The BBS 90-Day Rule, explained.

    The four conditions that let post-degree hours count before your associate registration is issued, when those hours actually start, and the Live Scan step people miss.

    Updated · 8 min read

  6. Forms 37A-525 and 37A-638

    The BBS Weekly Log of Experience Hours, explained.

    Which form your license needs, what belongs in every column, and which hours you should never add twice. Includes official downloads for all three versions.

    Updated · 7 min read

Requirements by license

What your 3,000 hours have to include, how much supervision you need, and the caps that decide what counts.

AMFT → LMFT

Hour requirements for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) licensure, the 500-hour couples, families, and children minimum, and the weekly log you keep.

APCC → LPCC

Hour requirements for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) licensure, the 1,750-hour direct counseling minimum, and the weekly log you keep.

ASW → LCSW

Hour requirements for Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensure, the 750-hour psychotherapy minimum, and the LCSW supervisor rule.

Practicum and fieldwork

How pre-degree hours work, and what changes once you graduate.

Common questions

Short answers on hours, supervision, e-signatures, and getting started.

Reading about the forms is the hard way.

SparkHours fills them in from the hours you log, and your supervisor signs each week from a link. Start with a 14-day free trial. No credit card required.

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