Welcome to the Petition for Fair Compensation and Supervision Fee Reform Advocating for Sustainable Support for LPC Associates and the Mental Health Workforce
We, the undersigned Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) Associates and allies, submit this petition to bring urgent attention to the unfair compensation and supervision fee structures that directly impact the well-being, retention, and long-term success of LPC Associates.
Background
To become fully licensed, LPC Associates must complete 3,000 of supervised clinical hours—providing essential mental health services to individuals, families, and communities. Despite the importance of this work, many Associates face:
1. Little to no compensation for their labor—often receiving just $0–$50 per direct client hour. Side note: Some interns are being paid $0 while others obtain a stipend while the intern site charges/bills and pockets the session fee for each billiable session ranging anywhere from $100-150+ or they're lowering fees for clients to hold sessions with an intern and not bill insurance.
2. No compensation for missed appointments, last-minute cancellations, or vital non-billable tasks such as documentation, case notes, treatment planning, and other administrative duties essential to quality care.
3. Supervision fees, ranging from $200 to over $600+ per month—costs that continue for no less than 18 months to five years.
Meanwhile, Associates are also managing student loan debt, basic living expenses, cost of health insurance, etc—creating a deeply unsustainable financial model.
Why This Matters
This broken system not only affects LPC Associates—it threatens the stability and future of the mental health workforce at large. Inaccessible pathways to licensure discourage talented professionals from entering or remaining in the field, all while demand for mental health services continues to rise.
What We’re Asking For
We are calling for fair pay, financial support, and structural reform—a system that honors the value of LPC Associates and makes the licensure process accessible, equitable, and sustainable:
1. Implementation of minimum compensation standards/Fair Compensation for LPC Associates
2. Subsidize, Cap, or Reduction in Supervision Fees.
3. Transparency and Fair Contracts: Supervision agreements submitted to the BHEC should be mandated, transparent, and fair, with clear expectations for both the supervisor and the LPC Associate outlining details to include cost & payment of supervision fees.
4. Professional Advocacy and Awareness.This could involve creating advocacy platforms, and offering support for LPC Associates in their transition to full licensure.
5. Encourage agencies and clinics to offer supervision as part of employment benefits free of charge (some are implementing this but others are compensating low wages and still charging LPC Associates for supervision within the same agency, so essentially the money is essentially going right back to the business and LPC Supervisor).
Join Us
By signing this petition, you stand in solidarity with LPC Associates and help amplify the call for meaningful change. Whether or not these circumstances affect you directly, your voice matters. Together, we can support the future of mental health care.
Sign now. Advocate for equity. Invest in the future of mental health.