Clinical Supervision Guides›Psychologists as Clinical Supervisors
Last updated: October 2026
California psychologists can supervise the associates the Board of Behavioral Sciences registers: associate marriage and family therapists (AMFTs), associate clinical social workers (ASWs) and associate professional clinical counselors (APCCs), as well as MFT trainees. That supervision is governed by BBS law, and a psychologist who also supervises psychological associates works under the Board of Psychology's rules for that supervision at the same time. Who Can Supervise Whom in California shows every license combination in one table.
What Qualifies a California Psychologist to Supervise BBS Associates?
The qualifications are the ones every BBS supervisor meets. A psychologist must hold a current and active California psychologist license that is not under suspension or probation, must have held an active license, in California or another state, for at least two of the five years before supervising, and must have practiced psychotherapy, or directly supervised the psychotherapy of MFT trainees or BBS associates, for at least two of those five years (BPC 4980.03(g); 4996.20; 4999.12(h)). A psychologist who has provided therapy to the supervisee, is their spouse, domestic partner or relative, or has or had a personal, professional or business relationship with them that undermines the supervision cannot supervise them.
One qualification matters most for supervisors from outside the supervisee's profession. A psychologist supervising an AMFT must have enough experience, training and education in marriage and family therapy to practice it competently in California (16 CCR 1833.1(a)(2)), and parallel rules require competence in clinical social work to supervise an ASW (16 CCR 1870(a)(2)) and in professional clinical counseling to supervise an APCC (16 CCR 1821(a)(2)). The Board's FAQ for supervisors adds that supervisors must follow the laws for the supervisee's license type even when their own license differs, so a psychologist supervising an AMFT follows the MFT experience rules, including the 500 hours of work with couples, families and children within the 3,000 hours.
Do Psychologists Need Supervisor Training in California?
BBS rules do not require it. The Board's supervisor training rules, 15 hours for a licensee supervising for the first time, six hours on returning after two or more years away, and six hours of continuing professional development in supervision each renewal period, apply to persons the BBS licenses, so psychologists licensed by the Board of Psychology are exempt (16 CCR 1834). The Board's Summary of Supervisor Qualifications states the exemption directly and adds that the Board strongly encourages every supervisor to complete supervision coursework and continuing professional development. California Supervisor CE Requirements explains the rules that apply to LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs and LEPs.
The exemption does not remove the competence standard. Every supervisor affirms on the Supervision Agreement that they have sufficient experience, training and education in clinical supervision to supervise competently, and the Self-Assessment Report asks the same question, so a psychologist without supervision training has a practical reason to get some. How to choose a 15-hour supervision course describes what to look for in a course, and the Sentio MFT program's free deliberate practice supervisor training is open to California psychologists, given in exchange for supervising two Sentio Counseling Center trainees.
Which Forms Does a Psychologist Supervisor Sign?
A psychologist signs the same forms as any other BBS supervisor. If this is the first time you supervise BBS supervisees in California, the Board must receive your one-time Supervisor Self-Assessment Report within 60 days, and the form exempts psychologists from its training and continuing professional development items. Within 60 days of starting with each supervisee, you and the supervisee sign the Supervision Agreement, which lists licensed psychologists among the supervisor license types and does not require psychologists to affirm its training and continuing professional development statements.
The rest of the paperwork follows the same pattern. You sign the supervisee's weekly log every week and an Experience Verification when supervision ends, and if you are not employed by the supervisee's employer, or you volunteer there, you and the employer sign a written oversight agreement before supervision begins. BBS Supervision Forms for California Supervisors covers each form, and Your First Supervisee sets out the first 60 days in order.
How Do Hours Under a Psychologist Count?
Hours under a qualified psychologist count on the same terms as hours under any other supervisor, with one limit in social work. The Board sets no cap on the hours a psychologist may supervise for an AMFT or an APCC (BPC 4980.43(c); 4999.46(c)). An ASW must gain at least 1,700 of the 3,000 hours under a licensed clinical social worker, and an LCSW must supervise at least 13 of the 52 weeks of individual or triadic supervision, so a psychologist can supervise up to the remaining 1,300 hours (BPC 4996.23(d); 4996.23.1).
Psychologists in private practice should count their supervisees with care. In a nonexempt setting, a supervisor may act as individual or triadic supervisor for no more than six people at a time who are not yet fully licensed, across all of the supervisor's nonexempt employers, and the Board's SB 1024 FAQ counts pre-licensed psychology supervisees toward that six (BPC 4980.43.4(c); 4996.23.3(c); 4999.46.4(c)). Governmental entities, schools, colleges, universities and institutions that are both nonprofit and charitable are exempt settings, where the BBS limit does not apply.
Which Rules Apply When a Psychologist Supervises Under Both Boards?
Each supervisee's own board sets the rules for that supervisee. Supervised professional experience toward a psychology license falls under the Board of Psychology's regulations, beginning at 16 CCR 1387, while supervision of MFT trainees, AMFTs, ASWs and APCCs falls under BBS law, which states that any person supervising them in California must comply with it (16 CCR 1833.1(a), 1870(a) and 1821(a)). A psychologist with both kinds of supervisees keeps two sets of paperwork: the Board of Psychology's Supervision Agreement, required for a psychological associate's hours to count toward licensure (16 CCR 1387(b)(10)), and its verification forms for psychology supervisees; and the BBS Supervision Agreement, weekly logs and Experience Verification for BBS supervisees.
The training rules differ between the two boards. Primary supervisors licensed by the Board of Psychology must complete at least six hours of supervision coursework every two years and certify that they have done so when they complete a verification form (16 CCR 1387.1(b)), while BBS law sets no training requirement for psychologists. Each board limits the number of supervisees. The Board of Psychology allows a psychologist to supervise no more than three registered psychological associates at a time (BPC 2913(c)(2)). The BBS limit of six is separate: in a nonexempt setting, pre-licensed psychology supervisees and BBS supervisees in individual or triadic supervision count together toward it.
Keep reading
Who Can Supervise Whom in California, every supervisor license and associate type in one table.
BBS Supervision Forms for California Supervisors, every form a supervisor signs and when.
Your First Supervisee, what to do before and after a new supervisee starts.
Free Deliberate Practice Supervisor Training, the Sentio MFT program's training, open to California psychologists and given in exchange for supervising two of its counseling center trainees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do psychologists need the BBS 15-hour supervision course?
No. The Board of Behavioral Sciences' supervisor training and continuing professional development requirements apply to the licensees it regulates, so psychologists licensed by the Board of Psychology are exempt. The Board strongly encourages every supervisor to complete supervision coursework and continuing professional development anyway.
Do psychologists file the Supervisor Self-Assessment Report?
Yes. Every licensed person who supervises MFT trainees, AMFTs, ASWs or APCCs files the one-time report, which the Board must receive within 60 days of first supervising in California. The report's training and continuing professional development items do not apply to psychologists.
Can a California psychologist supervise an ASW?
Yes, for up to 1,300 of the 3,000 hours. An ASW must gain at least 1,700 hours under a licensed clinical social worker, and an LCSW must supervise at least 13 of the 52 weeks of individual or triadic supervision.
Can a psychologist supervise an AMFT's couples and family hours?
Yes, if the psychologist has enough experience, training and education in marriage and family therapy to practice it competently in California. The Board sets no cap on the hours a psychologist may supervise for an AMFT.
Does the Board of Psychology's six-hour supervision coursework rule apply when supervising AMFTs?
The rule in 16 CCR 1387.1(b) is written for primary supervisors of supervised professional experience toward a psychology license. Supervision of AMFTs, ASWs and APCCs is governed by BBS law, which sets no training requirement for psychologists.
Do psychological associates count toward the BBS limit of six supervisees?
Yes, in a nonexempt setting such as a private practice. The limit of six covers everyone a supervisor supervises individually or in triads who is not yet fully licensed, including pre-licensed psychology supervisees, across all of the supervisor's nonexempt employers. The Board of Psychology also sets its own limit: a psychologist may supervise no more than three registered psychological associates at a time (BPC 2913(c)(2)).
References
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2024). Summary of supervisor qualifications (rev. 09/2024). https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/supervisor_qualifications.pdf
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2024). SB 1024 FAQ: Supervision. https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/supervisees_per_supervisor_faq_sb_1024.pdf
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2025). Supervisor self-assessment report (DCA BBS 37M-302, rev. 01/2025). https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/forms/supervisor_self_assessment.pdf
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2026). Important answers to frequently asked questions for supervisors (new 02/2026). https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/faqs_for_supervisors.pdf
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2026). Statutes and regulations handbook (16 CCR 1821 and 1870). https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/lawsregs.pdf
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2026). Supervision agreement (DCA BBS 37M-300, rev. 05/2026). https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/forms/supervision_agreement.pdf
Board of Psychology. (n.d.). Psychological associate registration FAQs. https://www.psychology.ca.gov/applicants/psych_asst_faq.html
California Business and Professions Code § 2913. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=2913
California Business and Professions Code § 4980.03. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.03
California Business and Professions Code § 4980.43. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.43
California Business and Professions Code § 4980.43.4. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.43.4
California Business and Professions Code § 4996.20. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4996.20
California Business and Professions Code § 4996.23. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4996.23
California Business and Professions Code § 4996.23.1. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4996.23.1
California Business and Professions Code § 4996.23.3. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4996.23.3
California Business and Professions Code § 4999.12. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4999.12
California Business and Professions Code § 4999.46. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4999.46
California Business and Professions Code § 4999.46.4. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4999.46.4
Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 1387.1 (Board of Psychology). https://govt.westlaw.com/calregs/Document/IE7EE50944C8111EC89E5000D3A7C4BC3
Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 1833.1. https://govt.westlaw.com/calregs/Document/I018363124C8211EC89E5000D3A7C4BC3
Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 1834. https://govt.westlaw.com/calregs/Document/I0192CC624C8211EC89E5000D3A7C4BC3
