Section 12 AAC 62.400 - Distance professional services(a) The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Policy Regarding the Provision of Distance Professional Services (approved February 6, 2016), is adopted by reference for distance professional services provided by licensees to the extent it does not conflict with 12 AAC 62. Click here to view image
(b) Before providing distance professional services, an individual must (1) be either licensed in good standing or working as a supervisee under a board-approved supervisor as set out in AS 08.29;(2) have completed a minimum of six continuing education hours from a National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) approved continuing education provider pertaining to distance professional services; and(3) determine that the client is intellectually, emotionally, and physically capable of using distance professional services, and that the delivery method for providing distance professional services is appropriate for the client's needs.(d) An individual located in this state must be licensed under AS 08.29 before providing distance professional counseling service, regardless of the location of the client receiving the service.(e) Before providing distance professional services, a licensee or supervisee must develop a safety plan with the client to identify local resources in the client's community should emergency care become necessary. The plan must identify an individual the client trusts who is available during distance professional services and include that individual's contact information.(f) At the beginning of every distance professional services session, the licensee or supervisee must verify and document the client's identity in the progress note.(g) When distance professional services are deemed inappropriate by the licensee, supervisee, or client, the licensee or supervisee must refer the client to a local health-care provider for in-person services. If the client refuses a referral to a local health-care provider for in-person services, the licensee or supervisee must document the rationale for continuing to provide distance professional services.(h) An applicant working under a board-approved supervisor as set out in 12 AAC 62.200 must meet with the supervisor synchronously at least once every two weeks.Eff. 11/10/2019, Register 232, January 2020; am 5/26/2020, Register 234; am 9/20/2020, Register 235; am 2/2/2024, Register 249, April 2024A copy of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Policy Regarding the Provision of Distance Professional Services (approved February 6, 2016), adopted by reference in 12 AAC 64.400, maybe obtained from the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Board of Professional Counselors, P.O. Box 110806, Juneau, Alaska 99811-0806; telephone: (907) 465-2694, or website at http://nbcc.org/Assets/Ethics/NBCCPolicyRegardingPracticeofDistanceCounselingBoard.pdf.
Authority:AS 08.29.020
AS 08.29.110
AS 08.29.400
AS 08.29.490