La. Admin. Code tit. 46 § LX-503
A. For purposes of this Part, the following definitions will apply.
Active Supervision-the process by which a supervisee receives one hour of face-to-face supervision with his/her board-approved supervisor for every 20 hours of direct client contact Active Supervision is based on direct client contact hours. Supervision hours shall be adjusted if the provisional licensed professional counselor has less than or more than 20 hours of direct contact. The supervisor and supervisee must meet at least one hour within a three-month period.
Administrative Supervisor-person responsible for the overall administrative functions of their agency/organization. The Administrative Supervisor is responsible for the control, oversight and responsibility of PLPC in the setting in which the PLPC is employed, contracted or volunteering.
Applicant-an individual who has submitted an application to the board for the initial review, renewal, reinstatement of a license or certification.
Board-the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners.
Bureau-the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information.
Clinical Supervision- a distinct professional practice employing a collaborative relationship between a supervisor and a supervisee. At a minimum, this relationship has facilitative, evaluative, and supervisory components. The goal of Clinical Supervision is to enhance the professional competence, monitor the quality of services provided, maintain the ethical standards of practice, protect the welfare of the public, and serve as a gatekeeper for entry into the mental health counseling profession. All licensees who serve in a supervisory capacity are governed by the current ACA code of ethics for supervision. All licensees that supervise another person are governed by the code of conduct and regulatory standards regarding supervisor and supervision set forth by the Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners. A supervisor may not be a relative of the PLPC. Relative of the PLPC is defined as spouse, parent, child, sibling of the whole-or half-blood, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, one who is or has been related by marriage or has any other dual relationship. Caution must be exercised in dual relationships when serving as both the Administrative Supervisor and the LPC Supervisor.
Contract Employee/Private Contractor-an employee who works under contract for an employer. Hired for a specific job at a specific rate of pay; is not considered a permanent employee. A PLPC may be a contracted employee.
Criminal History Record Information-information collected by state and federal criminal justice agencies on individuals consisting of identifiable descriptions and notations of arrests, detentions, indictments, bills of information, or any formal criminal charges, and any disposition arising from, including sentencing, criminal correctional supervision and release. It shall not include intelligence information gathered for investigatory purposed or any identification information that does not indicate involvement of the individual in the criminal justice system.
Licensed Professional Counselor-any fully licensed person (i.e. one who may practice independently as specified in R.S. 37:1107(A)) who holds oneself out to the public for a fee or other personal gain, by any title or description of services incorporating the words "licensed professional counselor" or any similar term, and who offers to render professional mental health counseling/psychotherapy services denoting a client-counselor relationship in which the counselor assumes the responsibility for knowledge, skill, and ethical consideration needed to assist individuals, groups, organizations, or the general public, and who implies that he/she is licensed to practice mental health counseling.
Licensee-an individual holding either a full or provisional license issued by the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners. All licensees must accurately identify themselves as fully licensed (i.e., licensed) or provisionally licensed.
Licensure-any license, certification, or registration for the practice of mental health counseling approved by the board.
LPC Supervisor-provides clinical supervision to the PLPC, which must be approved by the board. The LPC Supervisor has the responsibility of assisting PLPCs in increasing their competences as a mental health professional. The LPC Supervisor has no control, oversight, or responsibility for the services of a PLPC whom they are supervising within the agency/organization they are employed, contracted or volunteering, unless the LPC supervisor also serves as the administrative supervisor of the PLPC. To be designated as a LPC Supervisor, one must be approved by the board and fulfill the requirements outlined in Chapter 8.
Practice of Mental Health Counseling/Psychotherapy- rendering or offering prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, which includes psychotherapy of mental, emotional, behavioral, and addiction disorders to individuals, groups, organizations, or the general public by a licensed or provisional licensed professional counselor, which is consistent with his/her professional training as prescribed by R.S. 37:1107(A)(8), and Code of Ethics/behavior involving the application of principles, methods, or procedures of the mental health counseling profession which includes but is not limited to the following.
a. Mental Health Counseling/Psychotherapy- assisting an individual or group through psychotherapy by rendering or offering prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, which includes psychotherapy of mental, emotional, behavioral, and addiction disorders. This professional relationship empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.
b. Consulting-interpreting or reporting scientific fact or theory to provide assistance in solving current or potential problems of individuals, groups, or organizations. Section 505 defines ongoing consultation and collaboration for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of serious mental illnesses.
c. Referral Activities-the evaluation of data to identify problems and to determine the advisability of referral to other specialists.
d. Research Activities-reporting, designing, conducting, or consulting on research in counseling with human subjects.
e. Appraisal-
i. use or administration of tests of language, educational and achievement tests, adaptive behavioral tests, and symptoms screening checklists or instruments, as well as tests of abilities, interests, and aptitudes, for the purpose of diagnosing those conditions allowed within the scope of these statutes, defining counseling goals, planning and implementing interventions, and documenting clients progress as related to mental health counseling. Appraisal includes but is not necessarily limited to the following areas.
(a). Abilities-those normative-based individual and group administered instruments used to measure general mental ability vis-a-vis specific abilities.
(b). Interests-those normative-based individual and group administered instruments used to suggest educational and vocational adjustment, interpersonal relations, intrapersonal tendencies and interests, satisfaction from avocational pursuits, and other major phases of human development.
(c). Aptitudes-those normative-based individual and group administered instruments used to measure special ability related to a future task(s).
ii. Qualified licensed professional counselors as well as other appropriately licensed or certified professionals may also administer or use test of language, educational and achievement, adaptive behavior tests, and symptom screening checklists or instruments. The administration and interpretation of these tests are not exclusively within the scope of this regulation.
iii. Appraisals done within the practice of mental health counseling must be performed in accordance with the requirements of the Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 46, Part LX, Chapter 21, Code of Conduct for Licensed Professional Counselors and Provisional Licensed Professional Counselors. A licensed professional counselor must be privileged by this board to utilize formal appraisal instruments and shall limit such use to those areas heretofore mentioned in this Chapter. A licensed professional counselor who wishes to be board privileged to utilize formal appraisal instruments in the appraisal of individuals shall additionally furnish this board satisfactory evidence of formal graduate training in statistics, sampling theory, test construction, test and measurements and individual differences and must renew this privileging designation every two years (as defined in Chapter 7). Formal training shall include a practicum and supervised practice with appraisal instruments.
f. Graduate Degree-the substance of which is professional mental health counseling from a regionally accredited university (as defined in Chapter 7) and must conform to one of the criteria below:
i. a CACREP accredited program or its equivalent as determined by the board.
ii. a counseling program incorporating the word "counseling" or "counselor" in its title;
iii. a program incorporating a counseling-related term in its title (e.g., marriage and family therapy); or
iv. a program incorporating the eight content areas, a counseling practicum, and a counseling internship.
g. The requisite graduate degree may not consist of a degree in any disciplines otherwise licensed by the state of Louisiana including, but not limited to, psychology, clinical psychology, or social work, with the exception of counseling psychology and vocational rehabilitation counseling programs.
h. Internet Counseling-mental health services delivered over the internet are rendered where the patient/client is situated. All counselors/therapists serving Louisiana residents via internet counseling must be fully licensed in Louisiana and must adhere to all applicable state laws relative to the practice of mental health counseling. R.S. 37:1111 prohibits any person from engaging in the practice of mental health counseling in Louisiana unless he/she possesses a full and valid license issued by the Louisiana LPC board. No individuals holding a provisional license may engage in internet counseling
Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor-any person by title or description of services incorporating the words "provisional licensed professional counselor" and who, under board-approved supervision (i.e. may not practice independently), renders professional mental health counseling/psychotherapy services denoting a client-counselor relationship in which the licensee assumes the responsibility for knowledge, skill, and ethical consideration needed to assist individuals, groups, organizations, or the general public, and who implies that he/she is provisionally licensed to practice mental health counseling.
Licensure-any license, certification, or registration for the practice of mental health counseling approved by the board.
LPC Supervisor-provides clinical supervision to the PLPC, which must be approved by the board. The LPC Supervisor has the responsibility of assisting PLPCs in increasing their competences as a mental health professional. The LPC Supervisor has no control, oversight, or responsibility for the services of a PLPC whom they are supervising within the agency/organization they are employed, contracted or volunteering, unless the LPC supervisor also serves as the administrative supervisor of the PLPC. To be designated as a LPC Supervisor, one must be approved by the board and fulfill the requirements outlined in Chapter 8.
Practice of Mental Health Counseling/Psychotherapy- rendering or offering prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, which includes psychotherapy of mental, emotional, behavioral, and addiction disorders to individuals, groups, organizations, or the general public by a licensed or provisional licensed professional counselor, which is consistent with his/her professional training as prescribed by R.S. 37:1107(A)(8), and Code of Ethics/behavior involving the application of principles, methods, or procedures of the mental health counseling profession which includes but is not limited to the following.
a. Mental Health Counseling/Psychotherapy- assisting an individual or group through psychotherapy by rendering or offering prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, which includes psychotherapy of mental, emotional, behavioral, and addiction disorders. This professional relationship empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.
b. Consulting-interpreting or reporting scientific fact or theory to provide assistance in solving current or potential problems of individuals, groups, or organizations. Section 505 defines ongoing consultation and collaboration for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of serious mental illnesses.
c. Referral Activities-the evaluation of data to identify problems and to determine the advisability of referral to other specialists.
d. Research Activities-reporting, designing, conducting, or consulting on research in counseling with human subjects.
e. Appraisal-
i. use or administration of tests of language, educational and achievement tests, adaptive behavioral tests, and symptoms screening checklists or instruments, as well as tests of abilities, interests, and aptitudes, for the purpose of diagnosing those conditions allowed within the scope of these statutes, defining counseling goals, planning and implementing interventions, and documenting clients progress as related to mental health counseling. Appraisal includes but is not necessarily limited to the following areas.
(a). Abilities-those normative-based individual and group administered instruments used to measure general mental ability vis-a-vis specific abilities.
(b). Interests-those normative-based individual and group administered instruments used to suggest educational and vocational adjustment, interpersonal relations, intrapersonal tendencies and interests, satisfaction from avocational pursuits, and other major phases of human development.
(c). Aptitudes-those normative-based individual and group administered instruments used to measure special ability related to a future task(s).
ii. Qualified licensed professional counselors as well as other appropriately licensed or certified professionals may also administer or use test of language, educational and achievement, adaptive behavior tests, and symptom screening checklists or instruments. The administration and interpretation of these tests are not exclusively within the scope of this regulation.
iii. Appraisals done within the practice of mental health counseling must be performed in accordance with the requirements of the Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 46, Part LX, Chapter 21, Code of Conduct for Licensed Professional Counselors and Provisional Licensed Professional Counselors. A licensed professional counselor must be privileged by this board to utilize formal appraisal instruments and shall limit such use to those areas heretofore mentioned in this Chapter. A licensed professional counselor who wishes to be board privileged to utilize formal appraisal instruments in the appraisal of individuals shall additionally furnish this board satisfactory evidence of formal graduate training in statistics, sampling theory, test construction, test and measurements and individual differences and must renew this privileging designation every two years (as defined in Chapter 7). Formal training shall include a practicum and supervised practice with appraisal instruments.
f. Graduate Degree-the substance of which is professional mental health counseling from a regionally accredited university (as defined in Chapter 7) and must conform to one of the criteria below:
i. a CACREP accredited program or its equivalent as determined by the board.
ii. a counseling program incorporating the word "counseling" or "counselor" in its title;
iii. a program incorporating a counseling-related term in its title (e.g., marriage and family therapy); or
iv. a program incorporating the eight content areas, a counseling practicum, and a counseling internship.
g. The requisite graduate degree may not consist of a degree in any disciplines otherwise licensed by the state of Louisiana including, but not limited to, psychology, clinical psychology, or social work, with the exception of counseling psychology and vocational rehabilitation counseling programs.
h. Internet Counseling-mental health services delivered over the internet are rendered where the patient/client is situated. All counselors/therapists serving Louisiana residents via internet counseling must be fully licensed in Louisiana and must adhere to all applicable state laws relative to the practice of mental health counseling. R.S. 37:1111 prohibits any person from engaging in the practice of mental health counseling in Louisiana unless he/she possesses a full and valid license issued by the Louisiana LPC board. No individuals holding a provisional license may engage in internet counseling.
Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor-any person by title or description of services incorporating the words "provisional licensed professional counselor" and who, under board-approved supervision (i.e. may not practice independently), renders professional mental health counseling/psychotherapy services denoting a client-counselor relationship in which the licensee assumes the responsibility for knowledge, skill, and ethical consideration needed to assist individuals, groups, organizations, or the general public, and who implies that he/she is provisionally licensed to practice mental health counseling.
Supervisee-a provisional licensed professional counselor under the active supervision of his/her board-approved supervisor.
Temporary Registered LPC-
a. any person who:
i. holds a full and unrestricted license or certificate in mental health counseling/psychotherapy in another state or U.S. territory;
ii. are temporarily employed in Louisiana to render mental health counseling services for not more than 30 consecutive days a year or during a declared state of emergency; and
iii. unless a state of emergency is declared a temporary registration shall only be issued once per licensee.
b. The board must pre-approve any exception to this Subsection. ¥
La. Admin. Code tit. 46, § LX-503