N.J. Admin. Code § 13:34-13.1

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 13:34-13.1 - Supervisor qualifications; supervisor responsibilities

(a) A qualified supervisor, as defined in N.J.A.C. 13:34-10.2, shall meet the following requirements prior to supervising the provision of professional counseling services:

1. The individual shall have obtained 4,500 hours of work experience subsequent to holding a clinical license to provide mental health counseling services. The 4,500 hours shall have been obtained over a minimum of three years, but no more than six years; and

2. The individual shall hold an approved clinical supervisor credential from the Center for Credentialing and Education of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) or an equivalent clinical supervisor credential recognized by the individual's respective professional healthcare licensing board, if applicable, or shall have completed a minimum of three graduate credits in clinical supervision from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.

(b) Notwithstanding (a) above, or the definition of "qualified supervisor ," an individual who, as of April 5, 2021, was deemed a qualified supervisor by the Committee shall continue to be allowed to supervise the provision of professional counseling services in accordance with this chapter.

(c) A qualified supervisor shall be responsible for creating a written supervision plan with the licensed associate counselor. The supervision plan shall outline the work setting, the licensed associate counselor's job description, including the nature of his or her duties and his or her qualifications and the supervisor's responsibilities and qualifications. Supervision may be provided through live observation or through the review of videotapes, audiotapes and/or self-reporting of sessions with clients, consistent with the requirements of (d) below.

(d) The written supervision plan shall be approved by the Committee prior to the performance of counseling by the licensed associate counselor.

(e) A qualified supervisor shall perform and document the following activities with the licensed associate counselor:

1. The supervisor shall perform at least one of the following activities with the licensed associate counselor:

i. Work as a co-counselor with the licensed associate counselor;

ii. Observe the licensed associate counselor's sessions with clients;

iii. View videotapes of the licensed associate counselor's session with clients; or

iv. Listen to audiotapes of the licensed associate counselor's session with clients;

2. The supervisor shall perform at least one of the following activities with the licensed associate counselor:

i. React to case presentations given by the licensed associate counselor; or

ii. Conduct role-playing sessions with the licensed associate counselor; and

3. The supervisor shall perform all of the following activities:

i. Engage in problem-solving discussions with the licensed associate counselor concerning individual clients;

ii. Enter into problem-solving discussions concerning the licensed associate counselor's own problems that affect the licensed associate counselor's work with clients;

iii. Offer feedback to the licensed associate counselor concerning specific interventions utilized with clients;

iv. Offer feedback to the licensed associate counselor concerning the licensed associate counselor's personal qualities as they affect work with clients; and

v. Offer feedback to the licensed associate counselor concerning the supervision experience.

(f) A qualified supervisor shall maintain all documentation with respect to the supervision provided to licensed associate counselors for a minimum of three years. A qualified supervisor shall attest to compliance with the supervision requirements of this section by completing all forms provided by the Committee.

(g) A qualified supervisor shall not supervise more than a total of six mental health professionals at any one time. For purposes of this subsection, mental health professionals shall not include those mental health professionals who are licensed to engage in independent practice.

(h) Prior to a licensed associate counselor's commencement of client treatment, the supervisor shall obtain a written disclosure, which shall be signed by the client and retained as part of the client record, acknowledging that the client has been informed that services are to be rendered by an associate counselor under the supervision of a professional counselor or a qualified supervisor as defined in 13:34-10.2. If the written disclosure is included as part of another document provided for the client's information, the disclosure shall be set forth in a conspicuous manner, so that it shall be easily readable, clearly understood, signed by the client and retained as part of the client record.

(i) A qualified supervisor shall retain full professional responsibility for collecting fees from clients.

(j) A qualified supervisor shall be responsible for knowing the name and either the diagnosis or the nature of the problem of each client being treated by the licensed associate counselor. A supervisor shall be ultimately responsible for the welfare of the client with respect to the treatment being rendered by the licensed associate counselor.

(k) A qualified supervisor shall ensure that the licensed associate counselor maintains, on an annual basis until the licensed associate counselor is licensed as a professional counselor, documentation of supervised experience, using forms provided by the Committee for that purpose. The supervisor shall attest to compliance with the standards set forth in this section and shall indicate the hours and dates during which the licensed associate counselor has been under supervision, the nature of the cases assigned and the proficiency rating earned by the licensed associate counselor.

(l) A qualified supervisor shall supervise only in areas for which he or she possesses the requisite skills, training and experience.

(m) A qualified supervisor shall not supervise an individual with whom the supervisor has a relationship that may compromise the objectivity of the supervisor or impair the professional judgment of the supervisor. Examples of inappropriate supervisory relationships include, but are not limited to, current and former clients, current employers, relatives of the supervisor, immediate relatives of current clients, current students or close friends.

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:34-13.1

Recodified from N.J.A.C. 13:34-13.2 and amended by R.2004 d.158, effective 4/19/2004.
See: 35 N.J.R. 5228(a), 36 N.J.R. 1943(a).
Former N.J.A.C. 13:34-13.1, Definitions; supervised experience required for licensure, repealed. Deleted (a) and (b); recodified former (c) through (h) as (a) through (f); in (a), amended the N.J.A.C. reference; in (f), deleted "current and former employees" preceding "or close friends", in the last sentence.
Amended by R.2009 d.301, effective 10/5/2009.
See: 41 N.J.R. 1946(a), 41 N.J.R. 3813(a).
Section was "Responsibilities of supervisor". Rewrote the section.

Amended by 53 N.J.R. 538(b), effective 4/5/2021