Section 20-195cc - License application. Renewal. Fees. Continuing education. Temporary authorization to practice(a) The Commissioner of Public Health shall grant a license (1) as a professional counselor to any applicant who furnishes evidence satisfactory to the commissioner that such applicant has met the requirements of section 20-195dd, and (2) as a professional counselor associate to any applicant who furnishes evidence satisfactory to the commissioner that such applicant has met the requirements of section 20-195dd. The commissioner shall develop and provide application forms. The application fee for a professional counselor shall be two hundred dollars. The application fee for a professional counselor associate shall be one hundred twenty-five dollars.(b) Licenses issued to professional counselors and professional counselor associates under this section may be renewed annually pursuant to section 19a-88. The fee for such renewal shall be two hundred dollars for a professional counselor and one hundred twenty-five dollars for a professional counselor associate. Each licensed professional counselor and professional counselor associate applying for license renewal shall furnish evidence satisfactory to the commissioner of having participated in continuing education programs. The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to (1) define basic requirements for continuing education programs that shall include (A) not less than one contact hour of training or education each registration period on the topic of cultural competency, (B) on and after January 1, 2016, not less than two contact hours of training or education during the first renewal period in which continuing education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter on the topic of mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans, including (i) determining whether a patient is a veteran or family member of a veteran, (ii) screening for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, risk of suicide, depression and grief, and (iii) suicide prevention training, and (C) on and after January 1, 2018, not less than three contact hours of training or education each registration period on the topic of professional ethics, (2) delineate qualifying programs, (3) establish a system of control and reporting, and (4) provide for a waiver of the continuing education requirement for good cause.(c)(1) Any individual who has been convicted of any criminal offense may request, at any time, that the commissioner determine whether such individual's criminal conviction disqualifies the individual from obtaining a license issued or conferred by the commissioner pursuant to this chapter based on (A) the nature of the conviction and its relationship to the individual's ability to safely or competently perform the duties or responsibilities associated with such license, (B) information pertaining to the degree of rehabilitation of the individual, and (C) the time elapsed since the conviction or release of the individual.(2) An individual making such request shall include (A) details of the individual's criminal conviction, and (B) any payment required by the commissioner. The commissioner may charge a fee of not more than fifteen dollars for each request made under this subsection. The commissioner may waive such fee.(3) Not later than thirty days after receiving a request under this subsection, the commissioner shall inform the individual making such request whether, based on the criminal record information submitted, such individual is disqualified from receiving or holding a license issued or conferred pursuant to this chapter.(4) The commissioner is not bound by a determination made under this section, if, upon further investigation, the commissioner determines that the individual's criminal conviction differs from the information presented in the determination request.(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, a person who is a graduate of a course of study described in subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (b) of section 20-195dd may practice professional counseling for a period not greater than one hundred twenty calendar days after the date such person completed such course of study, provided such person works under professional supervision.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-195cc
( P.A. 97-311 , S. 3 ; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-4 , S. 18 ; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 , S. 214 ; P.A. 13-76 , S. 2 ; P.A. 15-242 , S. 64 ; 15-244 , S. 124 ; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 , S. 474 ; P.A. 17-94 , S. 2 .)
Amended by P.A. 23-0101, S. 14 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2023 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2023.Amended by P.A. 23-0031, S. 50 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2023 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2023.Amended by P.A. 22-0088, S. 5 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2022 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2022.Amended by P.A. 19-0117, S. 164 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2019 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2019.Amended by P.A. 17-0094, S. 2 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2017 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2017.Amended by P.A. 15-0242, S. 64 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2015 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2015.Amended by P.A. 15-0244, S. 124 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2015 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2015.