Cal. BPC § 4996.23.1 — California Code / Code bpc / Division 2 / Chapter 14 / Article 4 / Section 4996.23.1
Section 4996.23.1
Status: in_force

(a) Except for experience gained by attending workshops, seminars, training sessions, or conferences, as described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (d) of Section 4996.23, direct supervisor contact shall occur as follows:

(1) Supervision shall include at least one hour of direct supervisor contact each week for which experience is credited in each work setting.

(2) An associate gaining experience who performs more than 10 hours of services pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 4996.23 in a week in any setting shall receive at least one additional hour of direct supervisor contact for that setting.

(b) (1) For purposes of this chapter, “one hour of direct supervisor contact” means any of the following:

(A) Individual supervision, which means one hour of face-to-face contact between one supervisor and one person receiving supervision for providing clinical mental health services.

(B) Triadic supervision, which means one hour of face-to-face contact between one supervisor and two persons receiving supervision for providing clinical mental health services.

(C) Group supervision, which means two hours of face-to-face contact between one supervisor and no more than eight persons receiving supervision for providing clinical mental health services. Segments of group supervision may be split into no less than one continuous hour. A supervisor shall ensure that the amount and degree of supervision is appropriate for each person in the group.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, “face-to-face contact” means in-person contact, contact via two-way, real-time videoconferencing, or some combination of these.

(c) The supervisor shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with federal and state laws relating to confidentiality of patient health information.

(d) (1) Within 60 days of the commencement of supervision, a supervisor shall conduct a meeting with the supervisee during which the supervisor shall assess the appropriateness of allowing the supervisee to receive supervision via two-way, real-time videoconferencing. This assessment of appropriateness shall include, but is not limited to, the abilities of the supervisee, the preferences of both the supervisee and supervisor, and the privacy of the locations of the supervisee and supervisor while supervision is conducted.

(2) The supervisor shall document the results of the assessment made pursuant to paragraph (1), and shall not utilize supervision via two-way, real-time videoconferencing if their assessment finds it is not appropriate.

(e) Direct supervisor contact shall occur within the same week as the hours claimed.

(f) Of the 104 weeks of required supervision, 52 weeks shall be individual supervision, triadic supervision, or a combination of both.

(g) Of the 52 weeks of required individual or triadic supervision, no less than 13 weeks shall be supervised by a licensed clinical social worker.

(h) Alternative supervision may be arranged during a supervisor’s vacation or sick leave if the alternative supervision meets the requirements of this chapter.

(i) Notwithstanding any other law, once the required number of experience hours are gained, an associate clinical social worker or applicant for licensure shall receive a minimum of one hour of direct supervisor contact per week for each practice setting in which direct clinical counseling is performed. Once the required number of experience hours are gained, further supervision for nonclinical practice, as described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (d) of Section 4996.23, shall be at the supervisor’s discretion.