Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 135 - RULES OF GEORGIA COMPOSITE BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS, SOCIAL WORKERS AND MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS › Chapter 135-5 - REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE › Rule 135-5-.01 - Associate Professional Counselors

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
Pursuant to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated 43-10A-11,
				the requirements for licensure and the restrictions on practice for Associate
				Professional Counselors are as follows:
(a)
Definitions.
1.
"The Practice of Professional
			 Counseling"
means practice in that specialty which utilizes counseling
			 and psychotherapy to evaluate and treat emotional and mental problems and
			 conditions, whether cognitive, behavioral, or affective. The practice is
			 further defined in O.C.G.A.
			 43-10A-3(10).
2.
"Direction"
means the ongoing
			 administrative overseeing by an employer or superior of a Professional
			 Counselor's work in the practice of professional counseling as defined by
			 135-5-.01(a)(1) by a
			 director. The director shall be responsible for assuring the quality of the
			 services rendered by that practitioner and shall ensure that qualified
			 supervision or intervention occurs in situations, which require expertise
			 beyond that of the practitioner.
3.
"Director"
means the person who provides direction and who is
			 either the employer of the person who receives direction or is the superior in
			 the administrative chain of command to the person who receives
			 direction.
4.
"Supervision"
means the direct clinical review, for the purpose of
			 training or teaching, by a supervisor of a Professional Counselor's interaction
			 with their client(s). The purpose of supervision is to promote the development
			 of the practitioner's clinical skills. Supervision may include, without being
			 limited to, the review of case presentations, audiotapes, videotapes, and
			 direct observation of the practitioner's clinical skills. Supervision does not
			 require the supervisor to be present at the work site with the supervisee.
			 Supervision may be provided pro bono or for a fee. Both supervisors and
			 supervisees are required to maintain a contemporaneous record of the date,
			 duration, type (individual, paired, or group), and a brief summary of the
			 pertinent activity for each supervision session to be submitted to the Board
			 upon request. If there are any discrepancies in hours, contemporaneous
			 documentation of supervision will be requested.
(i)
Individual Supervision
means
			 one supervisor meeting with a maximum of two supervisees.
(ii)
Group Supervision
means one
			 supervisor meeting with a maximum of six supervisees.
5.
"Supervisor"
means a licensed
			 Professional Counselor, Clinical Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist,
			 Psychologist, or Psychiatrist who complies with the ethical standards of
			 practice of their profession with particular attention being paid to prohibited
			 dual relationships. In addition,
(i) a
			 supervisor who holds a master's degree must have three (3) years of
			 post-licensure experience; and
(ii)
			 a supervisor who holds a specialist degree must have two (2) years of
			 post-licensure experience; and
(iii) a supervisor who holds a doctoral
			 degree must have one (1) year of post-licensure experience; and
(iv) for supervision entered into after
September 30, 2018
, a supervisor who is a Licensed Professional
			 Counselor must hold either a National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC)
			 Approved Clinical Supervisor credential or a Licensed Professional Counselors
			 Association of Georgia (LPCAGA) Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor
			 credential.
(v) however, the Board
			 in its discretion may approve a supervisor whose experience is substantially
			 similar to those stated herein.
(vi) in a supervised practicum or internship
			 which is part of the graduate degree program, either the course instructor of
			 record or the on-site clinical instructor must be a qualified supervisor OR, in
			 the education of rehabilitation counselors, may be a Certified Rehabilitation
			 Counselor.
6.
"Directed Experience"
means time spent under direction engaging in
			 the practice of Professional Counseling as defined in
			 135-5-.01(a)(1).
(i) all work sites must include a formal
			 structure related to the practice of professional counseling as defined in Rule
			 135-5-.01(a)(1).
			 Valid work sites should have measurable detailed documentation for every
			 candidate, to include a signed contractual agreement that outlines the job
			 description, office hours, performance review procedures and dismissal
			 policies.
(ii) non-compensated
			 experiences or services will be reviewed on a case by case basis to determine
			 acceptability in defining the working relationship for the purposes of
			 obtainment of the required post-master's directed work experience only if they
			 meet these requirements. The agreement between the work site and the candidate
			 should be akin to employment.
(iii)
			 applicants may, at the discretion of the Board, be required to submit
			 documentation substantiating (a) the nature of the working relationship with
			 the directed experience site, (b) the formal structure of the organization, and
			 (c) whether any licensed or associate licensed individuals work there to ensure
			 compliance and understanding of these requirements.
7.
"Directed Experience Under
			 Supervision Contract"
is a document, obtained from the Board, that
			 defines the working relationship for the purposes of obtaining the required
			 post-masters directed experience under supervision. Directed experience sites
			 in the contract must meet the requirements of rule
			 135-5-.01(a)(6)
			 above, the definition of "Directed Experience".
8.
"Program Primarily Counseling in
			 Content" and "Program in Applied Psychology"
means a course of study at
			 an accredited educational institution consisting of a master's degree which
			 includes either as part of the degree program or as additional course work
			 completed prior to, during or after the degree program, the following graduate
			 level courses. After
September 30, 2018
the degree program must be
			 accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related
			 Educational Programs (CACREP), the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE)
			 or a regionally accredited program recognized by the Council on Higher
			 Education Accreditation (CHEA). The approved program must be substantially
			 similar in coursework and content to a CACREP or CORE accredited program. An
			 individual course may not be used to fulfill the requirement in more than one
			 content area.
(i)
Counseling/Psychotherapy Theory
, which includes the principles,
			 concepts, and practice of counseling/psychotherapy and the major models of
			 counseling/psychotherapy.
(ii)
A Counseling or Applied Psychology
			 Practicum or Internship
as part of the graduate degree
			 program.
(iii)
Courses in six
			 (6) of the following nine (9) content areas, after September 30, 2018, all 9
			 content areas of the following course work are required:
(I)
Human Growth and
			 Development
, which includes an understanding of the nature and needs of
			 individuals at all developmental levels, personality theory, and learning
			 theory, and which may provide a comprehensive overview of the factors,
			 determinants, and stages that pertain to physical, emotional, intellectual, and
			 social development and adaptation from infantile to geriatric stages.
(II)
Multicultural Counseling or
			 Diversity Training
, which includes an understanding of societal changes
			 and trends, human roles, societal subgroups, diversity, social mores and
			 interaction patterns, and differing lifestyles; and competency in counseling a
			 diverse clientele.
(III)
Counseling Techniques or Skills
, which includes an understanding
			 of the philosophic bases of helping processes, helper self-understanding and
			 self-development, and the facilitation of client change; OR Advanced
			 Psychotherapy/Intervention Theory, which includes the in-depth study of the
			 major theories, principles, methods and techniques of psychotherapy with
			 individuals, groups or families, focusing on the treatment or prevention of
			 behavior disorders, adjustment problems, psychopathology, or other
			 psychological disturbance.
(IV)
Group Dynamics and Group Counseling/Psychotherapy
, which includes
			 an understanding of group development, dynamics, and counseling/psychotherapy
			 theories; group leadership styles; group counseling/psychotherapy methods and
			 skills; and other groupapproaches.
(V)
Lifestyle and Career
			 Development
, which includes an understanding of career development
			 theories; occupational educational information sources and systems; career and
			 leisure counseling, guidance and education; lifestyle and career decision
			 making; and career development program planning, resources, and
			 evaluation.
(VI)
Appraisal/Assessment of Individuals
, which includes an
			 understanding of psychometric theories and approaches to appraisal/ assessment;
			 validity and reliability; psychometric statistics; the selection,
			 administration, scoring and interpretation of various assessment instruments;
			 and the use of appraisal/assessment results in the counseling/psychotherapy
			 process.
(VII)
Research
			 Methods and Evaluation
, which includes an understanding of types of
			 research, statistics, research report development, research implementation,
			 program evaluation, needs assessment, and ethical and legal considerations in
			 research; OR Research Statistics, which includes an understanding of the
			 theory, analysis and interpretation of manual or computer generated statistical
			 measures.
(VIII)
Professional
			 Orientation and Ethics
, which includes an understanding of ethical and
			 legal standards, professional roles, responsibilities, and functions;
			 professional goals and objectives; professional organizations and associations;
			 professional history and trends; professional preparation standards; and
			 professional credentialing.
(IX)
Psychopathology
, which includes theories, research, descriptive
			 characteristics, categories, dynamics, and etiology of mental, behavioral,
			 cognitive and personality disorders with a focus on utilization of the
			 diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) and/or
			 International Classification of Diseases (ICD).