Definitions

As used in this rule, the terms and acronyms shall have the following meanings ascribed to them. (1) Actively engaged - Engaged in the practice of professional counseling 10 clock or more face- to-face client contact hours per week. (2) Advertise - Means, but is not limited to, the issuing or causing to be distributed any card, sign, or device to any person, or the causing, permitting or allowing any sign or marking on or in any building or structure, or in any newspaper, or magazine or in any directory, or on radio or television, or by advertising by any other means designed to secure public attention; (3) Applicant - Any individual seeking licensure by the board who has submitted an official application and paid the application fee. (4) Approved Supervisor - An approved supervisor for professional experience subsequent to the master’s degree must be a currently Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marital and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Psychologist with Health Service Provider designation, Licensed Senior Psychological Examiner, or Licensed Psychiatrist, who has been licensed at least five (5) years and who takes responsibility for the practice of the supervisee during a specific time to enable the supervisee to meet the requirements of licensing. If the supervisor is a Licensed Professional Counselor who is supervising a candidate for Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Service Provider designation, the supervisor must have the Mental Health Service Provider designation. (5) Board - The Board for Professional Counselors, Marital and Family Therapists, Clinical Pastoral Therapists. (6) Board administrative office - The office of the administrator assigned to the board located at 665 Mainstream Drive, Nashville, TN 37243. (7) Board Designee - Any person who has received a written delegation of authority from the board to perform board functions subject to review and ratification by the full board where provided by these rules. GENERAL RULES GOVERNING PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS CHAPTER 0450-01 (8) Certified Associate Counselor - Any person who has met the qualifications for CAC and holds a current, unsuspended or unrevoked certificate which has lawfully been issued by the board. (9) Certified Professional Counselor - Any person who has met the qualifications for CPC and holds a current, unsuspended or unrevoked certificate which has lawfully been issued by the board. (10) Clinically-related activities - Clinically-related workshops, trainings and seminars, treatment teams, clinical supervision, and research and leadership preparation for individual and group counseling. Graduate coursework in pursuit of licensure and administrative supervision in the work setting are not clinically-related activities. (11) Clinical setting - A place where the practice of professional counseling occurs. An appropriate setting for an applicant’s pre and post master’s professional experience must meet the following criteria: (a) The place or practice shall be a public, private, or community agency/mental health setting and must have integrated programs for the delivery of clinical mental health counseling in accordance with these rules and defined by definition (29) for non-Mental Health Service Provider designation and definition (30) for the Mental Health Service Provider designation. (b) The place or practice shall offer adequate physical resources, such as a private space that meets HIPAA requirements, necessary to allow for supervision and appropriate service delivery. (c) The place or practice shall have at least one licensed mental health professional on site for a cumulative minimum of 20 hours per week whose assigned job duties include being available to the applicant for supervision and/or consultation while the applicant is engaging in the practice of counseling or counseling related services. In addition, the place or practice shall have a written emergency plan in place to include method(s) of contacting supervisor(s) or other consultant(s), alternative contacts when supervisor(s) is(are) unavailable, information regarding crisis services, and crisis decision-making. The licensed mental health professional can serve as the applicant’s supervisor if he or she meets the supervisor requirements pursuant to 0450-01-.10. If the licensed mental health professional on staff at the place or practice is unable or unwilling to serve as the applicant’s supervisor, the applicant must secure a supervisor who meets the supervisor requirements pursuant to 0450-01-.10. (d) For an applicant pursuing post-master’s professional experience, the place or practice shall not be owned, or independently operated by the applicant. An applicant shall not seek a clinical setting or supervision that is in conflict with the multiple relationships addressed by the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics. Prior to choosing a clinical setting, if an applicant is uncertain, he or she shall seek advice about what is considered acceptable from the Board. (e) In the case of pre-master’s professional experience, the place or practice shall have written provisions to provide supervision and training experience as defined by graduate counseling program expectations. (f) The applicant shall be an employee of the place or practice, or shall be affiliated by agreement. All agreements shall include but not be limited to the following information: the name of the individual responsible for supervision, specific job duties/responsibilities, method for obtaining and scheduling clients, liability insurance information, payment arrangements, emergency plan, and facility and service logistics. Compensation for services provided by the applicant shall be paid directly to the place GENERAL RULES GOVERNING PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS CHAPTER 0450-01 or practice unless the applicant has a temporary license, at which time the applicant may be paid on an agreed upon basis or may provide services on a pro bono basis. (12) Client Contact Hour - A 50 minute period a counselor or therapist spends working with an individual, family or group. (13) Closed Files - An administrative action which renders an incomplete or denied file inactive. (14) Clock hour - Sixty minutes in a continuing education activity. Providers who measure continuing education activities in “continuing education units” shall define CEU in clock hours. (15) Continuing education - Education beyond the basic licensing educational requirement which is related to the practice of professional counseling. (16) Department - Tennessee Department of Health. (17) Division - The Division of Health Related Boards, Tennessee Department of Health, from which the board receives administrative support. (18) Fee - Money, gift, services or anything of value offered or received as compensation in return for rendering services. (19) Fee Splitting - The practice of paying commissions to colleagues out of fees received from clients who have been referred by the colleague for services. (20) Good Moral Character - Any individual being highly regarded in personal behavior and professional ethics. (21) He/she His/her - When he or his appears in the text of these rules the word represents both the feminine and masculine genders. (22) HRB - When the acronym HRB appears in this rule, it is intended to mean Health Related Boards. (23) Internship - The supervised, planned, practical experience completed near the end of the education process and obtained in the clinical setting by observing and applying the principles, methods, and techniques learned in training and/or educational settings. The internship involves a longer period of time than the practicum. (24) License - Document issued to an applicant who successfully completes the licensure process. The license takes the form of an “artistically designed” license as well as other versions bearing an expiration date. (25) Licensed Professional Counselor - Any person who has met the qualifications for professional counselor and holds a current, unsuspended, or unrevoked license which has been lawfully issued by the board. (26) Mental health/community agency setting - For purposes of the supervision requirements of this chapter, a clinical setting as defined in paragraph (11). (27) NBCC - When the acronym NBCC appears in this rule, it is intended to mean National Board for Certified Counselors and may be referred to in these rules as the “testing agency”. (28) Person - Any individual, firm, corporation, partnership, organization, or body politic. GENERAL RULES GOVERNING PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS CHAPTER 0450-01 (29) Practice of Professional Counseling (without the designation as a mental health service provider) - Rendering or offering to render to individuals, groups, organizations, or the general public any service involving the application of principles, techniques, methods, or procedures of the counseling profession, including appraisal activities, as defined by the law, counseling, consulting and referral activities. Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the treatment of any mental, emotional or adjustment disorder other than marital problems, parent-child problems, child, and adolescent antisocial behavior, adult antisocial behavior, other specified family circumstances, other interpersonal problems, phase of life problems, other life circumstance problems, occupational problems, and uncomplicated bereavement. (30) Practice of counseling as a mental health services provider - the application of mental health and human development principles in order to: (a) Facilitate human development and adjustment throughout the life span; (b) Prevent, diagnose, and treat mental, emotional or behavioral disorders and associated disorders which interfere with mental health; (c) Conduct assessments and diagnoses for the purpose of establishing treatment goals and objectives within the limitations prescribed in T.C.A. § 63-22-150(1); and (d) Plan, implement, and evaluate treatment plans using counseling treatment interventions. Counseling treatment interventions shall mean the application of cognitive, affective, behavioral and systemic counseling strategies which include principles of development, wellness, and pathology that reflect a pluralistic society. Nothing in this definition shall be construed to permit the performance of any act which licensed professional counselors designated as mental health service providers are not educated and trained to perform, nor shall it be construed to permit the designation of testing reports as “psychological”. (31) Practicum - The supervised, planned, practical experience occurring in a clinical setting, for an early introduction to subject matter. It is generally time-bound and for a shorter period of time than an internship, but it allows for demonstration and testing of information, knowledge, and skills acquired. (32) Professional Counseling - Assisting an individual, through the counseling relationship, in a manner intended to facilitate normal human growth and development, using a combination of mental health and human development principles, methods and techniques, to achieve mental, emotional, physical, social, moral, educational, spiritual, and/or career development and adjustment through the lifespan. (33) Professional Experience - A minimum of 10 client contact hours per week engaged in activities as described in the definition of professional counseling, and practice of counseling excluding volunteer hours. (34) Private Practice - Practice of counseling or therapy other than in a public or nonprofit agency or entity. (35) Recognized educational institution - Any educational institution that is accredited by a nationally or regionally recognized educational body. (36) Registrant - Any person who has been lawfully issued a certificate or license. GENERAL RULES GOVERNING PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS CHAPTER 0450-01 (37) Relative - Parent, spouse, former spouse, siblings, children, cousins, in-laws (present and former), aunts, uncles, grandparents, grandchildren, step-children, employees, or anyone sharing the same household. (38) Supervisee - An individual who is engaged in post graduate or graduate, supervised experience under the direction of a supervisor. (39) Supervision - Ongoing, direct clinical oversight for the purpose of training or teaching. Supervision may include, without being limited to, the review of case presentations, audio tapes, video tapes, and direct observation. (a) Supervision shall be by an approved supervisor. (b) An approved supervisor shall monitor the performance of an applicant’s interaction with a client and provide regular documented face-to-face or live video conferencing (with prior board approval based on hardship), consultation, guidance, and instructions with respect to the clinical skills and competencies of the applicant. (c) Individual supervision is supervision as defined by models developed by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for individual (one supervisor to supervisee) or triadic supervision (one supervisor to two supervisees). (d) Group supervision is supervision by one supervisor of a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of eight (8) supervisees. Of the 150 hours collected, no more than fifty (50) hours may be group supervision. (40) Use a title or description of - To hold oneself out to the public as having a particular status by means of stating on signs, mailboxes, address plates, stationery, announcements, business cards or other instruments of professional identification. (41) Written evidence - Includes, but is not limited to, verification from supervisors or other professional colleagues familiar with the applicant’s work.