Effective 28 Aug 2008

337.500. Definitions. — As used in sections 337.500 to 337.540, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following words and phrases mean:

(1) "Committee or board", the committee for professional counselors;

(2) "Department", the Missouri department of commerce and insurance;

(3) "Director", the director of the division of professional registration;

(4) "Division", the division of professional registration;

(5) "Licensed professional counselor", any person who offers to render professional counseling services to individuals, groups, organizations, institutions, corporations, government agencies or the general public for a fee, monetary or otherwise, implying that the person is trained, experienced, and licensed in counseling, and who holds a current, valid license to practice counseling;

(6) "Practice of professional counseling", rendering, offering to render, or supervising those who render to individuals, couples, groups, organizations, institutions, corporations, schools, government agencies, or the general public any counseling service involving the application of counseling procedures, and the principles and methods thereof, to assist in achieving more effective intrapersonal or interpersonal, marital, decisional, social, educational, vocational, developmental, or rehabilitative adjustments;

(7) "Professional counseling", includes, but is not limited to:

(a) The use of verbal or nonverbal counseling or both techniques, methods, or procedures based on principles for assessing, understanding, or influencing behavior (such as principles of learning, conditioning, perception, motivation, thinking, emotions, or social systems);

(b) Appraisal or assessment, which means selecting, administering, scoring, or interpreting instruments designed to assess a person's or group's aptitudes, intelligence, attitudes, abilities, achievement, interests, and personal characteristics;

(c) The use of referral or placement techniques or both which serve to further the goals of counseling;

(d) Therapeutic vocational or personal or both rehabilitation in relation to coping with or adapting to physical disability, emotional disability, or intellectual disability or any combination of the three;

(e) Designing, conducting, and interpreting research;

(f) The use of group methods or techniques to promote the goals of counseling;

(g) The use of informational and community resources for career, personal, or social development;

(h) Consultation on any item in paragraphs (a) through (g) above; and

(i) No provision of sections 337.500 to 337.540, or of chapter 354 or 375, shall be construed to mandate benefits or third-party reimbursement for services of professional counselors in the policies or contracts of any insurance company, health services corporation or other third-party payer;

(8) "Provisional licensed professional counselor", any person who is a graduate of an acceptable educational institution, as defined by division rules, with at least a master's degree with a major in counseling, or its equivalent, and meets all requirements of a licensed professional counselor, other than the supervised counseling experience prescribed by subdivision (1) of section 337.510, and who is supervised by a person who is qualified for the practice of professional counseling.

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(L. 1985 S.B. 37 § 1, A.L. 1989 H.B. 738 & 720, A.L. 1996 S.B. 604, et al., A.L. 2006 S.B. 756, A.L. 2008 S.B. 788)