37-23-102. Definitions. As used in this chapter, the following definitions apply:

(1) "Board" means the board of behavioral health established in 2-15-1744.

(2) "Licensee" means a person licensed under this chapter.

(3) "Professional counseling" means engaging in methods and techniques that include:

(a) counseling, which means the therapeutic process of:

(i) conducting assessments and diagnoses for the purpose of establishing treatment goals and objectives; or

(ii) planning, implementing, and evaluating treatment plans that use treatment interventions to facilitate human development and to identify and remediate mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders and associated distresses that interfere with mental health;

(b) assessment, which means selecting, administering, scoring, and interpreting instruments, including psychological tests, evaluations, and assessments, designed to assess an individual's aptitudes, attitudes, abilities, achievement, interests, and personal characteristics and using nonstandardized methods and techniques for understanding human behavior in relation to coping with, adapting to, or changing life situations;

(c) counseling treatment intervention, which means those cognitive, affective, behavioral, and systemic counseling strategies, techniques, and methods common to the behavioral sciences that are specifically implemented in the context of a therapeutic relationship. Other treatment interventions include developmental counseling, guidance, and consulting to facilitate normal growth and development, including educational and career development.

(d) referral, which means evaluating information to identify needs or problems of an individual and to determine the advisability of referral to other specialists, informing the individual of the judgment, and communicating as requested or considered appropriate with the referral sources.

(4) "Professional counselor licensure candidate" means a person who is registered pursuant to 37-23-213 to engage in professional counseling and earn supervised work experience necessary for licensure.

History: En. Sec. 2, Ch. 572, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 536, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 453, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 130, L. 2015; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 288, L. 2015.