Professional clinical counselors.

Existing law, the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of professional clinical counselors by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Existing law defines professional clinical counseling, in part, as the application of counseling interventions and psychotherapeutic techniques to identify and remediate specified problems. Existing law also provides that professional clinical counseling does not include the assessment or treatment of couples or families unless the clinical counselor has completed specified training and education in addition to the minimum training and education required for licensure. This bill would instead provide that professional clinical counseling does not include the assessment or treatment of couples or families unless the clinical counselor has completed specified training and education. The bill would expand the definition of professional clinical counseling to include the use, application, and integration of specified coursework and training.