Healing arts: licensed 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, which is within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The act, except as specified, requires all applicants to have an active associate registration with the board to gain postdegree hours of supervised experience. The act requires an associate or applicant for licensure to be under the supervision of a supervisor at all times. The act requires an associate to inform each client, prior to performing any professional services, that the associate is unlicensed and under supervision. The act allows an associate to renew the registration a maximum of five times and, thereafter, to obtain a subsequent associate registration number if certain requirements are met. This bill would repeal those associate supervision and registration renewal provisions.