Substance use disorder: counselors.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities by the State Department of Health Care Services and authorizes the department to enforce those provisions. Existing law also requires the department to require that an individual providing counseling services within a program be certified by a certifying organization approved by the department. This bill would require the department to determine the required core competencies for registered and certified counselors working within an alcoholism or drug abuse recovery and treatment program, as specified, and to consult with affected stakeholders in developing these requirements. The bill would require core competency requirements for registered and certified substance use disorder counselors to include, at a minimum, specified elements, including knowledge of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, clinical documentation, and delivery of services in the behavioral health delivery system. The bill would prohibit hour requirements for registered counselors from being lower than the hour requirements for certified peer support specialists. The bill would prohibit the department from implementing the requirements, as specified, before July 1, 2025. The bill would exempt counselors in good standing from the requirements, as specified, if certain criteria are met. The bill would require the department to implement, interpret, or make specific the changes made by the bill without regulatory action by means of all-county letters, plan letters, plan or provider bulletins, or similar instructions, and would require the department to adopt regulations to implement those changes by December 31, 2025. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 11833 of the Health and Safety Code proposed by AB 1860 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1860 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.