Alaska Administrative Code
Title 12 - Professional Regulations
Part 1 - Boards and Commissions Subject to Centralized Licensing
Chapter 18 - Board of Social Work Examiners
Article 4 - General Provisions
12 AAC 18.990 - Definitions

Universal Citation: 12 AK Admin Code 18.990

Current through February 24, 2025

In this chapter and in AS 08.95

(1) "college or university approved by the board" includes

(A) college or university social work degree programs that are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; or

(B) social work degree programs from the University of Alaska;

(2) "conviction" means an adjudication that a person is guilty of a crime based upon a verdict or upon a plea of guilty or nolo contendere;

(3) "cross-cultural education" means a structured educational experience such as a course, lecture, workshop, or other organized training that focuses on characteristics of and differences among cultures or groups; cross-cultural education is not limited to clinical applications but should be relevant to the practice of social work; topics may include cross-cultural communications, contemporary anthropology, or Alaska Native cultures;

(4) "felony" means a crime classified as a felony in this state at the time the crime was committed; "felony" includes

(A) a conviction in another jurisdiction by a civilian or military court if the crime has elements similar to those of a felony under the law of this state at the time the offense was committed; and

(B) a completed suspended imposition of sentence, expungement of record, or a pardon of a felony conviction regardless of whether the conviction has been removed from a person's record;

(5) "professional incompetence" means lacking sufficient knowledge and skills in a field of practice in which a licensed social worker engages, to a degree likely to endanger the mental health or well-being of clients;

(6) "sexual contact" means sexual contact by a licensed social worker with a client; "sexual contact" includes

(A) behavior, gestures, or an expression that is seductive, sexually suggestive, or sexually demeaning to the client;

(B) engaging in, or attempting to engage in, sexual penetration with a client; "sexual penetration" has the meaning given in AS 11.81.900(b), as amended as of July 16, 1999, adopted by reference;

(C) the meaning given in AS 11.81.900(b), as amended as of July 16, 1999, adopted by reference;

(7) "substance abuse education" means a structured educational experience such as a course, lecture, workshop, or other organized training that focuses on a misuse of psychoactive substances, as it applies to social work practices; substance abuse education does not include an educational experience that focuses on behavior addiction; for the purposes of this paragraph,

(A) "psychoactive substance" means a chemical substance that changes brain function and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior and includes alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, pharmaceuticals, or illegal substances;

(B) "behavior addiction" means a behavior that produces short-term reward that may create persistent behavior despite knowledge of adverse consequences and diminished control over the behavior;

(8) repealed 5/11/2012.

(9) "synchronous" means a real-time interaction between a licensee and a client occurring at exactly the same time during which the licensee client are able to communicate using real-time;

(10) "teletherapy" means the use of audio, video, or data communications to perform functions or practices within the training required for licensure under AS 08.95 and this chapter and while physically separated from a client;

(11) "suicide education" means a structured educational experience such as a course, lecture, workshop, or other organized training that focuses on suicide awareness, prevention, intervention, or crisis management.

Authority:AS 08.95.030

AS 08.95.040

AS 08.95.050

AS 08.95.100

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Alaska may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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