South Carolina Code of Regulations
Chapter 36 - DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, LICENSING AND REGULATION BOARD OF EXAMINERS FOR LICENSURE OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS, ADDICTION COUNSELORS, AND PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL SPECIALISTS
Article 1 - DEFINITIONS
Section 36-01 - Definitions

(1) "Supervision" means direct contact between a supervisor and an associate or other person requiring supervision under this chapter. Supervision may be conducted either in person or via a HIPAA-compliant technological medium. During this time, the person supervised apprises the supervisor of the diagnosis and treatment of each client seen during the supervisory process. The supervisor provides the supervised person with oversight and guidance in diagnosing, treating, and dealing with clients, and the supervisor evaluates the supervised person's performance. The focus of a supervision session is on raw data from clinical work which is made directly available to the supervisor through such means as written clinical materials, direct (live) observation, co-therapy, audio and video recordings, and live supervision. Supervision is a process clearly distinguishable from personal psychotherapy and is contrasted in order to serve professional goals. The major focus in supervision of supervisors is on the development of supervisory abilities as opposed to an exclusive focus on clinical skills.

(2) "Group supervision" means a regularly scheduled meeting of not more than six (6) supervisees, and an approved supervisor, for a minimum of two (2) hours.

(3) "Individual/triadic supervision" means a meeting of one (1) or two (2) supervisees with a supervisor for a period of at least a one (1) hour session.

(4) "Associate licensure" means an authorization to engage in a distinctly defined, post-degree, supervised experience intended to enable and to refine and enhance basic skills, develop more advanced therapy skills, and integrate professional knowledge and skills appropriate to the individual's initial professional placement. Associate licensure status provides an opportunity, under supervision, for the individual to perform all the activities that a regularly employed staff member in the setting would be expected to perform.

(5) "Continuing education" means an organized educational program designed to expand a licensee's knowledge base beyond the basic entry-level educational requirements for professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, addiction counselors, and psycho-educational specialists.

(6) "Contact hour" means a minimum of fifty (50) minutes of instruction.

(7) "Clinical contact hour" means a minimum of fifty (50) minutes of direct client contact.

(8) "Impairment" means impairment of mental and/or physical ability to practice according to acceptable and prevailing standards of care including, but not limited to, habitual or excessive use or abuse of drugs, alcohol, or other substances that impair ability to practice. Impairment includes inability to practice in accordance with such standards, and treatment, monitoring, and supervision.

(9) "Relapse" means any use of alcohol or of a drug or substance that may impair ability to practice during or after any approved treatment program, except pursuant to the directions of a treating physician who has knowledge of the patient's history and the disease of addiction, or pursuant to the direction of a physician in a medical emergency.

(10) "Approved treatment provider" means a treatment provider approved by the Board.

(11) "Sobriety" means abstinence from alcohol, and from drugs or substances that may impair ability to practice, except pursuant to the directions of a treating physician who has knowledge of the patient's history and the disease of addiction, or pursuant to the direction of a physician in a medical emergency.

(12) "Qualified licensed mental health practitioner" means a person licensed as a Professional Counselor Supervisor, Marriage and Family Therapy Supervisor, Addiction Counselor Supervisor, Psychologist, or Medical Doctor, and approved by the Board, who possesses the knowledge and expertise necessary to provide a supervised person with guidance and direction, in a structured program, to gain knowledge and skills associated with the diagnosis and treatment of serious problems as categorized in standard diagnostic nomenclature.

(13) "DSM" means the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

(14) "Serious Problems" are those disorders as categorized in standard diagnostic nomenclature such as the DSM with the exception of codes assigned to normal lifecycle transitional conflicts.

(15) "Specific training to diagnose, assess and treat serious problems" - Any Licensed Professional set forth in Sections 36-04 and 36-05, Sections 36-07 and 36-08, and Sections 36-10 and 36-11, respectively, is deemed to have the requisite training to diagnose, assess and treat serious problems. If a client presents with a problem which is beyond the licensee's training and competence, the licensee must refer the problem to a licensed professional who has been specifically trained to diagnose, assess and treat the presenting problem.

(16) "National Educational Accrediting Body" - the following are approved national educational accrediting bodies: For professional counselors, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP); for marriage and family therapists, the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) and CACREP with regard to its accredited marriage, couple and family counseling specialty program; and for addiction counselors, National Addictions Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC) and CACREP. The Board may approve other national educational accrediting bodies which, in the Board's determination, follow similar educational standards.