ENROLLED
ACT No. 457
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 865
BY REPRESENTATIVES MYERS, BACALA, BAYHAM, BERAULT, BILLINGS,
BRASS, WILFORD CARTER, CARVER, CHASSION, DOMANGUE, EGAN,
FISHER, GREEN, JACKSON, MIKE JOHNSON, JORDAN, KNOX, LAFLEUR,
LYONS, PHELPS, SELDERS, TAYLOR, THOMPSON, AND YOUNG
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 37:1103(13), 1107(A)(4), 1116(B)(1)(d)(ii) and (2), 2703(7) and
3 (17) and 2707(B) and to enact R.S. 37:1103(14) and 2703(19) and (20), relative to
4 the practice of social work and licensed professional counselors; to provide for
5 definitions; to allow remote supervision via telesupervision; to allow virtual licensed
6 professional counselor telesupervision; to require the Louisiana Licensed
7 Professional Counselors Board of Examiners to establish rules and regulations for
8 telesupervision; to include provisions for virtual social work supervision; to require
9 the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners to establish rules and
10 regulations for telesupervision; and to provide for related matters.
11 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
12 Section 1. R.S. 37:1103(13), 1107(A)(4), 1116(B)(1)(d)(ii) and (2), 2703(7) and (17)
13 and 2707(B) are hereby amended and reenacted and R.S. 37:1103(14) and R.S. 37:2703(19)
14 and (20) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
15 §1103. Definitions
16 As used in this Part, the following terms have the meaning ascribed to them
17 in this Section:
18 * * *
19 (13) "Qualified supervision" means the supervision, which shall include
20 telesupervision, for a licensed marriage and family therapist of clinical services, in
21 accordance with standards developed by the advisory committee, and approved by
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1 the board by an individual who has been recognized by the advisory committee as
2 an approved supervisor.
3 (14) "Telesupervison" means clinical supervision conducted through the use
4 of real time, face-to-face synchronous interactive conferencing between the
5 supervisee and supervisor through electronic, visual, and audio means. Supervision
6 of a licensed professional counselor may be conducted in-person or remotely through
7 telesupervision. Telesupervision utilizes secure video conferencing platforms to
8 adhere to the same standards and guidelines as in-person supervision, ensuring
9 regular contact, case review, and ongoing professional development. The board shall
10 establish rules and regulations regarding the specific requirements and parameters
11 for telesupervision, including technology standards, documentation, and
12 confidentiality measures.
13 * * *
14 §1107. Requirements for licensed professional counselor; provisional license;
15 temporary license or temporary provisional license; renewal of license or
16 temporary provisional license
17 A. The board shall issue a license to each applicant who files an application
18 upon a form and in such manner as the board prescribes, accompanied by such fee
19 as required by R.S. 37:1106, and who furnishes satisfactory evidence to the board
20 that he:
21 * * *
22 (4) Can document a minimum of three thousand hours of supervised
23 experience during a minimum of two years of post-master's degree experience in
24 professional mental health counseling under the supervision, or telesupervision, of
25 a licensed professional counselor. Five hundred hours of supervised experience may
26 be gained for each thirty graduate semester hours earned beyond the master's degree,
27 provided that such hours are clearly related to the field of mental health counseling
28 and are acceptable to the board, provided that in no case the applicant has less than
29 two thousand hours of supervised experience.
30 * * *
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1 §1116. Licensure application for marriage and family therapists; provisional license;
2 temporary license or temporary provisional license
3 * * *
4 B. An applicant who meets the requirements of Subsection A of this Section
5 shall be recommended by the advisory committee to the board for issuance of a
6 license by the board upon providing satisfactory evidence to the advisory committee
7 that such person meets the following requirements:
8 (1) Successful completion of one of the following educational requirements:
9 * * *
10 (d) A masters degree or a doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy
11 from a regionally accredited institution of higher education whose program and
12 curriculum was approved by the board through the advisory committee at any time
13 prior to July 1, 2010, and the applicant for licensure has at least five hundred hours
14 of client contact, and where the client contact shall include all of the following:
15 * * *
16 (ii) One hundred hours in which the applicant has been subjected to qualified
17 supervision, or telesupervision, as is defined in R.S. 37:1103(11).
18 (2) Successful completion of two calendar years of work experience in
19 marriage and family therapy under qualified supervision, or telesupervision, as
20 defined in R.S. 37:1103(11) following receipt of a qualifying degree.
21 * * *
22 §2703. Definitions
23 As used in this Chapter, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, and
24 except as otherwise expressly provided:
25 * * *
26 (7) "Clinical supervision" means an interactional professional relationship
27 between a licensed clinical social worker and a licensed master's social worker that
28 provides evaluation and direction over the supervisee's practice of clinical social
29 work and promotes continued development of the licensed master's social worker's
30 knowledge, skills, and abilities to engage in the practice of clinical social work in an
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1 ethical and competent manner. Supervision for meeting the requirements of
2 licensure, as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), must shall be provided by a
3 licensed clinical social worker who is also a board-approved clinical supervisor
4 (BACS). Supervision between a licensed clinical social worker and a licensed
5 master's social worker may be conducted in-person or remotely through
6 telesupervision. Telesupervision utilizes secure video conferencing platforms to
7 adhere to the same standards and guidelines as in-person supervision, ensuring
8 regular contact, case review, and ongoing professional development. The board shall
9 establish rules and regulations regarding the specific requirements and parameters
10 for telesupervision, including technology standards, documentation, and
11 confidentiality measures.
12 * * *
13 (17) "Supervision" means the professional relationship between a supervisor
14 and a supervisee that provides guidance and evaluation of the services provided by
15 the supervisee. Supervision between a licensed clinical social worker and a licensed
16 master's social worker may be conducted in-person or remotely through
17 telesupervision. Telesupervision utilizes secure video conferencing platforms to
18 adhere to the same standards and guidelines as in-person supervision, ensuring
19 regular contact, case review, and ongoing professional development. The board shall
20 establish rules and regulations regarding the specific requirements and parameters
21 for telesupervision, including technology standards, documentation, and
22 confidentiality measures.
23 * * *
24 (19) "In-person supervision" means clinical supervision conducted through
25 real time, face-to-face meetings of the supervisee and supervisor in the same physical
26 location.
27 (20) "Telesupervison" means clinical supervision conducted through the use
28 of real time, face-to-face synchronous interactive conferencing between the
29 supervisee and supervisor through electronic, visual, and audio means.
30 * * *
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1 §2707. Qualifications; licensed master's social worker
2 * * *
3 B. An individual licensed as a licensed master's social worker may engage
4 in advanced social work practice based on the application of social work theory,
5 knowledge, ethics, and methods to restore or enhance social, psychosocial, or
6 biopsychosocial functioning of individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations,
7 and communities. The licensed master's social worker's practice requires the
8 application of specialized knowledge and advanced practice skills which include
9 prevention or intervention, or both, service or treatment planning and evaluation,
10 case management, information and referral, counseling, employee assistance
11 services, addiction services, advocacy, teaching, research, supervision, consultation,
12 community organization, and the development, implementation, and administration
13 of policies, programs, and activities. A social worker licensed at the licensed
14 master's social worker level may practice clinical social work and psychotherapy
15 within an agency under the supervision, in-person or virtually, of a licensed clinical
16 social worker. A licensed master's social worker may work as an employee only in
17 an agency setting. Notwithstanding the definition of "agency" as defined in R.S.
18 37:2703(1) or the requirement for employment in an agency setting provided in this
19 Subsection, a licensed master's social worker shall be permitted to provide social
20 work services on behalf of a federal, state, or local governmental agency on a
21 contractual basis.
* * *
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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