Article archive / June 1, 2013
Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 10. Source pages: 8.
No comments were received by the May 24 deadline regarding the 26 pages of rule changes “noticed” in the April issue Louisiana Register, said LPC Board Executive Director, Mary Alice Olsan.
“… we have received no public comments regarding the latest NOI,” Ms. Olsan explained to the Times recently. “So far, we’re on target to publish the final rule in the July 20th LA Register.”
“It was a huge body of changes,” she noted. The main components of the changes included, “Adding and revising rules as a result of Act 320 of the 2011 Legislative Session and Act 636 of the 2012 Legislative session,” Olsan said. For example, this included placing the current emergency rules into the upcoming permanent rules, and dealing with other matters regarding the current Emergency Rules, she explained.
Olsan also noted that adding, and changing aspects of current rules, was required because of Act 276 of the 2012 Legislative Session. “Allowing for endorsement of both MFT [Marriage & Family Therapist] Intern and Counselor Intern hours,” she noted was one example.
“As of now, we cannot accept any hours completed by an intern in another state under the supervision of someone other than a Louisiana Board- approved supervisor (Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor for Counselor Interns, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist- Supervisor for MFT Interns). This is a rule we’ve been wanting to promulgate to accommodate those moving to Louisiana and is a necessary rule addition to be in compliance with Act 276.”
Finally, the rule changes related to professional ethics. “The majority of the rule changes are related to updating the LPC [Licensed Professional Counselor] Code of Conduct based on the newest version of the ACA [American Counseling Association] Code of Ethics,” Ms. Olsan told the Times.
“We also just cleaned up a lot of confusing and/or unnecessary language,” she said. “The LPC Board Rules Committee systematically reviewed every rule currently in place to determine what needed to be changed, removed, added, and revised to be in compliance with the new laws referenced above.
“We’re hopeful the rules in the April 20th NOI will be promulgated officially as new rules soon,” Olsan said.
Ex Director of LPC Bd, Mary Alice Olsan
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.