Quarterly Newsletter, June 2008, Vol. 17 No.2

Louisiana‘s Position on Internet Counseling

For the record, it is the position of this Board that mental health services delivered over the internet are rendered where the patient is situated.

This position is based on assertions that all counselors serving Louisiana residents will be licensed in Louisiana and will otherwise adhere to all applicable state laws relative to the practice of mental health counseling.

Appointments to the Board 

The Board is excited to announce the reappointment of Gloria Bockrath, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT (Board Member) and Tom Moore, MAMFT, LPC, LMFT (MFT Advisory Committee/Board Member) to serve their second four-year terms.  We thank them for their work on the Board thus far and for their willingness to continue to serve. 

Lin Falcon's Member at Large appointment to the Board ended on April 10, 2008, when Gary Grand was appointed to this position. We would like to thank Lin for all her hard work and dedication to the Board.  The Board also welcomes Gary back. He previously served on the Board from October 1995 to September 2003.

REMINDER

LPC License Renewals for 2008 are due June 30, 2008

To complete the renewal process complete the renewal form and attach to it any required documentation. You only need to fill out the front page on the renewal form if you did not receive an orange audit slip. If you received an orange audit slip, please complete the back of the form and submit materials verifying your continuing education activities (e.g. certificates, transcripts, letters). As soon as your application is processed, you will receive a renewal card stating your next expiration date of June 30, 2010. In order to be considered on time, all renewals must be postmarked on or before June 30, 2008.   If all materials are not received in the Board office postmarked by June 30, 2008, your license will become inactive. All renewal applications postmarked after this date will be assessed a $50.00 late fee and any application assessed a late fee will be required to include documentation of continuing education.  The renewal form can be found on our website at www.lpcboard.org.  If you have any questions regarding the renewal process, please contact the Board office. 

SUPERVISION WORKSHOP

A Supervision Workshop is being held June 11-12 and September 6, 2008 at Pathways Counseling Clinic in DeRidder, LA. The tuition is $310 if registration is received by June 28, 2008  and $325 after that date. If interested. you can contact Stan Mahaffey at 318.237-0711 or through e-mail ruin2fun2@hotmail.com.  

2008 Board Meeting Dates

June 20, 2008

July 18, 2008 

August 15, 2008 

September 19, 2008 

October 17, 2008

November 21, 2008

December 12, 2008

The Perfect Declaration of Practices and Procedures

The title of this article may be a misnomer since there is no such thing as a perfect Declaration of Practices and Procedures. However, if we are to become Licensed Professional Counselors in the State of Louisiana, we must submit one to the LPC Board for approval of supervision that adheres to the example displayed on the board’s website. Now, here’s where it becomes a bit sticky for many, as evidenced by the quality of some of the submissions. The LPC Board places the example for the Declaration of Practices and Procedures in plain sight, with instructions, no less, on its website. But, would you believe that there are still some applications for supervision that are indicative of poor communication between the supervisor and the counselor intern when it comes to this item?

It is highly recommended that the supervisor and counselor intern collaborate on the contents of the Declaration of Practices and Procedures.  If you are a supervisor and expect to supervise someone over the next two years, then it would be in both you and your intern’s best interest to start off on the right foot. When declarations are received by the board they are scrutinized for the information listed on the website. This first draft should be thought of as being submitted for approval to begin supervision. Thus, basic information is only needed. As you progress through your supervisory experience, you can change your declaration as you wish. Your Declaration of Practices and Procedures then becomes a dynamic document that will reflect your practice and inform the public of your qualifications.

But when submitting that first declaration to the board, it is helpful to remember that there are certain areas that will almost always be cause for concern. One of those areas is the first statement which asks for your name, the designation counselor intern, followed by the address of your employer. There have been instances where some applicants have placed their own address, their supervisor’s address, and even unknown addresses in this area. The same holds true for the phone number that is asked for in this area.

Another area of confusion is fee scales. The main thought here is to whom the fees are paid. As a Counselor Intern you are not permitted to collect fees directly from clients. The fee schedule and billing policies should reflect your employer’s practices in collecting fees. This changes when you are licensed and are able to collect fees directly from your clients.

The rest of the sample is self-explanatory. As indicated before, the document is intended to reflect your practice and inform the public of your qualifications. This will change over your counseling career, but you will have a better understanding of the necessity for accurately completing the document as much as possible. These few tips should help you in this endeavor.

ADDRESS CHANGES FOR: LPC/COUNSELOR INTERNS/LMFT/MFT INTERNS

Notify the Board in writing of your change of address. Be sure to let us know what address you wish to use for correspondence and what address you wish to use for the website. There is a rule which gives you 30 days to notify the Board of any and all changes in name, address, and phone number. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a $50.00 fine. It is very important that the Board have a current address for all of their licensees especially at renewal time.. Please help us by sending in your changes. You can change your address by e-mailing lpcboard@eatel.net, faxing 225/7652514, or by calling the Board office 225/7652515. mailto:lpcboard@eatel.net,

 BOARD ACTION 

As of  March 311,  2008 there were:

LPCs                          1991                    LMFTs        951

Counselor Interns    846                    MFT Interns    123

 

157 LPC Applications Reviewed                                 11 LMFT Applications Reviewed

50 Approved for Licensure                                            0 LMFTs Approved for Licensure

86 Counselor Interns Registered for Supervision      6  MFT Interns Registered for Supervision

15 Counselor Interns Changed Supervisor                 4  MFT Intern Changed Supervisor                                                                           

DISCIPLINE REPORT

Ten complaints have been filed in FY 02/03.  None remain under investigation

Eleven complaints have been filed in FY 03/04.  None remain under investigation.

Ten complaints have been filed in FY 04/05.  None remain under investigation

Eight complaints have been filed in FY 05/06. None remains under investigation

Eighteen complaints have been filed in FY 06/07. Twelve remain under investigation

Eleven complaints have been filed in FY 07/08. Ten remain under investigation

Supervisor Training Institute 

Combining the Pre-Approved 30-Hour AAMFT Approved Supervision

Fundamentals Workshop And the 25 –Hour LPC Supervision workshop 

For Clinical Members of AAMFT Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)

And/or Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) desiring to become Approved and/or Licensed Supervisors 

Part One May 16 and 17, 2008

Part Two June 27 and 28, 2008 

Sponsored by:

Our Lady of Holy Cross College 

Training fees are $345.00 for MFT, or both MFT and LPC, (30 hours) and $295.00 for LPC only (25 hours). A nonrefundable registration fee of $50.00 is due by May 15, 2008.  

Contact Information: If you have questions, please call or e-mail Susan Wetwiski at 504-398-2168, or e-mail her at suwetwiski@olhcc.edu, or email Dr. George Hay at ghay@olhcc.edu.  More information regarding this workshop can be found on the LPC Board website at www.lpcboard.org and the LAMFT website at www.LAMFT.org

NCE Exam Information for 2008

Examination schedule for 2008:

v       June ’08                              06/09 – 06/14

v       July ’08                               07/07 – 07/12

v       August ’08                          08/04 – 08/09

v       September ’08                     09/08 – 09/13

v       October ’08                         10/06 – 10/11

v       November ’08                     11/03 – 11/08

v       December ’08                      12/01 – 12/06

Exam registration forms can be obtained by calling the LPC Board office at 225/765-2515 or the LPC Board website at www.lpcboard.org and also on the NBCC website at www.nbcc.org/stateboardmap.

Fee $165.00 make checks payable to NBCC.   

Questions about the Exam:  Tel: 336/547-0607  FAX:  336/547-0017

E-mail: nbcc@nbcc.org

BOARD MEMBERS AND MFT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS

 

Gloria Bockrath, PhD,  LPC, LMFT

Chair

Roxane L Dufrene, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT

Vice Chair

Gary Grand

Member At Large

June Williams, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT

Board Member

Anthony Williams, MA, LPC, LMFT

Board Member

Anna Cole, MS, LMFT

Board Member

MFT Advisory Committee Chair

Tom Moore, MA, LPC, LMFT

Board Member

MFT Advisory Committee Secretary

Lynn Pearlmutter, Ph.D., LCSW, LMFT

Board Member

MFT Advisory Committee Vice Chair

Charles A. Gagnon, M.Ed., LPC, LMFT

Board Member

Vera Triplett, Ph.D., LPC

Board Member