Quarterly Newsletter

On June 27^th Louisiana Governor Blanco signed SB 110 by Sen. Hines into law! It is now Act 206 of the 2007 Regular Session of the Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature! This important legislation clarifies that mental health counseling services include psychotherapy. In addition to the Governor’s swift signature, both the LA Senate and Houses passed this bill unanimously! This indicates how crucial they believe this issue is for mental health services in LA.

This legislation was necessitated because Trispan, a fiscal intermediary of Medicare, had erroneously interpreted the LA LPC law and stated the law did not authorize LPCs to provide psychotherapy. They therefore declared that services of LPCs in mental health outpatient programs could not be reimbursed. This cost the loss of jobs for LA LPC’s. Trispan was also ordering repayment for previous reimbursements, which would have caused closure of many of these programs and a devastating loss of mental health services for the citizens of Louisiana.

The Louisiana Counseling Association, under the leadership of our lobbyist David Tatman, worked with a tremendous coalition of health care providers to accomplish passage of this law and wishes to thank the Louisiana Association for Ambulatory Healthcare and all of our partners for their extremely hard work and support. LCA also wishes to thank Sen. Hines, Rep. Durand, the Louisiana Legislature and Governor Blanco for recognizing the importance of this issue and for their outstanding support.

Please be advised that the emergency measures declared by the Board allowing e-mail and telephone supervision for Counselor Interns and MFT Interns displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will expire on September 1, 2007.

Any interns or supervisors with questions or concerns about this deadline need to write a detailed letter describing their situation to the Board via fax (225) 765-2515 or mail to 8631 Summa AV, Baton Rouge LA 70809.

It is highly likely that you will have to communicate with the LPC Board of Examiners in some manner, shape, or form during your career as a counselor an intern and licensed professional. Certain protocols should be observed to ensure an effective communicative process is established with the Board.

Let’s begin with contacting the Board with an inquiry or problem. When you call the Board for any reason, you should know that there are approximately four individuals who may take your call. There are two full-time employees and two part-time employees on staff. The Board will accept calls anytime during the business hours of 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday thru Thursday, closed on Friday. The Board normally meets on the third Friday of each month. It may be difficult to contact the Board on this day because the Board members and staff will be conducting business and may be unable to respond to phone calls or emails.

Calls are usually answered in a timely manner and will be given the utmost consideration. Most callers are professional and respectful. For those few who are not, the Board asks that you remember that our staff are well trained and doing their best to assist you. Please treat them with professional courtesy and respect.

If the answer from the Board staff to your query is not sufficient, you may address the issue with the Board by formal correspondence through mailed or faxed letters or email.

Here are a few suggestions to consider to maximize the effectiveness of your communication with the Board:

Ø Please research your inquiry thoroughly. In many cases the answers you seek may be found in the Rules section on the Board website (lpcboard.org).

Ø Interns should check with their supervisors before calling the Board. Your supervisors may be able to answer your questions or to point you in the right direction.

Ø Consult with other professionals about your issue for their assistance in finding an answer. If, however, you decide that you still need to contact the Board, let them know that you have consulted with others regarding the matter. This will give the Board an idea of the extent of your research beforehand.

Ø For a phone call to the Board: Take notes. Organize your thoughts, perhaps jotting notes to lead you through the conversation and to avoid forgetting any important details. You will be more attentive and will be able to respond more efficiently if the staff has a question for you.

Ø Plan. When possible, block out a time to make your call. This will help you to be more relaxed when making your call.

Ø When leaving messages on voicemail, clearly and briefly state the reason for your call, when you will call back, or when you will be available should the person called want to return your call.

At each Board meeting the Correspondence Committee presents issues to the Board. The Board chair will correspond with you via mail in a timely manner on the disposition of your inquiry. This answer should be considered a final disposition of the matter unless you have new information that will dramatically affect the outcome of the decision of the board.

Contacting the Board should not be an unpleasant experience. In fact, it could provide you with the valuable information you need if certain protocols are observed. Remember, the staff is there at your convenience and is able to answer many questions, but sometimes Board members will need to write more specific replies due to the complexity of some inquiries.

BOARD ACTION

As of March 31, 2006 there were:

LPCs 1943 LMFTs 929

Counselor Interns 773 MFT Interns 124

133 LPC Applications Reviewed 23 LMFT Applications Reviewed

43 LPCs Approved for Licensure 12 LMFTs Approved for Licensure

70 Counselor Interns Registered for Supervision 9 MFT Interns registered for Supervision

13 Counselor Interns Changed Supervisors 2 MFT Interns Changed Supervisors

DISCIPLINE REPORT

Ten complaints have been filed in FY 02/03. Two 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

Richard Martin agreed to consent order that he violated LAC 46.LX.2103A.1 & 2, (E)(2), (F)(1), and (6) 1 & 2,

and the LMFT Code of Ethics §4705 (E) & (F) 1 and agreed to a two-year suspension with the stipulations outlined in the consent order.

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,

Exam registration forms can be obtained by calling the LPC Board office at 225/765-2515.