Section 4999.46.

(a) To qualify for the licensure examination specified by paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 4999.53, applicants shall complete clinical mental health experience under the general supervision of an approved supervisor as defined in Section 4999.12.

(b) The experience shall include a minimum of 3,000 postdegree hours of supervised clinical mental health experience related to the practice of professional clinical counseling, performed over a period of not less than two years (104 weeks), which shall include:

(1) Not more than 40 hours in any seven consecutive days.

(2) Not less than 1,750 hours of direct counseling with individuals or groups in a setting described in Section 4999.44 using a variety of psychotherapeutic techniques and recognized counseling interventions within the scope of practice of licensed professional clinical counselors.

(3) Not more than 500 hours of experience providing group therapy or group counseling.

(4) Not more than 250 hours of experience providing counseling or crisis counseling on the telephone.

(5) Not less than 150 hours of clinical experience in a hospital or community mental health setting, as defined in Section 1820 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations.

(6) Not more than a combined total of 1,250 hours of experience in the following related activities:

(A) Direct supervisor contact.

(B) Client centered advocacy.

(C) Not more than 250 hours of experience administering tests and evaluating psychological tests of clients, writing clinical reports, writing progress notes, or writing process notes.

(D) Not more than 250 hours of verified attendance at workshops, training sessions, or conferences directly related to professional clinical counseling that are approved by the applicant's supervisor.

(c) No hours of clinical mental health experience may be gained more than six years prior to the date the application for examination eligibility was filed.

(d) An applicant shall register with the board as an intern in order to be credited for postdegree hours of experience toward licensure. Postdegree hours of experience shall be credited toward licensure, provided that the applicant applies for intern registration within 90 days of the granting of the qualifying degree and is registered as an intern by the board.

(e) All applicants and interns shall be at all times under the supervision of a supervisor who shall be responsible for ensuring that the extent, kind, and quality of counseling performed is consistent with the training and experience of the person being supervised, and who shall be responsible to the board for compliance with all laws, rules, and regulations governing the practice of professional clinical counseling.

(f) Experience obtained under the supervision of a spouse or relative by blood or marriage shall not be credited toward the required hours of supervised experience. Experience obtained under the supervision of a supervisor with whom the applicant has had or currently has a personal, professional, or business relationship that undermines the authority or effectiveness of the supervision shall not be credited toward the required hours of supervised experience.

(g) Supervision shall include at least one hour of direct supervisor contact in each week for which experience is credited in each work setting.

(1) No more than five hours of supervision, whether individual or group, shall be credited during any single week.

(2) An intern shall receive at least one additional hour of direct supervisor contact for every week in which more than 10 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy is performed in each setting in which experience is gained.

(3) For purposes of this section, "one hour of direct supervisor contact" means one hour of face-to-face contact on an individual basis or two hours of face-to-face contact in a group of not more than eight persons in segments lasting no less than one continuous hour.

(4) Notwithstanding paragraph (3), an intern working in a governmental entity, a school, a college, or a university, or an institution that is both nonprofit and charitable, may obtain the required weekly direct supervisor contact via two-way, real-time videoconferencing. The supervisor shall be responsible for ensuring that client confidentiality is upheld.

(h) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2014.

(Amended (as added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 387, Sec. 35) by Stats. 2012, Ch. 799, Sec. 65. Effective January 1, 2013. Section operative January 1, 2014, by its own provisions.)