N.J. Admin. Code § 13:34C-6.3 - Clinical supervision of a supervised practice for certified alcohol and drug counselors

(a) The following individuals may be qualified clinical supervisors of certified alcohol and drug counselors:

1. A New Jersey licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor. Effective June 2, 2021, to be a qualified clinical supervisor, a New Jersey licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor shall hold a current Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS) certification from an ICRC member board.

i. A New Jersey licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor who, prior to June 2, 2021, was engaging in clinical supervision and is unable, due to extenuating circumstances, to obtain the CCS certification by June 2, 2021, may apply for an extension. If the Committee determines that the licensee is unable to obtain the CCS certification due to extenuating circumstances, the Committee shall grant the licensee an extension. Such application shall be filed with the Committee at least 30 days prior to June 2, 2021;

2. A New Jersey licensed physician, certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine or a psychiatrist;

3. A New Jersey certified advanced practice nurse, licensed psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, or licensed professional counselor, who holds a current Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS) certification from an ICRC member board ; and

4. A New Jersey licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor who is also a New Jersey certified advanced practice nurse, licensed psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, or licensed professional counselor, is deemed a qualified supervisor by the other respective professional licensing board, and who has three years of clinical experience in alcohol and drug counseling.

i. The three years of clinical experience shall include hours earned as part of an individual's internship training. At least one year of the required experience shall be obtained after holding a license as a clinical alcohol and drug counselor.

ii. If the other professional licensing board does not have specific statutory or regulatory requirements to qualify a licensee to supervise clinical mental health services, the Committee will, on a case-by-case basis, consider that dual-licensee's supervisory experience to determine whether to waive the CCS requirement.

(b) Qualified clinical supervisors shall have a written agreement with certified alcohol and drug counselors describing the planned hours of practice, supervision schedule, nature of work assignments and other specifications that the supervisor reasonably deems appropriate to the certified alcohol and drug counselor's level of training.

(c) Prior to the certified alcohol and drug counselor's provision of treatment services, the qualified clinical supervisor shall obtain a written disclosure that the client has been informed that the services are provided by a certified alcohol and drug counselor under the supervision of a licensed professional as set forth in (a) above. This disclosure shall be kept as part of the client record. If the disclosure is part of another document provided at client orientation, the disclosure shall be clearly evident, understood and signed by the client. The qualified clinical supervisor shall retain the responsibility for collecting fees from clients when applicable.

(d) The qualified clinical supervisor may require the cosigning of reports to outside agencies or providers.

(e) Qualified clinical supervisors shall inform the Committee of violations of this chapter, laws and code of ethics and the corrective action taken by the qualified clinical supervisor to remedy the situation and assure that it will not reoccur.

(f) Qualified clinical supervisors who terminate their supervisory relationship with a certified alcohol and drug counselor shall retain the client records, arrange for appropriate termination of the counselor/client relationship and offer the client additional options for continuation of the treatment care.

(g) If the reason for termination of the supervisory relationship with the certified alcohol and drug counselor involves the violation of this chapter, Federal or State laws or regulations affecting the profession or the current code of ethics, the qualified clinical supervisor shall report the reasons to the Committee with the certified alcohol and drug counselor's name and certificate number.

(h) Qualified clinical supervisors shall retain a copy of the counselor's certificate of registration and current curriculum vitae for seven years.

(i) Qualified clinical supervisors shall not supervise a certified alcohol and drug counselor with whom the supervisor has a relationship that may be inappropriate to the supervision and may compromise the objectivity of the supervisor or impair the professional judgment of the qualified clinical supervisor. Examples of inappropriate supervisory relationships include, but are not limited to, current clients, former clients within one-year period post-treatment, former spouses, relatives, sponsor/sponsee relationships in self-help groups, anyone with whom the supervisor is having a sexual relationship or has had a sexual relationship within the past 24 months. A qualified clinical supervisor shall not supervise a current student unless the supervisor is the faculty instructor in an academic training program.

(j) Qualified clinical supervisors shall evaluate certified alcohol and drug counselors at least annually, emphasizing their strengths and shortcomings, as well as areas in which the certified alcohol and drug counselor should pursue additional knowledge and/or skill development. These evaluations shall be cosigned by both the qualified clinical supervisor and certified alcohol and drug counselor and copies shall be retained by both for seven years. Copies of these evaluations may be requested by the Committee.

(k) Clinical supervision shall include at least 50 hours of face-to-face supervision per year, averaging one hour per week, with no more than 10 percent being real-time interactive video conferencing. Counselors with more than five years of experience as a certified alcohol and drug counselor may be supervised less frequently, but no less than two hours per month. This reduced supervision is at the discretion of the qualified clinical supervisor and is dependent upon the supervisor's style, techniques, policies and protocols, as well as the level of skill, training and caseload of the counselor.

( l) All diagnoses shall be made by the qualified clinical supervisor and shall not be delegated to a certified alcohol and drug counselor.

(m) All qualified clinical supervisors of certified alcohol and drug counselors shall obtain Committee approval prior to commencing the supervisory relationship with the certified alcohol and drug counselor. A qualified clinical supervisor shall submit evidence, on forms provided by the Committee, that he or she has satisfied all applicable requirements of this subchapter.

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:34C-6.3

Amended by 51 N.J.R. 1761(a), effective 12/2/2019