LPC Rules: Your Voice Was Heard this Week!
The Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors approved new rules at their meeting earlier this week on March 2. In more than three hours of deliberations on proposed rule changes, the Rules Committee consistently and repeatedly referenced comments that they received from YOU! The rules adopted later that day by the full Board reflect most, if not all, of the comments submitted by TCA as well as the Texas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (TACES), and the Texas Mental Health Counselors Association (TMHCA), all of whom were represented at these meetings. The Board did not change the definitions of "client" or "indirect hours." They did not modify the Code of Ethics governing the use of technology in counseling. The rule to allow staff to exceed statutory deadlines to complete application and renewals was not adopted, nor was the rule that would mandate the release of a client's entire record in response to a complaint. And so much more.
Please note that these changes are not final. They now go through another legal review before a final publication in the Texas Register. They will take effect 20 days after they are published. Until that time, the rules dated January 12, 2015 are still in effect. TCA will send you a note when the new rules are officially adopted.
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