"The South Carolina State of Emergency expired on Monday, June 7, 2021. Licensed counselor supervisors and their supervisees must now adhere to supervision requirements per Reg. 36-01(1), which requires that supervision must be 75% face-to-face and 25% may be conducted online via HIPAA-compliant technological medium."

"The South Carolina State of Emergency expired on Monday, June 7, 2021. While the federal public health emergency remains in effect, allowing for telehealth practice to administer covered COVID countermeasures, anyone who is not licensed in South Carolina, who is currently providing client care to someone in South Carolina via telehealth, should make preparations to either become licensed in this state, or to transfer the client care to a South Carolina licensed provider."

There are two different ways for states to license counselors from other states, portability endorsement of licensee (moving to another state) and portability by reciprocity. South Carolina follows portability endorsement of licensee. This means that applicants for licensure in SC under the board for LPCs, LMFTs, Addiction Counselors and Psycho-Education Specialists must hold a current, active, and unrestricted license in good standing in another state. Substantially equivalent education may be met by documenting 5 years of active unrestricted licensure in another state within a 10-year period immediately preceding the application.

Another option that states can undertake is Counselor Reciprocity as proposed by the Council of State Governments (CSG). Reciprocity allows a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CMHC) in one state to offer services in another state without being licensed in that state. The current CSG proposal requires that 10 states must first pass the compact legislation, which is a reciprocity arrangement, in order for the compact to go into effect.

The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), which is the national organization of which SCCMHCA is the South Carolina state chapter, supports both Licensure by Endorsement as well as licensure reciprocity.

On April 5, 2021, federal rules implemented the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act specifying that 8 types of clinical notes are among electronic information that must not be blocked and must be made available free of charge to patients. To meet the interests of some patients, the rules allow specified exceptions.

For more information visit opennotes.org

Ethics of Documentation and Annual Membership Meeting (virtual). Offering 3 hours of continuing education and special pricing for new and existing SCCMHCA members. Watch your email, more information coming soon!