Big Change to LPC Supervision Rules in Texas
Photo by Andrew Buchanan on Unsplash
Texas Administrative Code Title 22, Part 30, Chapter 681, Subchapter F, Rule 681.92(e)
“The LPC Intern must receive direct supervision consisting of a minimum of four (4) hours per month of supervision in individual (up to two Interns) or group (three or more) settings while the intern is engaged in counseling unless an extended leave of one month or more is approved in writing by the board approved supervisor. No more than 50% of the total hours of supervision may be received in group supervision.”
Notice what’s missing??
The rule regarding total hours allowed for webcam-based supervision has been removed! The old rules only allowed a maximum of 2 hours, so the supervisor and intern were required to meet in person a minimum of two hours per month.
Now, you can do all your supervision hours via live webcam!
LPC Interns and LPC Supervisors no longer have to live in the same town (or close enough to drive to a location to meet). As long as the intern and supervisor are licensed in Texas, supervision can be conducted from anywhere. I think there are a number of benefits due to this change in the rules:
Specialization: interns can now be supervised by a supervisor that offers the specialization the intern is seeking, even if there is no one in the immediate location that can accommodate those needs.
Efficient: no need to waste time driving to a location. You can meet from your own home/office.
Availability: you can now schedule supervision around your busy life and can possibly accommodate different times outside of the typical workday.
Rural communities: in Texas, there are a lot of small towns, causing limited opportunities for supervision. Now, an intern can connect with a supervisor outside of his/her community to find the best possible supervisor.
There might be some concerns/obstacles with only webcam-based supervision:
Some people prefer in-person meetings.
Technology: it will require you to utilize different technologies to conduct supervision via webcam. Some people are not comfortable with the additional tech requirements.
Confidentiality: making sure that the conversations remain confidential, and there are no HIPAA violations, or breaches of personal information.
Overall, I think it’s a great opportunity to allow the supervisor and intern to manage the supervision experience with a few more options. What are your thoughts? Do you see this change as positive or negative?