It is official - the Board of Behavioral Health REPEALS the Practice Authority for School Counselors Policy
And now the reverberations will follow
With publication in the Administrative Register, it’s official. The Board of Behavioral Health Examiner’s substantive policy statement regarding “Practice Authority for School Counselors” is repealed. Here, in a nutshell, is what it means.
The public and every government agency is formally on notice - there is no more automatic presumption of exemption from licensure with the BBHE for school counselors or school social workers in AZ. Implications include:
School-based behavioral health workers will need to reassess whether they are engaged in regulated activities requiring licensure.
School districts will need to consider whether their "intervention counseling" policies and "multi-tiered support services" implicate the practice of behavioral health.
Parents need to understand:
THERE IS NO STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR SCHOOL-BASED BEHAVIORAL WORKERS TO PRACTICE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WITHOUT A LICENSE
"Certification" by the Dept of Ed is not a license to practice behavioral health - it is, essentially, an employee classification.
Unlicensed behavioral health workers are not subject to the same standards of practice and ethics as licensed ones
Unlicensed behavioral health workers may not engage in "diagnosing or treating any mental ailment, disease or disorder or other mental condition of any person" ARS 32-3286(C).
The unauthorized practice of behavioral health is a serious matter - and a felony. If you believe your child has received behavioral health services from an unlicensed person, you can report it here: https://azbbhe.us/node/47
End.