California Business and Professions Code

§ 4999.20

BPC § 4999.20 Effective Jan 1, 2022Div. 2 · Ch. 16 · Art. 2

Statute text

(a)(1) “Professional clinical counseling” means the application of counseling interventions and psychotherapeutic techniques to identify and remediate cognitive, mental, and emotional issues, including personal growth, adjustment to disability, crisis intervention, and psychosocial and environmental problems, and the use, application, and integration of the coursework and training required by Sections 4999.32 and 4999.33. “Professional clinical counseling” includes conducting assessments for the purpose of establishing counseling goals and objectives to empower individuals to deal adequately with life situations, reduce stress, experience growth, change behavior, and make well-informed, rational decisions.

(2)“Professional clinical counseling” is focused exclusively on the application of counseling interventions and psychotherapeutic techniques for the purposes of improving mental health, and is not intended to capture other, nonclinical forms of counseling for the purposes of licensure. For purposes of this paragraph, “nonclinical” means nonmental health.

(3)“Professional clinical counseling” does not include the provision of clinical social work services.

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Legislative history

Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 440, Sec. 3. (AB 462) Effective January 1, 2022.