S.C. Code Regs. § § 100-8

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 10, October 25, 2024

Section 100-8 - Guidelines for the Employment and Supervision of Unlicensed Persons Providing Psychological Services

A. Supervised unlicensed persons are defined as those individuals, whether on the path toward licensure or not, performing revenue-producing services of a psychological nature (e.g. psychological assessment, administering and scoring psychological tests, interviewing, individual and group psychotherapy, behavior modification) under the supervision of the licensed psychologist. Trainees and employees in state or federal agencies/facilities are not included in this group and are therefore not subject to the below requirements.

B. Qualifications. The supervising psychologist shall be licensed for the practice of psychology and have adequate training, knowledge and skill to render competently any psychological service which his/her supervisee undertakes.

C. Qualifications of unlicensed persons providing psychological services. The unlicensed service provider must have background, training and experience appropriate to the functions performed. The licensed supervising psychologist is responsible, subject to Board review, for determining the adequacy of preparation of the unlicensed service provider and the designation of his/her title in accordance with the Code of Laws of South Carolina.

D. Conditions for utilization of unlicensed persons providing psychological services.

(1) The licensed psychologist must register the following information, and any other information deemed necessary by the Board, with the Board at the time of biennial license renewal:

(a) The name of the unlicensed person rendering the psychological service;

(b) The nature of the psychological services rendered;

(c) The qualifying academic training and experience of the unlicensed person;

(d) The nature of the continuing supervision provided by the licensed psychologist.

(2) The person providing psychological services who is not licensed by the Board must be under the direct and continuing administrative and professional supervision of a psychologist licensed by the Board.

(3) The licensed psychologist must be vested with administrative control over the functioning of the unlicensed person in order to maintain ultimate responsibility for the welfare of every client. When the employer is other than the licensed psychologist, the licensed psychologist must have direct input into administrative matters.

(4) The licensed psychologist shall have sufficient knowledge of all clients, including face-to-face contact when necessary, in order to plan effective service delivery procedures. The progress of the work shall be monitored through such means as will ensure that full legal and professional responsibility can be accepted by the supervising psychologist for all services rendered. Supervising psychologists shall also be available for emergency consultation and intervention.

(5) Work assignments shall be commensurate with the skills of the unlicensed person. All procedures shall be planned in consultation with the supervising psychologist.

(6) The unlicensed employee shall work in the same physical setting as the supervising psychologist, unless other individual arrangements have been approved, in advance, by the Board.

(7) Public announcement of services and fees and contact with the lay or professional community shall be offered only in the name of the supervising licensed psychologist. The title of the unlicensed person must clearly indicate his/her supervised status.

(8) Users of the unlicensed person's services shall be informed of his/her status and shall be given specific information as to his/her qualifications and functions.

(9) Clients shall be informed of the possibility of periodic meetings with the supervising psychologist at their, the service provider's, or the supervising psychologist's request.

(10) Setting and receipt of payment shall remain the sole domain of the employing agency or supervising psychologist.

(11) The supervising psychologist shall establish and maintain a level of supervisory contact consistent with established professional standards and be fully accountable in the event that professional, ethical or legal issues are raised.

(12) No more than the equivalent of three (3) full-time supervisees may be registered for any one supervising licensed psychologist.

E. Conduct of supervision. It is recognized that the variability in the preparation for practice of all personnel will require individually tailored supervision. The range and content of supervision will have to be arranged between the individual supervising psychologist and the unlicensed person. A detailed job description in which functions are designated at varying levels of difficulty, requiring increased levels of training, skill and experience should be available. This job description shall be made available to the Board and service recipients, upon request.

(1) Employment of a person who provides psychological services and who is not licensed by the Board requires the supervision of a licensed psychologist.

(2) The licensed psychologist may not be in the employ of his/her supervisee.

(3) The supervising psychologist is responsible for the planning, course and outcome of the psychological services performed by the supervisee. The conduct of supervision shall insure the professional, ethical and legal protection of the client and of the unlicensed person.

(4) An ongoing record of supervision shall be maintained which details the types of activities in which the unlicensed person is engaged, the level of competence in each activity and the outcome of all procedures.

(5) All written reports and communications shall be reviewed, approved and countersigned as by the supervising licensed psychologist.

S.C. Code Regs. § 100-8

Added by State Register Volume 15, Issue No. 6, eff June 28, 1991. Amended by State Register Volume 31, Issue No. 6, eff June 22, 2007; State Register Volume 38, Issue No. 6, eff 6/27/2014; State Register Volume 48, Issue No. 05, eff. 5/24/2024.