Counselor measure clears Senate; Barlow says bill ready for prime time

Spokane lawmaker’s legislation highlights education, supervision rules

March 6, 2008

OLYMPIA – Education, testing and supervision aren’t mere kid stuff when it comes to the mental and physical health of counseling clients. That’s the underlying principle in legislation sponsored by state Rep. Don Barlow “to strengthen both the safety of people who are counseled and the professional standard of people who are counseling.”

Barlow’s measure (House Bill 2674) has won Senate approval and needs only House concurrence with Senate-amendments before it goes to the governor.

The bill passed the House several weeks ago by a vote of 89-8, and the Senate-amended measure cleared the Senate this morning (March 6) by a vote of 44-3.

Terms of the legislation establish two professional standings for counselors: “certified counselors,” who would need to earn a bachelor’s degree in a counseling-related field, and “certified advisers,” who would need to earn an associate degree in a counseling-related field and complete a supervised internship.

Barlow, D-Spokane, said that the thousands of existing “registered counselors” in Washington – if they have been registered for at least five years by July 2010 – must: 

• Possess a current valid registration.

• Complete courses and pass examinations in risk-assessment, ethics, screening-referral, law, and other related subjects.

• Obtain a consultation-agreement with a health-care provider.

He explained that future counselors who seek credentialing as a “certified counselor” after July 2009 must have a bachelor’s degree in a counseling-related field, pass an examination, and have a supervisor-agreement. Future counselors who seek credentialing as a “certified adviser” after July 2009 must have an associate degree in a counseling-related field – and complete a supervised internship, pass an examination, and have a supervisor-agreement.

“For counselors involved in private-practice counseling,” Barlow explained, “their scope of practice must begin with the screening of a client to determine his or her level of functioning.

“In this screening, the private-practice counselor would use what’s called the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale to assess the state of the client’s mental health. If the GAF score is below 60, the counselor must refer the client to either a licensed mental-health professional or a doctor under a plan of care developed either by the mental-health professional or by the doctor.”

If the GAF score is above 60, a private-practice counselor could work with the client on adjusting to changing life situations, developing new skills, and making other desired changes.

The measure doesn’t apply to the practice of counseling by peer counselors who use their own experience to encourage and support people with similar conditions.

“Right now,” according to Barlow, “we’re one of only a couple states that registers counselors without requiring them to possess appropriate education, training and supervision. All it takes here is 40 bucks and a four-hour AIDS-awareness class – and you can hang out your shingle.

“As a matter of fact,” he said, “more than 17,000 people in Washington today are using a counseling credential in many different ways.”

The stronger education and supervisory standards in Barlow’s bill were first recommended late last year by a special work group called together to examine policies governing registered counselors.

“The goal in my legislation has always been and remains to encourage folks who are doing counseling to move toward a more professional footing, if they want to stay in the profession,” Barlow explained. 

The first-term lawmaker prime-sponsored a bill in the 2007 Legislature to institute “tough-but-fair new counseling standards for the health of our citizens – and for the health of my profession.” His measure last year cleared the House, but didn’t make it all the way through the legislative process.

He is a member of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee where the counseling legislation has been discussed at great length.

Barlow himself has a master’s degree in counseling, has been a counselor with the Community Colleges of Spokane, and is a licensed mental-health counselor.

Testifying for Barlow’s bill in his legislative committee were representatives from the Washington Community Mental Health Council, the Washington Mental Health Counselors Association, the Washington State Psychological Association, the Washington State Society for Clinical Social Work, the governor’s office, and the state Department of Health.