House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

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House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	June 24, 2013 03:55 PM
From:	Representative Seth M. Grove
To:	All House members
Subject:	Amending the the Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors Act

In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that would update Act 136 of 1998, the Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors Act. That Act licensed clinical social workers, social workers, marriage and family therapists and professional counselors and created a licensing board to regulate the professions.

It has been a decade and a half since the Act was passed and much has changed in the delivery of health care services, including social work services, in that time. The goal of my bill is to update the licensure requirements and scope of practice for clinical social work and regular social work to reflect and incorporate the changes that have taken place since the law was originally enacted.

The primary changes that my bill will make are:

To add a definition of the “practice of clinical social work” that reflects the scope of practice in most states across the country including adding the term “diagnosis” as in 36 other states, and the term “psychotherapy” as in 44 other states.
To require anyone practicing clinical social work independently, that is in a private practice not affiliated with any other practice, health care facility, government agency or government regulated social service agency, to be licensed. Please note that persons practicing clinical social work in any setting other than independent practice will not be required by this bill to have a license although that option will remain available as it is currently.
To update and provide further details of the requirements for a licensure candidate to have supervised professional experience prior to receiving a license.
To allow clinical social workers to engage in the telepractice of clinical social work, that is providing services to persons through the use of interactive video, audio or other electronic media under regulations to be promulgated by the licensure board and in accordance with federal privacy rules.
To further define the term “licensed social worker” as someone who engages in or advertises to engage in the practice of social work and who holds a valid license from the state.

The overall goal of the bill is to provide better treatment for individuals who need the services of a clinical social worker, to clarify who may provide those services, and to clarify who may call themselves a licensed clinical social worker or licensed social worker in order to improve consumer protection in Pennsylvania for persons needing those services.

This bill is supported by both the National Association of Social Workers of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Society of Clinical Social Workers.

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Introduced as HB1640

House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

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House of Representatives Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session