REGISTERED INTERNS TELEHEALTH UPDATE

Good morning Registered Mental Health Counselor Interns,

I just received this update from Florida Continuing Education Inc. concerning the Florida Board’s emergency rules update. I wanted to pass it on in case you are not on their mailing list or have not heard about the new rule for us concerning telehealth.

HOW DOES THE NEW RULE HELP?

This new rule removes some of the previous restrictions on teletherapy and further expands the definition of face-to-face psychotherapy to include electronic media. This means:

• NEW AND EXISTING CLIENTS CAN BE SERVED - Registered interns may now provide telehealth services for new and existing clients during the next 90 days as well as count those hours toward supervision.

• YOUR SUPERVISOR DOES NOT NEED TO BE ON THE PREMISES - But the registered intern must have a written telehealth protocol and safety plan in place with their current supervisor which includes the provision that the qualified supervisor must be readily available during the electronic therapy session.

• ALL SUPERVISOR SESSIONS CAN BE ELECTRONIC - This includes talking on the telephone instead of in-person supervision.

• THE HOURS WILL COUNT - Any clinical hours obtained via face-to-face psychotherapy by electronic means shall be considered clinical hours for the purpose of meeting internship requirements.

If you would like a copy of the rule in the Board's language and have questions, please feel free to email me and I will send you a copy and answer your questions to the best of my ability; RegisteredInterns@mhccf.com or visit the website directly by clicking the button below.