This regulation establishes the minimum educational and experiential qualifications for the position of counselor assistant within Pennsylvania substance use disorder treatment projects (drug and alcohol programs). Eligible candidates must hold at least a high school diploma or GED, with higher degrees in human service areas or RN licensure also qualifying. Counselor assistants must complete required staff development training and receive a supervisor's positive skills assessment before being assigned a full caseload. Projects are also limited in how many counselor assistants they may hire relative to qualified clinical supervisors or counselors.
View official source28 Pa. Code § 704.8 - Qualifications for the position of counselor assistant State Regulations Compare (a) A person who does not meet the educational and experiential qualifications for the position of counselor may be employed as a counselor assistant if the requirements of at least one of the following paragraphs are met. However, a project may not hire more than one counselor assistant for each employe who meets the requirements of clinical supervisor or counselor. (1) A Master's Degree in a human service area. (2) A Bachelor's Degree in a human service area. (3) Licensure in this Commonwealth as a registered nurse. (4) An Associate's Degree in a human service area. (5) A high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) equivalent. (b) A counselor assistant shall also complete the training requirements in § 704.11 (relating to staff development program). (c) In addition to training, assignment of a full caseload shall be contingent upon the supervisor's positive assessment of the counselor assistant's individual skill level. Notes 28 Pa. Code § 704.8 This section cited in 28 Pa. Code § 704.9 (relating to supervision of counselor assistant). State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we have more versions to compare. No prior version found. State Regulations Toolbox