This regulation establishes supervision requirements for counselor assistants employed at substance use disorder treatment projects in Pennsylvania. It requires that counselor assistants be supervised by a qualified clinical supervisor or counselor, receive written semiannual performance evaluations against measurable standards, and complete a supervised period ranging from 3 to 12 months depending on their educational credentials before counseling clients with reduced oversight. Facility operators must ensure compliance with these tiered supervision structures as part of their staffing and clinical oversight obligations.
View official source28 Pa. Code § 704.9 - Supervision of counselor assistant State Regulations Compare (a) Supervision. A counselor assistant shall be supervised by a full-time clinical supervisor or counselor who meets the qualifications in § 704.6 or § 704.7 (relating to qualifications for the position of clinical supervisor; and qualifications for the position of counselor). (b) Performance evaluation. The counselor assistant shall be given a written semiannual performance evaluation based upon measurable performance standards. If the individual does not meet the standards at the time of evaluation, the counselor assistant shall remain in this status until the supervised period set forth in subsection (c) is completed and a satisfactory rating is received from the counselor assistant's supervisor. (c) Supervised period. (1) A counselor assistant with a Master's Degree as set forth in § 704.8 (a)(1) (relating to qualifications for the position of counselor assistant) may counsel clients only under the close supervision of a trained counselor or clinical supervisor for at least the first 3 months of employment. (2) A counselor assistant with a Bachelor's Degree as set forth in § 704.8 (a)(2) may counsel clients only under the close supervision of a trained counselor or clinical supervisor for at least the first 6 months of employment. (3) A registered nurse as set forth in § 704.8 (a)(3) may counsel clients only under the close supervision of a trained counselor or clinical supervisor for at least the first 6 months of employment. (4) A counselor assistant with an Associate Degree as set forth in § 704.8 (a)(4) may counsel clients only under the close supervision of a trained counselor or clinical supervisor for at least the first 9 months of employment. (5) A counselor assistant with a high school diploma or GED equivalent as set forth in § 704.8 (a)(5) may counsel clients only under the direct observation of a trained counselor or clinical supervisor for the first 3 months of employment. For the next 9 months, the counselor assistant may counsel clients only under the close supervision of a lead counselor or a clinical supervisor. Notes 28 Pa. Code § 704.9 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