§ 59-1871. Definitions.

For purposes of the Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors Act:

1.  "Alcohol and drug counseling" means the application of counseling principles for:

a.substance use disorders, or

b.substance abuse disorders and co-occurring disorders in order to:

(1)              develop an understanding of substance abuse and co-occurring disorders,

(2)              permit licensed alcohol and drug counselors to prevent, diagnose or treat substance abuse and to prevent, diagnose or treat co-occurring disorders,

(3)              permit licensed alcohol and drug counselors to conduct assessments or diagnoses for the purpose of establishing treatment goals and objectives for substance abuse and to establish treatment goals and objectives for co-occurring disorders, and

(4)              plan, implement or evaluate treatment plans using counseling treatment interventions;

2.  "Alcohol and drug counseling", as a certified alcohol and drug counselor, means the application of counseling principles for:

a.substance use disorders, or

b.substance abuse disorders in order to:

(1)develop an understanding of alcoholism and drug dependency problems,

(2)prevent, diagnose or treat alcohol and drug dependency problems,

(3)conduct assessments or diagnosis for the purpose of establishing treatment goals and objectives for substance abuse,

(4)plan, implement or evaluate treatment plans using counseling treatment interventions for substance abuse, and

(5)permit certified alcohol and drug counselors certified in co-occurring disorders to recognize co-occurring disorders and integrate that recognition into substance abuse treatment, provided the certified alcohol and drug counselor is working in a nationally accredited or Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services certified agency and is working under the supervision of a supervisor approved by the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol And Drug Counselors pursuant to paragraph 13 of this section and who is a licensed alcohol and drug counselor that is licensed in mental health and substance abuse, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor that holds a co-occurring certification from the Board or a licensed mental health professional.  Certified alcohol and drug counselors shall meet or exceed the Certified Co-Occurring Disorders Professional Standards as laid out in the standards promulgated by the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium, any successor organization to the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium or another national or international organization that has similar standards equal to or higher than the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium.

Certified alcohol and drug counselors may not provide private or independent practice for co-occurring disorders;

3.  "Board" means the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors, created by Section 1873 of this title;

4.  "Certified alcohol and drug counselor" means any person who is not exempt pursuant to the provisions of Section 1872 of this title and is not licensed under the Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors Act, but who provides alcohol and drug counseling services within the scope of practice while employed by an entity certified by the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, or who is exempt from such certification, or who is under the supervision of a person recognized by the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors as a supervisor.  A certified alcohol and drug counselor may provide counseling services for co-occurring disorders if he or she has been certified by the Board to provide counseling as provided in this section for co-occurring disorders;

5.  "Certified alcohol and drug counselor candidate" or "licensed alcohol and drug counselor candidate" means a person who has made application for certification or licensure and who has been authorized by the board to practice alcohol and drug counseling under supervision while completing the required work experience;

6.  "Consulting" means interpreting or reporting scientific fact or theory in counseling to provide assistance in solving current or potential problems of individuals, groups or organizations;

7.  "Co-occurring disorder" means a disorder in which individuals have at least one mental health disorder as defined in the most current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and a substance abuse disorder as defined in paragraph 14 of this section.  While these disorders may interact differently in any one person at least one disorder of each type can be diagnosed independently of the other;

8.  "International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium Standards" means the standards enumerated by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium, any successor organization to the Consortium or another national or international organization that has similar standards equal to or higher than the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium, that includes requirements regarding education, exams, degrees, coursework, supervision, continuing education, and ethics for individuals seeking a certified co-occurring disorders professional certification from the Consortium.  The requirement to meet these standards shall never fall below the requirements set forth by the Consortium on June 1, 2008.

9.  "Licensed alcohol and drug counselor" means any person who provides alcohol and drug counseling services within the scope of practice, including co-occurring disorders, for compensation to any person and is licensed pursuant to the provisions of the Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors Act.  The term "licensed alcohol and drug counselor" shall not include those professions exempted by Section 1872 of this title;

10.  "Licensed alcohol and drug counselor/mental health" or "LADC/MH" means a licensed alcohol and drug counselor who has been determined by the Board to meet the requirements to include the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health disorders within the counselor's scope of practice, regardless of whether the mental health disorders are co-occurring;

11.  "Recovery" means a voluntary lifestyle, maintained as the result of one's diagnosis, treatment or self-disclosure of a substance abuse disorder, characterized by complete abstinence from alcohol, and all other mind altering drugs or chemicals except tobacco and drugs used as prescribed by an authorized licensed medical professional and the absence of pathological compulsive behavior;

12.  "Relapse" means the resumption of use of alcohol or other mind-altering drugs or chemicals, except tobacco and drugs used as prescribed by an authorized licensed medical professional, or resumption of pathological compulsive behavior, despite having previously been diagnosed, treated or self-disclosed as having a substance abuse disorder and been in recovery;

13.  "Supervisor" means:

a.a licensed alcohol and drug counselor who meets the requirements established by the board to supervise certified alcohol and drug counselors, certified alcohol and drug counselor candidates or licensed alcohol and drug counselor candidates and has been approved by the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors as a supervisor, or

b.a licensed mental health professional approved by the Board to supervise certified alcohol and drug counselors who have received co-occurring certification, certified alcohol and drug counselors who are candidates for co-occurring certification or licensed alcohol drug and counselors who are candidates for co-occurring certification;

14.  "Substance abuse disorder" means the repeated pathological use of substances including alcohol and other mind-altering drugs or chemicals, except tobacco, or repeated pathological compulsive behaviors which cause physical, psychological, emotional, economic, legal, social or other harm to the individual afflicted or to others affected by the individual's affliction.  As used in the Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors Act, substance abuse disorder shall include not only those instances where withdrawal from or tolerance to the substance is present but also those instances involving use and abuse of substances;

15.  "Supervised practicum experience" means volunteer or paid work experience in the core functions of substance abuse counseling as delineated by the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors;

16.  "Supervised work experience" means voluntary or paid work experience in providing alcohol and drug counseling services to individuals under the supervision of a licensed alcohol and drug counselor; and

17.  "Scope of practice" means acting within the boundaries of competence based on education, training, supervised experience, state and national professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience.

Added by Laws 2004, c. 313, § 2, emerg. eff. May 19, 2004.  Amended by Laws 2007, c. 174, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2007; Laws 2008, c. 400, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2008; Laws 2012, c. 87, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2012.