What Florida Registered Interns Asked During July’s Laws and Rules Discussions
During July, Ross Family Counseling completed approximately 60 interactive Laws and Rules calls. Gwen estimates that about 70% of the participants were applying for licensure as registered interns in Florida.
These calls are often perceived as the final step of the 8-hour course, which is often the final step of the internship altogether. Our goal is for them to be more valuable than checking the box on the application, in that they give participants an opportunity to ask questions, discuss real-world situations, and explore the legal and ethical issues they've encountered during the internship or that they anticipate encountering during licensure.
Below offers a summary of some of the trending topics discussed throughout the month.
The Counseling Compact
The Counseling Compact was one of the most frequently discussed subjects in July.
As several states began moving forward with the Compact during June and July, Florida counselors and registered interns wanted to know what those developments meant for Florida licensees.
Florida is a member of the Counseling Compact, but Florida had not yet begun issuing Compact privileges. This distinction is important because a state can join the Compact before becoming fully operational, but licensees cannot participate until Florida is fully operational in the Compact. And even once it does, we can only participate within the other states that are also fully operational.
Counselors should review the official Counseling Compact map before making decisions about practicing across state lines. The map shows which states are members and which are actively issuing privileges.
The July conversations highlighted an important lesson: joining the Compact does not automatically authorize a counselor to practice in every participating state. Licensees must confirm that the appropriate states are operational and that they have received any required privilege before providing services.
Reporting Abuse While Respecting Autonomy
Another important discussion involved suspected abuse of older adults.
Mental health professionals understand that Florida has strict abuse-reporting requirements. However, making an abuse report does not automatically mean that an older adult can be removed from their home.
When an older adult has not been adjudicated as lacking capacity, that person retains autonomy and the right to make personal decisions. Age alone does not remove those rights.
This can be difficult for professionals to understand, especially when they believe someone may be living in an unsafe environment. The discussion emphasized that professionals must understand both their reporting responsibilities and the individual’s right to autonomy.
Discussion of Real Situations
Interns frequently ask whether they may talk about situations they’ve encountered in practice. Gwen encourages participants to bring real-world questions to the interactive call, provided they do not disclose identifying information.
The purpose of the call is not to provide clinical guidance, which directed to the intern’s qualified supervisor.
Instead, Gwen helps participants talk through the legal and ethical issues connected to the situation. These discussions can help interns identify questions they should take back to supervision and recognize when a case involves more than an employer policy or routine procedure.
A School-Based Reporting Discussion
One July call involved an intern working in a school.
A child client told the intern during a session that the child’s friend said their mom smokes marijuana while driving with her children in the vehicle and the windows closed. This was alarming to the intern, who considered the child’s health and safety, both because of the child’s exposure to the drug as well as because of the risk while the mother drives under the influence. The intern questioned if this actually constitutes as abuse or neglect and if the story is too far removed from the client, since it was the client’s friend who shared the information.
This situation led to a lengthy discussion about:
- Florida abuse-reporting requirements
- The definitions of abuse and neglect
- Firsthand and secondhand information
- What information was actually known
- The judgment required when applying laws and rules to real situations
The discussion demonstrated why professionals must examine the available information carefully and understand the legal standards that apply before making personal judgements.
Clinicians must recognize what they know, what they have been told, and what responsibilities may be triggered by the available information.
It’s also important to remember that the law surrounding abuse reporting is broad in defining abuse but is clear in saying that any suspicion of abuse or neglect must be reported. In instances when the counselor is unsure, they should call the Abuse Hotline and let the person answering the phone determine if it meets criteria for a report or not.
Understanding the Baker Act and Marchman Act
Questions about the Baker Act and Marchman Act also came up regularly.
Interns and professionals seeking licensure by endorsement sometimes understand these laws as nearly identical procedures, with the Baker Act applying to mental health conditions and the Marchman Act applying to substance use.
Although that is one basic difference, the two laws involve different purposes and processes.
Talking through their similarities and differences helps participants better understand that these laws should not be reduced to simple labels. Professionals must understand the intended use of each law and the procedures that may apply in a particular situation.
Company Policy Is Not the Only Consideration
Some interns discuss difficult cases with an on-site supervisor who offers direction based primarily on company policy.
Company policy is important, but it may not address all the legal, ethical, and clinical issues involved in a case. The reality is that many company policies are designed to meet license and accreditation requirements or to protect the company from liability. While client care is certainly a consideration, it is not the only consideration.
A qualified supervisor considers company requirements while also examining:
- Florida laws and rules
- Professional ethics
- Clinical responsibilities
- The client’s individual circumstances
- The intern’s professional development
Responding only through the lens of company policy can create missed opportunities to understand the client as an individual, support the client’s goals, and help the intern strengthen their clinical judgment.
Qualified supervision gives interns a place to consider the full situation rather than relying only on an organization’s standard procedure.
Florida Law and National Licensing Examinations
July’s discussions also addressed the differences interns may encounter while preparing for a national licensing examination.
National examinations are based on national professional codes of ethics. Florida clinicians must also understand and follow Florida-specific laws and rules.
These standards may not always provide the same answer.
Interns need to understand what a national examination question is testing while also recognizing the laws and rules that govern actual practice in Florida. Awareness of both is important for examination preparation and responsible professional practice.
Do Not Wait Until the End of the Internship
One of Gwen’s strongest recommendations is that registered interns not wait until the end of their internships to complete the eight-hour Florida Laws and Rules course.
Taking the course earlier can help interns understand the requirements that affect their training and supervised practice. It may also help them identify important legal and ethical questions to discuss with their qualified supervisors.
The course can also support national examination preparation by helping interns recognize the difference between national ethical standards and Florida-specific requirements.
July also brought changes to Florida’s rules for registered interns. Ross Family Counseling revised its applicable courses to reflect those changes. Participants can learn more in our internal update, Florida Registered Internship Rule Changes.
Lessons From July’s Interactive Calls
July’s calls demonstrated that Laws and Rules education involves more than memorizing definitions.
Registered interns must learn how to identify legal and ethical concerns, understand the limits of company policy, respect client autonomy, and bring difficult questions to qualified supervision.
Completing the course earlier in the internship gives participants more time to apply what they learn throughout their supervised experience.
Florida registered interns can complete the required eight-hour Florida Laws and Rules course through Ross Family Counseling. After completing the course requirements, participants take part in an interactive discussion connecting the course material to questions that arise in professional practice.