2013 Wyoming Statutes
TITLE 33 - PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
CHAPTER 38 - PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS, MARRIAGE AND FAMILYTHERAPISTS, SOCIAL WORKERS AND CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY SPECIALISTS
33-38-102. Definitions.

33-38-102. Definitions.

(a) As used in this act:

(i) "Board" means the mental health professions licensing board;

(ii) "Mental health procedures" means engaging in methods and techniques which include, but are not restricted to:

(A) "Counseling" means assisting clients through the counseling relationship, using a combination of mental health, psychotherapy and human development principles, methods and techniques, to achieve mental, emotional, physical, social, moral, educational, spiritual or career development and adjustment through the life span, but shall not include religious instruction;

(B) "Appraisal" means selecting, administering, scoring and interpreting instruments designed to assess an individual's attitudes, abilities, achievements, interests and personal characteristics and the use of methods and techniques for understanding human behavior in relation to coping with, adapting to, or changing life situations;

(C) "Consulting" means the application of scientific principles and procedures in counseling and human development to provide assistance in understanding and solving current or potential problems that the client may have in relation to a third party, be it an individual, a group or an organization;

(D) "Referral" means evaluating and identifying needs of a client to determine the advisability of referral to other specialists, informing the client of such judgment and communicating as requested or deemed appropriate to such referral sources;

(E) "Research" means systematic efforts to collect, evaluate, interpret and apply procedures related to improving the understanding and delivery of counseling services to clients.

(iii) "Licensed professional counselor, (LPC), licensed marriage and family therapist, (LMFT), licensed clinical social worker, (LCSW) and licensed addictions therapist, (LAT)," mean persons who represent themselves to the public by any title or description of psychotherapy services incorporating the words "professional counselor", "marriage and family therapist", "clinical social worker", or "addictions therapist", who offer to render professional services in these fields to individuals, groups, organizations, corporations, institutions, government agencies, or the general public for compensation, implying that they are licensed and trained, experienced or expert in one (1) or more of these fields of practice and who hold a valid license to engage in the practice of one (1) or more of these specializations. These persons may practice independent of supervision;

(iv) "Practice of addictions therapy" means providing services based on theory and methods of counseling, psychotherapy, and addictionology to persons who are experiencing cognitive, affective or behavioral psychosocial dysfunction as a direct or indirect result of addiction, chemical dependency, abuse of chemical substances or related disorders. The practice of addictions therapy includes, but is not limited to, addiction prevention, crisis intervention, diagnosis, referral, direct treatment, and follow-up treatment which is rendered to individuals, families, groups, organizations, schools and communities who are adversely affected by addictions or related disorders;

(v) "Practice of clinical social work" means applying social work theory and methods to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of psychosocial dysfunction, disability or impairment, including emotional and mental disorders. It is based on knowledge of one (1) or more theories of human development within a psychosocial context. The perspective of person-in-situation is central to professional social work practice. Professional clinical social work includes but is not limited to interventions directed to interpersonal interactions, intrapsychic dynamics, and life support and management issues. Professional clinical social work services consist of assessment, diagnosis, treatment, including psychotherapy and counseling, client-centered advocacy, consultation and evaluation with individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations;

(vi) "Practice of counseling" means rendering to individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations, corporations, institutions, government agencies or the general public a service that integrates a wellness, pathology and multicultural model of human behavior. This model applies a combination of mental health, psychotherapeutic, and human development principles and procedures to help clients achieve effective mental, emotional, physical, social, moral, educational, spiritual or career development and adjustment throughout the life span, and includes the diagnostic description and treatment of mental disorders or disabilities within the range of the professional's preparation;

(vii) "Practice of marriage and family therapy" means the rendering of professional marital and family therapy services and treatment to individuals, family groups and marital pairs, singly or in groups. Marital and family therapy includes but is not limited to the diagnosis and treatment, including psychotherapy, of nervous, emotional, and mental disorders, whether cognitive, affective or behavioral, within the context of marital and family systems. Marital and family therapy involves the professional application of psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques in the delivery of services to individuals, marital pairs and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed nervous and mental disorders;

(viii) "Psychotherapy" means the treatment, diagnosis, testing, assessment or counseling in a professional relationship to assist individuals or groups to alleviate mental disorders, understand unconscious or conscious motivation, resolve emotional relationships, or attitudinal conflicts, or modify behaviors which interfere with effective emotional, social or intellectual functioning;

(ix) "Use of title or description of" means to hold oneself out to the public as having a particular status by means of stating on signs, mailboxes, address plates, stationery, announcements, calling cards or other instruments of professional identification;

(x) Certified addictions practitioner (CAP) means a person certified under this act to practice addictions treatment, prevention, intervention, diagnosis, referral and follow up under the supervision of a qualified clinical supervisor licensed in the state of Wyoming;

(xi) Certified social worker (CSW) means a person certified under this act to perform social work treatment, prevention, intervention, case management, referral and follow up with individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses or mental disorders under the supervision of a qualified clinical supervisor licensed in the state of Wyoming;

(xii) Certified mental health worker (CMHW) means a person certified under this act to perform mental health procedures under the supervision of a qualified clinical supervisor licensed in the state of Wyoming;

(xiii) "Qualified clinical supervisor" means a licensed professional counselor, licensed clinical social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed addictions therapist, licensed psychologist, a licensed psychiatrist, licensed physician with specialty in addictionology or a licensed advanced practitioner of nursing with psychiatric specialty;

(xiv) "This act" means W.S. 33-38-101 through 33-38-113;

(xv) "Domicile" means that place where a person has his true, fixed and permanent home to which whenever the person is absent the person has the intention of returning;

(xvi) "Certified addictions practitioner assistant" means a person certified under this act to assist in the practice of addictions treatment, prevention, intervention, referral and followup under the supervision of a qualified clinical supervisor licensed in the state of Wyoming.