Update on the New Associate Counselor License Type and Updated Requirements for Board Approved Supervisors

Associate Counselor (New License Type) - not yet available: While the creation of the Associate Counselor license is in process, the license type is not yet available for the reasons noted below. Those working to obtain the postgraduate hours needed to qualify for a Professional Counselor license must continue to gain the unlicensed postgraduate hours under a supervisor who obtained board approval prior to the start of the supervised hours, in compliance with AS 08.29.110(a)(6).

Board-Approved Supervisors (New Requirements) - Not yet available, defer to previous requirements: For those working to obtain the board-approved supervisor certification, you will need to meet the requirements that were in AS 08.29.210 prior to its repeal until the regulations needed to create the new requirements are in effect, as noted below.To see the requirements of AS 08.29.210, access the existing Board Approved Professional Counselor Supervisor application (form #08-4430).

Background: In 2024, the Legislature passed House Bill 126 which created an Associate Counselor license type and shifted the requirements to qualify for a supervisor certification from statute to regulation. Though the bill has an effective date of July 1, 2025, regulations are required before the associate counselor license type can be created as they will detail the requirements to obtain this new license type and the updated requirements for the supervisor certification, as well as to create the fees for them Administrative Order 358 has frozen the promulgation of new regulations by all agencies in order for agencies to focus their attention on the State’s core mission of providing essential services to Alaskans and maximizing operational efficiency, and therefore the regulations needed to finalize the creation of the associate counselor license type are not yet in place. At this time, we cannot provide a timeline on when we will be able to proceed with the regulations. The delay is not the decision of the Board of Professional Counselors (“board”). The Board and the division apologize for any confusion and challenges this may cause.