Tennessee Bill Regarding Counseling and Ethics (SB 1)

SB 1 would prohibit the Board for Professional Counselors, Marital and Family Therapists, and Clinical Pastoral Therapists from promulgating any rule that incorporates by reference a national association’s code of ethics, including the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics.

The bill would amend SB 1556/HB 1840 to remove the references to the American Counseling Association of Ethics from law. The bill would authorize the board to adopt ethical standards or a code of ethics as long as they do no require a counselor or therapist to counsel or serve a client as to goals, outcomes, or behaviors that conflict with the sincerely held beliefs of the counselor or therapist.

The bill would further amend SB 1556/HB 1840 by revising “sincerely held principles” to “sincerely held beliefs”.

Related Legislation

Amends SB 1556/HB 1840, which became law in 2016.

 

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