64B4-7.0081. Requirements to be a Qualified Practitioner for Completing Risk Assessments and Treatment of Sexual Offenders.

(1) Licensees employed or contracted as Behavioral Specialists for the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) and credentialed to conduct screenings and counseling for sexual offenses; or approved by the United States Probation Office to complete risk assessments and treat sexual offenders; or who were a clinical member of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) or the Florida Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (FATSA), on or before June 30, 2010, shall be deemed to be qualified practitioners.

(2) For the purposes of this section:

(a) “DSM” means the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

(b) “Persons who have committed sex offenses” means persons who have been ordered or referred to a qualified practitioner by a court of competent jurisdiction for assessment or treatment due to an allegation of or a conviction for a sexually based criminal or delinquent act.

(3) In order to be a qualified practitioner for completing risk assessments and/or providing treatment for persons who have committed sex offenses, one must hold an active license as a clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist, or mental health counselor under Chapter 491, F.S.

(4) A qualified practitioner under this rule shall possess 40 hours of graduate coursework and/or post degree continuing education in all of the following core areas with a minimum of three (3) hours per area:

(a) Etiological theories of sexual deviance, criminality, and aggression;

(b) Evidence-based risk assessment instruments specifically designed for persons who have committed sex offenses, which utilize static and dynamic risk factors associated with recidivism, as well as measures of treatment progress (6 hours required);

(c) Evaluation, risk assessment, and treatment of specialized populations of persons who have sexually offended;

(d) Empirically informed psycho-physiological testing and interventions specific to persons who have sexually offended, such as plethysmograph, polygraphy, pupillometry, eye tracking, measures of sexual interest, pharmacological treatments, and/or other validated practices;

(e) DSM differential diagnoses for paraphilic disorders, personality disorders, and co-morbid disorders;

(f) Safety planning, for use of the Internet, and/or other new technologies which allow access to sexual material or simulation of sexual activities, and Family Safety planning related to contact with children;

(g) Report writing of psychosexual assessments and treatment plans, risk assessments, safety plans, treatment progress assessments, and/or other clinical documentation;

(h) Legal and ethical issues in the evaluation and treatment of persons who have sexually offended;

(i) Understanding the role of early trauma, the intergenerational cycle of abuse, other environmental, social, and neurobiological factors that contribute to the development of sexually abusive behaviors, and trauma-informed practices;

(j) Evidence-informed treatments designed for use with persons who have sexually offended; and

(k) Impact of sexually abusive behaviors on victims.

(5) Have documented 2,000 hours of post degree experience in the evaluation and treatment of persons who have committed sex offenses.

(a) The post degree experience must be obtained after Chapter 491, F.S., intern registration or licensure by working under the supervision of a qualified practitioner as defined in this rule who is also a Board qualified supervisor.

(b) The initial fifty (50) of the 2,000 supervised experience hours must be obtained with the qualified practitioner/supervisor being physically present with the supervisee during the evaluation/risk assessment or treatment.

(6) Effective April 1, 2021, a qualified practitioner under this rule must complete 20 hours of board approved continuing education each reporting period in any of the areas listed in subsection (4) above.

Rulemaking Authority 491.004(5), 947.005(10), (11), 948.001(10) FS Law Implemented 947.1405(7)(a)5., 948.001(10), (11), 948.30(1)(e) FS. History–New 4-18-12, Amended 7-19-17, 7-19-21.