Statutory Framework: Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists
Domain 1 tests the statutory and regulatory architecture: who regulates counselors in Maryland and what authority the Board actually has.
Where the rules live
Maryland's counselor licensing law is in the Health Occupations Article, Title 17. The Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists adopts detailed regulations in COMAR Title 10, Subtitle 63. The Board licenses and certifies professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, and alcohol and drug counselors; psychologists and social workers belong to separate boards.
Board functions
- Issues, renews, reinstates, suspends, and revokes licenses and certifications.
- Approves continuing education and oversees the licensing examination process.
- Investigates complaints and prosecutes disciplinary charges.
- Adopts regulations that fill in statutory details, such as supervised-experience hours and record retention.
Contested disciplinary cases are heard by the Office of Administrative Hearings under the Maryland Administrative Procedure Act, not by a criminal court. The Board's authority is administrative: it protects the public, not the client's private lawsuit.
Worked example
A former client emails the Board alleging that an LCPC disclosed treatment information to a friend. The Board, not the local health department or the police, dockets the complaint. It may request a written response, interview witnesses, and, if probable cause exists, charge the licensee. The licensee is entitled to notice and a hearing; a sanction may be a reprimand, probation, suspension, or revocation.
Traps
- Confusing the counseling board with the Board of Examiners of Psychologists or the Board of Social Work Examiners.
- Assuming the Board can award damages or give legal advice; those are court remedies.
- Missing that the statute sets broad authority while COMAR supplies the operational details tested on the exam.