{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/54.1-3503.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/54.1-3503.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/54.1-3503.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/54.1-3503.html"}],"law_id":61613,"edition_id":1,"section_id":61613,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3503","catch_line":"Board of Counseling","history":"1976, c. 608; \u00a7 54-933; 1981, c. 447; 1983, c. 150; 1986, cc. 185, 464; 1988, c. 765; 1995, c. 820; 1997, c. 901; 2000, c. 473; 2013, cc. 201, 590; 2016, c. 105; 2020, c. 301.","full_text":"The Board of Counseling shall regulate the practice of counseling, substance abuse treatment, art therapy, and marriage and family therapy.\n\t\tThe Board shall consist of 12 members to be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. Ten members shall be professionals licensed in the Commonwealth, who shall represent the various specialties recognized in the profession, and two shall be nonlegislative citizen members. Of the 10 professional members, six shall be professional counselors, three shall be licensed marriage and family therapists who have passed the examination for licensure as a marriage and family therapist, and one shall be a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner.\n\t\tThe terms of the members of the Board shall be four years.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":224950,"text":"The Board of Counseling shall regulate the practice of counseling, substance abuse treatment, art therapy, and marriage and family therapy.\n\t\tThe Board shall consist of 12 members to be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. Ten members shall be professionals licensed in the Commonwealth, who shall represent the various specialties recognized in the profession, and two shall be nonlegislative citizen members. Of the 10 professional members, six shall be professional counselors, three shall be licensed marriage and family therapists who have passed the examination for licensure as a marriage and family therapist, and one shall be a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner.\n\t\tThe terms of the members of the Board shall be four years.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13600,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13599,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:21","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:21","permalink":{"id":243865,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13600,"identifier":"1","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1","url":"\/54.1\/III\/35\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13599,"edition_id":1,"name":"Professional Counseling","identifier":"35","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12758,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:21","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:21","permalink":{"id":243863,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13599,"identifier":"35","token":"54.1\/III\/35","url":"\/54.1\/III\/35\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12758,"edition_id":1,"name":"Professions and Occupations Regulated by Boards Within the Department of Health Professions","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12754,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":241105,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12758,"identifier":"III","token":"54.1\/III","url":"\/54.1\/III\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12754,"edition_id":1,"name":"Professions and Occupations","identifier":"54.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":239313,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12754,"identifier":"54.1","token":"54.1","url":"\/54.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":54880,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3500","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/54.1-3500\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3500","metadata":false},{"id":68349,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3500.1","catch_line":"Counseling Compact","url":"\/54.1-3500.1\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3500.1","metadata":false},{"id":85227,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3501","catch_line":"Exemption from requirements of licensure","url":"\/54.1-3501\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3501","metadata":false},{"id":86081,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3502","catch_line":"Administration or prescription of drugs not permitted","url":"\/54.1-3502\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3502","metadata":false},{"id":61613,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3503","catch_line":"Board of Counseling","url":"\/54.1-3503\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3503","metadata":false},{"id":54950,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3504","catch_line":"Nominations","url":"\/54.1-3504\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3504","metadata":false},{"id":55659,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3505","catch_line":"Specific powers and duties of the Board","url":"\/54.1-3505\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3505","metadata":false},{"id":54568,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3505.1","catch_line":"Continued competency requirements","url":"\/54.1-3505.1\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3505.1","metadata":false},{"id":56059,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3506","catch_line":"License required","url":"\/54.1-3506\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3506","metadata":false},{"id":69581,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3506.1","catch_line":"Client notification","url":"\/54.1-3506.1\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3506.1","metadata":false},{"id":80021,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3506.2","catch_line":"Licensure exemption","url":"\/54.1-3506.2\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3506.2","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":86081,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3502","catch_line":"Administration or prescription of drugs not permitted","url":"\/54.1-3502\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3502","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":54950,"structure_id":13600,"section_number":"54.1-3504","catch_line":"Nominations","url":"\/54.1-3504\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3504","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/54.1-3503\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1976. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 608 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1976 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 10 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1981, chapter 447; in 1983, chapter 150; in 1986, chapters 185 and 464; in 1988, chapter 765; in 1995, chapter 820<\/a>; in 1997, chapter 901<\/a>; in 2000, chapter 473<\/a>; in 2013, chapters 201<\/a> and 590<\/a>; in 2016, chapter 105<\/a>; in 2020, chapter 301<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":243883,"object_type":"law","relational_id":61613,"identifier":"54.1-3503","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3503","url":"\/54.1-3503\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/54.1-3503\/","token":"54.1\/III\/35\/1\/54.1-3503","dublin_core":{"Title":"Board of Counseling","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 54.1-3503","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The Board<\/span> of Counseling shall regulate the practice of counseling<\/span>, substance abuse treatment<\/span>, art therapy<\/span>, and marriage and family therapy<\/span>.\n\t\tThe Board<\/span> shall consist of 12 members to be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. Ten members shall be professionals licensed in the Commonwealth, who shall represent the various specialties recognized in the profession, and two shall be nonlegislative citizen members. Of the 10 professional members, six shall be professional counselors<\/span>, three shall be licensed marriage and family therapists<\/span> who have passed the examination for licensure as a marriage and family therapist<\/span>, and one shall be a licensed substance abuse treatment<\/span> practitioner<\/span>.\n\t\tThe terms of the members of the Board<\/span> shall be four years.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nBOARD OF COUNSELING (\u00a7 54.1-3503)\n\nThe Board of Counseling shall regulate the practice of counseling, substance\nabuse treatment, art therapy, and marriage and family therapy.\n\t\tThe Board shall consist of 12 members to be appointed by the Governor, subject\nto confirmation by the General Assembly. Ten members shall be professionals\nlicensed in the Commonwealth, who shall represent the various specialties\nrecognized in the profession, and two shall be nonlegislative citizen members.\nOf the 10 professional members, six shall be professional counselors, three\nshall be licensed marriage and family therapists who have passed the examination\nfor licensure as a marriage and family therapist, and one shall be a licensed\nsubstance abuse treatment practitioner.\n\t\tThe terms of the members of the Board shall be four years.\n\nHISTORY: 1976, c. 608; \u00a7 54-933; 1981, c. 447; 1983, c. 150; 1986, cc. 185,\n464; 1988, c. 765; 1995, c. 820; 1997, c. 901; 2000, c. 473; 2013, cc. 201, 590;\n2016, c. 105; 2020, c. 301.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}