Alexandra Chauran, sole-proprietor of EarthShod.com in King County, is the first professional fortune teller who is also a Washington Department of Health Certified Counselor. According to the state, counselors "assist or attempt to assist a person or persons to improve their mental, emotional, or behavioral problems" or use "techniques to achieve understanding and awareness of self and others and the growth of human potential” (RCW 18.19.020). By law, those "practicing counseling for a fee must be credentialed" (WAC 246-810-031). A Certified Counselor’s scope of practice is to "counsel and guide the client in adjusting to life situations, developing new skills, and making desired changes" (WAC 246-810-0201), a service that Chauran, and others like her, offer. Chauran challenges: "I encourage all who do what I do, under any label, to get a state credential; not just because it may be a legal responsibility, but to foster regulation of our often-maligned industry, and to take on mandatory reporting duties for situations of abuse and suicide-risk, of which we are often the first to be told."
A new Washington state law created eight new counseling credentials on July 1st of 2009 and will abolish the previous Registered Counselor credential on July 1st of 2010, requiring counselors who have not received a new credential to stop practicing. Though many professional psychics and intuitive readers operated under the old title alongside other professionals who counseled in other contexts, as of April 12th, 2010, the DOH Assistant Secretary Karen Jensen reported having received a total of only "5,321 out of a possible 12,000 applications" for all eight counseling professions, including: Agency Affiliated Counselor, Certified Advisor, Certified Counselor, Chemical Dependency Professional Trainee, Marriage & Family Therapist - Associate, Mental Health Counselor - Associate, Social Worker Associate Advanced and Social Worker Associate Independent Clinical.
Alexandra Chauran, who has been a Registered Counselor (RC00048344) in Washington state since October 28th of 2003 in good standing, met all application requirements for the Certified Counselor (CL60153740) credential. This included completing coursework in risk assessment, ethics, appropriate screening and referral, Washington State Law and AIDS education, as well as having a consultant agreement with a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and passing a Certified Counselor Exam. Chauran holds a Master's degree in teaching from Seattle University and is a member of the Renton Chamber of Commerce and the Washington State Holistic Chamber of Commerce. She does not plan to practice counseling outside the context of her fortune telling business, but maintains her credential to demonstrate a commitment to health and safety excellence for her clients.
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