A. General Requirements
All counselors connected to a parish or other location in the Diocese of Allentown must:
1. Be a Catholic parishioner in good standing with a Roman Catholic parish. If the counselor is not a parishioner in the Roman Catholic parish in which he or she is offering counseling, then a letter of good standing must be received from the Pastor where the counselor is a parishioner; and –
2. Have completed a Master’s level degree in counseling, or counseling psychology, or counselor education; and –
3. Be licensed (as a Licensed Professional Counselor – “LPC”; Licensed Marriage and Family therapist “LMFT” or a Licensed Social Worker “LSW”) by the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors.
B. Requirements Concerning Referrals of Parishioners for Counseling
To be eligible to receive referrals of parishioners, each counselor must first provide the following to the Pastor of the parish or Administrator of the Diocesan location prior to commencement of any counseling (which documentation is to be retained in a file by the Pastor or Administrator):
1. Proof of successful completion of a Master’s level degree in one of the fields described in Section A.2 above and receipt of an LPC Pennsylvania license that is currently in effect; and –
2. A signed contract with the parish by the counselor regarding counseling (see “Counselor Contract” for use for this purpose attached as Exhibit “A”); and –
3. A certificate of insurance evidencing $1,000,000 of “professional liability errors and omissions” coverage; and –
4. A Diocese of Allentown Code of Conduct acknowledgment form signed by the counselor, by which the counselor agrees to comply with the Diocese of Allentown Code of Conduct.
5. A Diocese of Allentown Sexual Abuse Policy acknowledgment form signed by the counselor, by which the counselor agrees to comply with the Diocese of Allentown Sexual Abuse Policy.
C. Additional Requirements Concerning Providing Office Space in the Parish or Diocesan Location
1. Before providing office space, a counselor must provide the following to the Pastor of the Parish or Administrator of the Diocesan location (which documentation should be retained in a file by the Pastor or Administrator):
(a) Same as required in item B.1 above; and –
(b) Same as required in item B.2 above; and –
(c) Same as required in item B.3 above; and –
(d) Same as required in item B.4 above; and –
(e) A certificate of insurance evidencing $2,000,000 of comprehensive “general liability” coverage naming the Pastor or Administrator, the location, Bishop John O. Barres, D.D., S.T.D., J.C.L. and the Diocese of Allentown as “additional insureds” and –
(f) A signed “Facility Usage/Indemnity Agreement” (see attached Exhibit “B”). 2. Please note that counselors generally charge a client for their time, therefore, the parish or Diocesan location should charge a rental fee, even if nominal, for the use of the office space.
