Board approves and denies a batch of licensure applications; orders one appearance

The Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling voted on multiple licensure and intern applications during its virtual meeting, approving a group of applicants, denying several alternate-verification requests, and ordering one applicant to appear at a later meeting for additional information.

Board action focused on whether alternate verification of supervision met the board's requirements and whether applicants had been practicing without an active license. The board approved applications where submitted alternate documentation demonstrated sufficient supervision hours or proper registration status; it denied applications when supervision records were inconsistent, dated, or raised concerns about unlicensed practice.

The board approved Natalie Didi’s application to be a licensed clinical social worker by examination after accepting alternate verification of experience and updated supervision logs showing sufficient hours. The board noted the applicant’s interim registration was issued 04/13/2022 and set to expire 04/12/2027, and that the alternate verification (04/16/2022–10/22/2022) contributed 31 hours toward the supervision requirement.

The board denied or moved to deny multiple applications where gaps in supervision or evidence of unlicensed practice were found. Charlondi Azurine’s application for licensed clinical social worker by examination was denied after the board concluded submitted experience and supervision documentation were insufficient; the board noted the applicant’s former supervisor died in 2019 and that supervision had been inconsistent. Marie Loussaint’s application was also denied because the board found long gaps and insufficient contemporaneous supervisory documentation; the board said the matter would be reported to enforcement/prosecution services for possible unlicensed-practice investigation in light of the applicant’s admitted post-expiration clinical activity.

Other actions included approving Marie Carmen Cruz’s application for licensed mental health counselor by examination based on alternate verification that yielded 113 supervision hours, approving Chantelle Chisholm’s application, approving Jeffrey Mitchell’s registered mental health counselor intern application, and approving Laurie Ferguson’s registered clinical social work intern application. The board approved Catherine Smith’s registered social work counselor intern application with a condition requiring submission of additional documentation from her current or prior treating provider within 90 days (to be reviewed by a committee of one). Leah Jane Paruk’s application will be reviewed by a committee of one contingent on her submission of an updated health-status letter within 90 days.

The board also ordered that applicant Andrew Cassell appear at one of the next two regular board meetings to address an unsigned or insufficient health evaluation document rather than taking final action at this meeting. The board ratified a batch of license numbers and related routine approvals (licensed clinical social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed mental health counselor, provisional licenses, registered interns, continuing education approvals and committee-of-one actions).

Votes at a glance - Natalie Didi — Motion to approve application for licensed clinical social worker by examination; motion carried (Vicencio, Krause, Molina: yes). Outcome: approved. Notes: interim registration 04/13/2022–04/12/2027; alternate verification dated 04/16/2022–10/22/2022 provided 31 hours and put applicant over the required 100 hours. - Charlondi (Shalard) Azurine — Motion to deny alternate verification of experience for licensed clinical social worker by examination; motion carried. Outcome: denied. Notes: former supervisor died in 2019; significant gaps and inconsistent documentation referenced. - Marie Loussaint — Motion to deny alternate verification of experience for licensed clinical social worker by examination; motion carried. Outcome: denied. Notes: board expressed concern about post-expiration practice without a license and will refer to prosecution services. - Marie Carmen Cruz — Motion to approve LMHC by examination and accept alternate verification of experience; motion carried. Outcome: approved. Notes: acceptance yielded 113 supervision hours. - Chantelle Chisholm — Motion to accept application (LMHC by examination); motion carried. Outcome: approved. - Catherine Smith — Motion to approve registered social work counselor intern application contingent on receiving additional documentation from a treating provider within 90 days (to be reviewed by committee of one); motion carried. Outcome: approved with stipulation. - Laurie Ferguson — Motion to approve registered clinical social work intern application; motion carried. Outcome: approved. - Leah Jane Paruk — Motion to approve contingent on submission of updated health-status documentation; to be reviewed by committee of one within 90 days; motion carried. Outcome: contingent approval / committee review. - Jeffrey Mitchell — Motion to approve registered mental health counselor intern application; motion carried. Outcome: approved. - Andrew Cassell — Ordered to appear at one of the next two regular board meetings to address questions arising from an unsigned or insufficient health evaluation (no final licensure action taken at this meeting). - Ratifications — Motion to ratify issued license numbers and related routine approvals (provisional licenses, interns, CE providers/courses, committee of one actions, exemptions); motion carried.

Board members voting on motions were recorded as Dr. Claudio Vicencio (chair), Tanya Krause, and Dr. Joaquin Molina. Where the record shows “aye” or “I” the board secretary recorded the motion as carried; no recorded dissents were entered on the matters the board approved or denied at this meeting.

Why it matters: These routine approval and denial votes determine which clinicians may legally provide psychotherapy or clinical services in Florida and also trigger enforcement referrals when evidence indicates applicants may have practiced without a current, authorized license. The board flagged multiple instances where agency documentation, missing supervisor signatures, or long gaps in supervision led to denials and referrals for investigation.

The board’s staff will follow up on conditional approvals and will notify applicants of next steps; applicants denied or reported to prosecution services will receive separate communications from board staff or the department.