Must meet DHS qualifications for Mental Health Practitioner in one of the following ways:
(A) Practitioner is qualified through relevant coursework by completing at least 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours in Behavioral Sciences or related fields and:
Has at least 2,000 hours of supervised experience in the delivery of services to adults or children with:
Mental illness, substance use disorder,
Traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities and completes 30 hours of additional training on mental illness, recovery and resiliency, mental health de-escalation techniques, co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, and psychotropic medications and side effects; or
Is fluent in the non-English language of the ethnic group to which at least 50 percent of the practitioner’s clients belong, and completes 30 hours of additional training on mental illness, recovery and resiliency, mental health de-escalation techniques, co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, and psychotropic medications and side effects; or
Has completed a practicum or internship that required direct interaction with adults or children served, and was focused on behavioral sciences or related fields; or
Is working in a MHCP-enrolled adult or children’s day treatment program.
(B) Practitioner is qualified through work experience if the practitioner has either:
Has at least 4,000 hours of supervised work experience in the delivery of services to adults or children with any of the following:
Mental illness, substance use disorder, or emotional disturbance, or
Traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities and completes training on mental illness, recovery from mental illness, mental health de-escalation techniques, co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, and psychotropic medications and side effects.
Has at least 2,000 hours of supervised experience in the delivery of services to adults or children with any of the following:
Mental illness, substance use disorder, or emotional disturbance, or
Traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities and completes training on mental illness, recovery from mental illness, mental health de-escalation techniques, co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, and psychotropic medications and side effects; and receives clinical supervision as required at least once a week from a mental health professional until the requirement of 4,000 hours of supervised experience is met.
Has a graduate student internship or a bachelor’s or master’s degree and is a graduate student in behavioral sciences or related fields and is formally assigned by an accredited college or university to an agency or facility for clinical training
C) Practitioner is qualified if they hold a master’s or other graduate degree in behavioral sciences or related fields.
Has a bachelor’s or master’s degree with any of the following:
Holds a master’s or other graduate degree in behavioral sciences or related fields
Holds a bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences or related fields and completes a practicum or internship that (1) requires direct interaction with adults or children served, and (2) is focused on behavioral sciences or related fields.