| License Description |
Occupational Description
Independent Mental Health Practitioner: Independent mental health practice is the provision of treatment, assessment, psychotherapy, counseling, or equivalent activities to individuals, couples, families, or groups for behavioral, cognitive, social, mental, or emotional disorders, including interpersonal or personal situations.
Independent mental health practice includes diagnosing major mental illness or disorder, using psychotherapy with individuals suspected of having major mental or emotional disorders, and/or using psychotherapy to treat the concomitants of organic illness, with or without consultation with a qualified physician or licensed psychologist.
Independent mental health practice does NOT include the practice of psychology or medicine, prescribing drugs or electroconvulsive therapy, treating physical disease, injury, or deformity, or measuring personality or intelligence for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment planning.
Mental Health Practitioner: Mental health practice means the provision of treatment, assessment, psychotherapy, counseling, or equivalent activities to individuals, couples, families, or groups for behavioral, cognitive, social, mental, or emotional disorders, including interpersonal or personal situations.
Mental health practice includes the initial assessment of organic mental or emotional disorders for the purpose of referral or consultation.
Mental health practice does NOT include:
The practice of psychology or medicine;
Prescribing drugs or electroconvulsive therapy;
Treating physical disease, injury, or deformity;
Diagnosing major mental illness or disorder except in consultation with a qualified physician, a psychologist licensed to engage in the practice of psychology as provided in section 38-3111, or a licensed independent mental health practitioner;
Measuring personality or intelligence for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment planning;
Using psychotherapy with individuals suspected of having major mental or emotional disorders except in consultation with a qualified physician, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed independent mental health practitioner;
Using psychotherapy to treat the concomitants of organic illness except in consultation with a qualified physician or licensed psychologist.
Licensure Requirements
1. Have either:
A. Graduated with a master's or doctoral degree from an educational program which is accredited, at the time of graduation or within four years after graduation, by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, or the Council on Social Work Education;
-OR-
B. Graduated with a master's or doctoral degree from an educational program deemed by the board to be equivalent in didactic content and supervised clinical experience to an accredited program;
2. Either:
A. Is licensed as a licensed mental health practitioner;
-OR-
B. is licensed as a provisional mental health practitioner and has satisfactorily passed an examination approved by the board pursuant to subdivision 3 of section 38-2122;
3. Either:
A.Has 3,000 hours of experience supervised by a licensed physician, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed independent mental health practitioner, one-half of which is comprised of experience with clients diagnosed under the major mental illness or disorder category;
-OR-
B. All of the following:
(a) Graduated from an educational program which does not meet the requirements of subdivision A of this subsection;
(b) Is licensed as a licensed mental health practitioner, or is licensed as a provisional mental health practitioner and has satisfactorily passed an examination approved by the board pursuant to subdivision 3 of section 38-2122;
(c) Has 7,000 hours of experience obtained in a period of not less than ten years and supervised by a licensed physician, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed independent mental health practitioner, one-half of which is comprised of experience with clients diagnosed under the major mental illness or disorder category.
The experience required under this section shall be documented in a reasonable form and manner as prescribed by the board, which may consist of sworn statements from the applicant and his or her employers and supervisors. The board shall not in any case require the applicant to produce individual case records.
Applicants for a Mental Health Practitioner license must:
1. Have received a master's degree, a doctoral degree, or the equivalent of a master's degree, as determined by the board, that consists of course work and training which was primarily therapeutic mental health in content and included a practicum or internship and was from an approved educational program. Practicums or internships completed after September 1, 1995, must include a minimum of 300 clock hours of direct client contact under the supervision of a qualified physician, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed mental health practitioner;
2. Have successfully completed 3,000 hours of supervised experience in mental health practice of which 1,500 hours were in direct client contact in a setting where mental health services were being offered and the remaining 1,500 hours included, but were not limited to, review of client records, case conferences, direct observation, and video observation. For purposes of this subdivision, supervised means monitored by a qualified physician, a licensed clinical psychologist, or a certified master social worker, certified professional counselor, or marriage and family therapist qualified for certification on September 1, 1994, for any hours completed before such date or by a qualified physician, a psychologist licensed to engage in the practice of psychology, or a licensed mental health practitioner for any hours completed after such date, including evaluative face-to-face contact for a minimum of one hour per week. Such 3,000 hours must be accumulated after completion of the master's degree, doctoral degree, or equivalent of the master's degree;
3. Have satisfactorily passed an examination approved by the board. An individual who by reason of educational background is eligible for certification as a certified master social worker, a certified professional counselor, or a certified marriage and family therapist shall take and pass a certification examination approved by the board before becoming licensed as a mental health practitioner.
All applicants must be at least 19 years of age and is a citizen of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted into the United States who is eligible for a credential under the Uniform Credentialing Act, or a nonimmigrant whose visa for entry, or application for visa for entry, is related to such employment in the United States.
Fees
Mental Health Practitioner license (MHP)- $155.00
Independent Mental Health Practitioner license (without MHP)- $155.00
Independent Mental Health Practitioner license (with MHP)- $50.00
Renewal
Renewal is due by September 1 of even-numbered years.
Reenewal fees are the same as original licensure fees (above).
Thirty-two hours of continuing education are required biennially to qualify for renewal. |