Florida Administrative Code
63 - DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE JUSTICE
63N - Mental Health/Substance Abuse/Developmental Disability Services
Chapter 63N-1 - SERVICE DELIVERY
Section 63N-1.0031 - Qualifications of Mental Health Professionals

a. Is board certified in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry or Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, or

b. Is board eligible by virtue of having completed a training program in Psychiatry approved by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology for entrance into its certifying examination, or

c. Is board certified in Forensic Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology or the American Board of Forensic Psychiatry and has prior experience and training in psychiatric treatment with children or adolescents.

a. Hold a master's degree from an accredited university or college in the field of counseling, social work, psychology, or Related Human Services Field;

b. Hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college in the field of counseling, social work, psychology or Related Human Services Field and have two years clinical experience assessing, counseling and treating youths with serious emotional disturbance or substance abuse problems;

c. Hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college in the field of counseling, social work, psychology or Related Human Services Field and have 52 hours of training in the areas described in this section prior to working with youths. The 52 hours of training must include a minimum of 16 hours of documented clinical training in their duties and responsibilities. The non-licensed person must also receive training in mental disorders and substance-related disorders, counseling theory and techniques, group dynamics and group therapy, treatment planning and discharge planning for one year by a Mental Health Clinical Staff Person who holds a Master's degree. Clinical training of the non-licensed person must cover, at a minimum, the following components: basic counseling skills, basic group therapy skills, treatment model and program philosophy, therapeutic milieu, behavior management, client rights, crisis intervention, early intervention and de-escalation, documentation requirements, normal and abnormal adolescent development and typical behavior problems.

d. If the non-licensed Mental Health Clinical Staff Person provides mental health services in a DJJ facility or program designated for Medicaid behavioral health services, the requirements for counselors set forth by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) are provided in the Florida Medicaid Community Behavioral Health Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook; and,

e. A non-licensed person providing clinical, counseling or therapy services must meet the exemption criteria set forth in Sections 491.014(4) and 491.014 (8), F.S.