Mississippi Administrative Code
Title 24 - Mental Health
Part 3 - Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) Division of Professional Licensure and Certification (PLACE) Professional Credentialing Rules and Requirements
Chapter 3 - DMH Mental Health Therapist Credentialing Program - Certification Requirements
Rule 24-3-3.4 - DMH Mental Health Therapist Certification Requirements - Categories and Descriptions

Universal Citation: MS Code of Rules 24-3-3.4

Current through September 24, 2024

A. Employment Requirement

1. The applicant must be currently employed at a Mississippi "state mental health system" program, as defined in Chapter One.

2. Employment refers to paid (not volunteer) work.

B. Education Requirement

1. The applicant must have a graduate-level degree (master's level or above) in a mental health-related field. The degree must be from an approved educational institution (as defined and determined by DMH) and must be comprised of at least 30 semester hours or its equivalent.

2. The following are examples of graduate-level degree types which may be considered appropriate for the DMH Mental Health Therapist credential, provided that sufficient mental health-related coursework is included as part of the degree program of study (as determined by DMH and/or the PLACE Review Board); this is not an exhaustive list:

a. Counseling/Guidance,

b. Psychology,

c. Psychometry,

d. Social Work,

e. Marriage and Family Therapy,

f. Rehabilitative Services/Vocational Rehabilitation,

g. Psychiatric Nursing,

h. Sociology with an emphasis in mental health,

i. Behavioral Science,

j. Family and Consumer Studies,

k. Child and Family Studies,

l. Expressive Therapy,

m. Pastoral Ministries with an emphasis in mental health and

n. Other behavioral health-related degree types, as determined by DMH and/or the PLACE Review Board.

3. A graduate-level degree (master's level or above) in Criminal Justice with a mental health emphasis from an approved educational institution (as defined and determined by DMH) which is comprised of at least 30 semester hours or its equivalent, may be accepted to fulfill the education requirement for the DMH Mental Health Therapist program, as determined by DMH and/or the PLACE Review Board.

4. Evidence of successful degree/course completion will be designated on the official submitted transcript(s), as part of the application packet. The PLACE Review Board may also request course catalog descriptions or other documentation to verify successful course completion and/or that the education requirement has been met.

5. PCMHTs who are applying to upgrade to CMHT would have already met the above-listed education requirement (and produced the required verification of such) at the time of provisional application. Therefore, an applicant who is applying to upgrade from PCMHT to CMHT does not need to submit a new official transcript with his/her upgrade application packet. However, an applicant who is applying directly for CMHT, (skipping PCMHT), must submit an official transcript as part of the application process.

C. Experience Requirement

1. The experience requirement is only applicable to individuals applying for full certification - CMHT.

2. There is no work experience requirement to apply for provisional certification.

3. Individuals applying for full certification (CMHT) must have a minimum of two years (24 months or its full-time equivalent) of full-time work experience in the field of mental health, which is supervised and verified by a qualified supervisor (as defined in this chapter AND the "Glossary" section of this document). This experience may either be the provision or supervision of mental health services. Creditable work experience may include, but is not limited to, the provision or supervision of mental health services to individuals with serious emotional disturbance and/or serious mental illness, individuals with mental health/alcohol and/or other drug use co-occurring disorders, individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, and/or their family members.

4. Through the application process, the applicant must illustrate that he/she has a minimum of two years of full-time work experience in the required field, as outlined above.

5. Graduate-level internships completed as part of a mental health-related graduate degree program of study AND verified by a "Qualified Supervisor," as outlined in this document, may be counted to satisfy up to six (6) months of the two-year work experience requirement.

6. Other relevant work experience gained prior to the applicant having obtained his/her submitted graduate degree(s) may count towards fulfilling the work experience requirement; this submitted work experience will be subject to PLACE Review Board and/or Division approval.

7. The experience requirement is based on a full-time 40-hour work week; individuals with part-time experience must report an amount of experience which is equivalent to a 40-hour work week; the Review Board will make decisions regarding part-time work on a case-by-case basis.

8. An applicant who reports part-time work experience and/or who reports work experience which combines experience earned in the required field with experience earned in a separate field must illustrate through the application process that he/she has the required minimum of two years of full-time work experience in the required field, as outlined above.

9. Employment refers to paid (not volunteer) work.

10. All submitted work experience must be verified by a "Qualified Supervisor," as defined in this chapter AND the "Glossary" section of this document.

11. A "Qualified Supervisor" is an individual who provides "active supervision" (as defined in the "Glossary" section of this document) over the applicant's submitted work experience AND who meets at least one (1) of the following criteria:

a. Holds the DMH Certified Mental Health Therapist (CMHT) credential in good standing OR

b. Holds the DMH Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist (LCMHT) credential in good standing OR

c. Holds the DMH Licensed Administrator (LA) credential in good standing (formerly known as "Licensed Mental Health/Mental Retardation Administrator - LMH/MRA" OR "Licensed DMH Administrator - LA") OR

d. Holds the current position of chair of a governing board or commission of a "state mental health system" program or agency, as defined in this document OR

e. Is CMHT "certification eligible"; in order to be considered to be CMHT "certification eligible," the supervisor must meet the Education and Experience requirements for CMHT, as outlined in this document. A supervisor who claims the CMHT "certification eligible" supervisor qualification must submit, along with the applicant's completed/verified work experience form, a copy of his/her resume/vita which demonstrates that he/she meets the Education and Experience requirements for CMHT. The submitted resume/vita may be produced by the supervisor, or the supervisor may utilize a supervisor vita form supplied by DMH PLACE.

12. A "Qualified Supervisor" should not be a member of the individual's immediate family.

13. A CMHT applicant is not permitted to complete his/her own Verification of Work Experience Form.

14. All submitted work experience must be submitted on the appropriate form prescribed by the Division as part of the application packet.

D. Examination Requirement

1. The examination requirement is only applicable to individuals applying for full certification - CMHT.

2. An applicant for full certification as a DMH Mental Health Therapist (CMHT) must have successfully completed the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination, as prescribed by DMH.

3. The DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination is a comprehensive standardized examination.

4. The content of the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination is based on a customized collection of e-learning courses (i.e., web-based training component) specific to the DMH Mental Health Therapist program which is designed to address basic knowledge and practical information pertinent to mental health therapists in the state mental health system. DMH establishes the specific content.

a. The e-learning courses (i.e., web-based training component), upon which the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination content is based, are subject to periodic update without prior notice.

b. Applicants may complete the e-learning courses (i.e., web-based training component) prior to initial application as long as the correct courses, as prescribed by DMH, are taken (courses are subject to change without prior notice).

c. It is the applicant's responsibility to take the correct e-learning courses in preparation for the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination (courses are subject to change without prior notice).

d. Participants will comply with the rules of the web-based training process, as prescribed by the web-based training administrator.

e. If taken through DMH, DMH may prescribe appropriate, non-excessive fees for the e-learning courses (i.e., web-based training component) to cover administrative costs; these fees are subject to change.

f. Individuals may complete the e-learning courses (i.e., web-based training component) through a venue other than DMH as long as the correct courses, as prescribed by DMH, are taken (courses are subject to change without prior notice). It is the applicant's responsibility to take the correct e-learning courses in preparation for the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination (courses are subject to change without prior notice).

5. The DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination, including (but not limited to) the examination study materials/notes, content, format, and ascribed level of proficiency, is subject to periodic update without prior notice.

a. The examination study materials/notes for the comprehensive DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination are derived from the study materials/notes for each individual course in the aforementioned customized collection of e-learning courses (i.e., web-based training component) for the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination (as applicable). Individuals taking the customized collection of e-learning courses are responsible for following the directions in each e-learning course for printing the corresponding study materials/notes (as applicable) and also for printing this material. DMH does not supply this material.

b. Each individual course in the aforementioned customized collection of e-learning courses (i.e., web-based training component) for the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination typically has a corresponding individual exam based on the specific individual course material (upon completion of the individual course). Completion of these individual course examinations (under this Examination Requirement provision in order to obtain full certification as a CMHT) is NOT required; rather, under this Examination Requirement provision, the individual course examinations may be completed at the discretion of the applicant. Thus, for the purposes of completing the Examination Requirement in order to obtain full certification as a CMHT, only the comprehensive DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination (and NOT each individual course examination) must be successfully completed, as per the Examination Requirement provisions for CMHT contained in this document.

c. No special dispensation will be given with regards to the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination for an individual who has either taken the wrong e-learning course(s) in preparation for this examination or who has taken a course(s) which has subsequently been discontinued, replaced or updated.

d. Individuals meeting all other requirements for full certification (CMHT), as outlined in this chapter (i.e., Employment, Education, Experience, Ethics and Criminal Background Checks Requirements) may be allowed to register for and complete the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination (i.e., Examination Requirement) prior to initial application for CMHT, with the anticipation of applying directly for CMHT (thereby skipping provisional certification). The following stipulations apply to this provision:

i. Individuals registering under this provision should have already taken the aforementioned customized collection of e-learning courses (i.e., web-based training component) for the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination. It is the individual's responsibility to ensure that the correct courses, as prescribed by DMH, are taken (courses are subject to change without prior notice). No special dispensation will be given with regards to the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination for an individual who has either taken the wrong e-learning course(s) in preparation for this examination or who has taken a course(s) which has subsequently been discontinued, replaced or updated.

ii. Individuals registering under this provision must either be currently employed at a "state mental health system" program, as defined in Chapter One, or employment in a "state mental health system" program must be imminent (as evidenced by submission of a submitted employer letter of intent on the DMH-prescribed form for this purpose). Furthermore, individuals who register under this provision due to imminent "state mental health system" employment and who then successfully complete the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination under this provision must actually be employed in the "state mental health system" at the time of CMHT application submission.

iii. Individuals registering under this provision who are not PCMHTs but who are registering for the examination in anticipation of entering the DMH Mental Health Therapist program directly at the CMHT level should be reasonably assured that they meet all other requirements for full certification (CMHT), as indicated above and as outlined in this chapter.

iv. Individuals registering under this provision who successfully complete the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination but who do not meet all other requirements for CMHT will not be awarded the CMHT credential; associated fees will not be refunded. In this instance, an individual may then submit an application for provisional certification (provided that he/she meets the requirements to hold provisional certification as outlined in this chapter). An individual in this situation who applies for and earns the PCMHT credential must take and pass the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination as a PCMHT in order to upgrade to CMHT (the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination that the individual previously successfully completed in anticipation of applying directly for CMHT will not be counted towards fulfilling the Examination Requirement for CMHT in this particular instance.)

v. Any individual who determines that he/she needs to hold a DMH Mental Health Therapist credential while waiting to take the examination in anticipation of entering the DMH Mental Health Therapist program directly at the CMHT level should, instead, apply for provisional certification (provided that he/she meets the requirements to hold provisional certification as outlined in this chapter).

vi. Examination registration under this provision will only be accepted by submission of a completed examination registration form and the corresponding examination fee, accompanied by either:

1) a completed Verification of Employment Form (for individuals who are currently employed in the state mental health system) or

2) an employer letter of intent (on the DMH-prescribed form for this purpose) for individuals for whom state mental health system employment is deemed imminent.

vii. Individuals registering under this provision who are not PCMHTs but are registering for the examination in anticipation of entering the DMH Mental Health Therapist program directly at the CMHT level are allowed one opportunity to take and pass the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination prior to CMHT application submission. An examinee under this provision who does not pass the examination on the first attempt will be required to submit an application for PCMHT in order to continue pursuing credentialing in the DMH Mental Health Therapist program.

viii. In order to be accepted to fulfill the Examination Requirement for CMHT, an examination taken under this provision must have been successfully completed within six (6) months of the date of receipt of the initial CMHT application, as determined by the Division's records.

ix. Individuals who previously held provisional certification (PCMHT) and allowed it to expire prior to upgrade to full certification (CMHT) and who later decide to reapply for provisional certification may not utilize this provision to request that a previously-taken examination apply towards the Examination Requirement for upgrade on the newly-obtained provisional credential.

x. The Division reserves the right to refuse registration under this provision.

6. The examination will be offered on a schedule as determined by DMH. The examination schedule will be made available on the agency (DMH) website.

7. At the time of provisional certification award, individuals will receive general information on the web-based training component as well as information on how to register for the web-based training component and the corresponding DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination. Web-based training component and examination registration information will also be maintained on the agency (DMH) website.

8. Registration for the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination is not open to the general public.

9. The examinee is responsible for registering for the examination (or reexamination, as applicable).

10. A completed examination registration includes receipt of the appropriate examination registration form and accompanying examination fee by the prescribed registration deadline. Individuals who are registering to take the examination prior to submitting a direct initial application for CMHT (i.e., skipping provisional certification application) must also submit (along with the examination registration form and accompanying examination fee) a completed Verification of Employment Form or employer letter of intent, as outlined above.

11. Examinees will comply with the rules and procedures of the registration and examination process, as prescribed by DMH.

12. Due to inclement weather or other unforeseen, emergency circumstances, the Division reserves the right to cancel scheduled examinations if necessary, although every reasonable effort will be made not to do so . In this event, examinees will be notified of the cancellation (and rescheduling) via email. In order to ensure that such notification is received, examinees should routinely check their email 24 hours prior to the scheduled examination date and time as well as the morning of the scheduled examination. If cancellation is necessary, the Division will reschedule the examination as soon as possible.

13. Due to unforeseen circumstances, an individual may need to reschedule an examination (or reexamination). In this instance, the individual must notify the Division of PLACE as soon as possible, prior to the onset of the examination (reexamination) administration.

14. Failure to attend an examination (or reexamination) for which an individual is registered (i.e., being an examination/reexamination "no show" without prior notice to the Division) will result in forfeiture of the examination/reexamination opportunity.

15. Failure to attend an examination (or reexamination) for which an individual is registered (i.e., being an examination/reexamination "no show" without prior notice to the Division) will result in forfeiture of the examination/reexamination fee.

16. Registration for the examination is accepted on a "first come, first served" basis, as space permits.

17. DMH prescribes appropriate, non-excessive examination (and reexamination) fees to cover administrative costs; these fees are covered in Chapter Seventeen and are subject to change without prior notice.

18. The examination is presented primarily in a multiple-choice format.

19. Proficiency for successful completion of the examination will be a passing score of at least seventy percent (70¢). (As examination updates/revisions occur, the designated proficiency level may be subject to change.)

20. Only a pass/fail score is reported to examinees. Pass/fail status may also be reported to the examinee's agency executive director and/or designated staff development officer(s) upon request.

21. As applicable, all examination materials are the property of DMH and/or the web-based training administrator. Examination materials will not be returned to the examinee, and the examinee is not permitted to leave the testing site with any examination materials. Violation of this provision will result in disciplinary action, up to and including loss of any held DMH professional credential and/or rejection of application for DMH professional credentialing.

22. PCMHTs are allowed up to four opportunities to pass the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination during their provisional certification period. A PCMHT may not sit for the examination more than four (4) times. If the examination is failed a fourth time, the PCMHT's credential is automatically defaulted.

23. Any individual who completes the web-based training component and/or the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination in a fraudulent manner will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including loss of any DMH professional credential held, and/or rejection of application for DMH professional credentialing.

E. Ethics Requirement

1. All applicants must read and abide by the DMH Principles of Ethical and Professional Conduct located in Chapter Eighteen.

2. It is the applicant's responsibility to read these principles before signing and submitting the application. The applicant should keep a reference copy.

3. Applicants must inform the Division of PLACE of any previous or pending disciplinary action against them by any professional credentialing body or association. Applicants who have had any past or currently held DMH professional credential or any other professional credential be the subject of any disciplinary action must notify the Division of PLACE during the application process. At a minimum, this notification must be provided in the appropriate space on the application form. DMH may delay action on the application until the matter has been resolved and verified to the satisfaction of DMH and/or the PLACE Review Board.

F. Criminal Background Checks

1. As part of the application process, the Division of PLACE ensures that state mental health system employers have conducted criminal records background checks on individuals applying for DMH professional credentials.

2. No one will be credentialed without proof of criminal background checks.

Section 41-4-7 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated

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