Mississippi Administrative Code
Title 24 - Mental Health
Part 4 - DMH Addictions Therapist Standards & Requirements
Chapter Three - Certification Requirements
Current through March 14, 2024
PROVISIONALLY CERTIFIED ADDICTIONS THERAPIST REQUIREMENTS
PCAT:
In order to be eligible to apply for the DMH Provisionally Certified Addictions Therapist credential (PCAT), an individual must meet ALL of the requirements listed below:
* Employment Requirement;
* Education Requirement;
* Ethics Requirement; AND,
* Criminal Background Checks Requirement.
The Employment, Education, Ethics and Criminal Background Checks requirements are outlined in the "Certification Requirements - Categories & Descriptions" section of this chapter.
PCAT UPGRADE REQUIREMENTS
Once an individual is awarded the DMH Provisionally Certified Addictions Therapist credential (PCAT), he/she must complete the following two (2) requirements in order to upgrade to full certification as a CAT:
* Experience Requirement; AND,
* Exam/Training Requirement.
The Experience and Exam/Training; requirements are outlined in the "Certification Requirements - Categories & Descriptions" section of this chapter.
A PCAT must complete these upgrade requirements by the end of his/her two-year Provisional Certification Period.
PCAT upgrade timelines are covered in Chapter Six.
CERTIFIED ADDICTIONS THERAPIST REQUIREMENTS
NOTICE;
Individuals initially meeting the requirements for CAT, as outlined in this chapter, should apply directly for this level of credential, thereby skipping provisional certification (PCAT). Otherwise, an individual applies for PCAT and then later, once upgrade requirements are met, applies for CAT.
CAT:
In order to be eligible to apply for the DMH Certified Addictions Therapist credential (CAT), an individual must meet ALL of the requirements listed below:
* Employment Requirement;
* Education Requirement;
* Ethics Requirement;
* Criminal Background Checks Requirement;
* Experience Requirement; AND,
* Exam/Training Requirement.
The Employment, Education, Ethics, Criminal Background Checks, Experience and Exam/Training requirements are outlined in the "Certification Requirements - Categories & Descriptions" section of this chapter.
CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS - CATEGORIES & DESCRIPTIONS
Employment Requirement
* The applicant must be currently employed at a Mississippi "state mental health system" program.
* Initial applicants must have responsibility for providing (or supervising the provision of) services to individuals with alcohol and/or other drug abuse problems/addictions. (Employment in the field of alcohol and other drug abuse prevention services does not satisfy this employment requirement.) Upgrade applicants are exempt from this specific employment requirement.
* Employment refers to paid, not volunteer, work.
Education Requirement
* The applicant must have a doctorate/doctoral-level degree from an approved educational institution.
OR
* The applicant must have at least a Master's degree in an addictions-, mental health-, or human services/behavioral health-related field from an approved educational institution. The Master's degree must be comprised of at least 30 semester hours or its equivalent.
For the applicants applying under the "at least a Master's degree" provision above, the following degree types are considered appropriate for the DMH Addictions Therapist credential: Addiction Counseling, Addiction Studies, Sociology with an emphasis in Addictions, Counseling/Guidance, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Pastoral Ministries with an emphasis in Counseling or Addictions, Psychology, Social Science, Health Science, Health Care Administration, Behavioral Science, Family and Consumer Studies, Child and Family Studies, Psychiatric Nursing, Nursing, Psychometry, Rehabilitative Services/Vocational Rehabilitation, Sociology, Criminal Justice, Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Addictions, and other addictions-, mental health-, or human services/behavioral health-related fields, at the discretion of and as determined by the PLACE Review Board.
For the "at least a Master's degree" applicants with atypical degrees: If the applicant's Master's degree type is not listed above, successful completion of at least five (5) graduate-level courses from the following areas will be considered: counseling and assessment, co-occurring disorders, alcohol and drug abuse counseling, group dynamics, theories of counseling, sociology of addictive behavior, treatment of addictive behavior, professional treatment skills, physiology and pharmacology of addictions, psychology, guidance/counseling, addiction studies, assessment techniques, chemical dependency studies, abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, child and/or adolescent psychology, human behavior, professional ethics, cultural sensitivity, multicultural counseling, helping relationships, marriage and family therapy, diagnosis and treatment, personality dynamics, psychopharmacology, behavior modification, social work, rehabilitative services/vocational rehabilitation, individual/family/group counseling, behavioral science, and child and family studies. (Other addictions-, mental health-, or human services/behavioral health-related courses may also be counted, at the discretion of the PLACE Review Board.)
All or part of these graduate-level courses may either be completed as part of the graduate degree program of study or completed outside of (as add-on courses to) the graduate degree program of study (i.e., without earning an additional degree). The requirement to hold a Master's degree is not waived. Courses under this provision must be graduate-level courses; must be at least three (3) semester hours (or the equivalent); and, must have been successfully completed (i.e., a passing score was earned). Courses completed by applicants which are not part of the graduate degree program of study will be evaluated during application review to determine applicability; only degrees/courses completed at an approved educational institution are considered.
* 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.
If you are applying to upgrade from PC AT to CAT, a new transcript is not necessary. However, if you are applying directly for CAT, skipping PCAT, an official transcript is required as part of the application process.
Experience Requirement
This requirement is only applicable to individuals applying lor full certification - CAT.
* There is no work experience requirement to apply for provisional certification.
* For individuals applying for full certification (CAT), a minimum of two full years (24 months or its full-time equivalent) of supervised work experience in the field of alcohol and other drug abuse *prevention/treatment services is required. This experience may either be the provision or supervision of alcohol and other drug abuse *prevention/treatment services.
* While the DMH Addictions Therapist credentialing program is not designed for initial applicants currently employed in the field of alcohol and other drug abuse prevention services (refer to "Employment Requirement" in this chapter), alcohol and other drug abuse prevention experience fin addition to treatment experience) is creditable towards meeting all or part of the work experience requirement for this credential; alcohol and other drug abuse prevention services is considered part of the entire continuum of alcohol and other drug abuse treatment services.
* Graduate-level internships completed as part of a behavioral health-related graduate degree program of study AND verified by a "Qualified Supervisor," as outlined in this chapter, may be counted to satisfy up to six (6) months of the two-year work experience requirement.
* 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.
* 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.
* Employment refers to paid, not volunteer work.
* All submitted work experience must be verified by a "Qualified Supervisor" (as outlined below),
* A "Qualified Supervisor" is defined as an individual who provides supervision over the applicant's submitted work experience AND who meets at least one (1) of the following criteria:
1) Holds either the DMH Certified Addictions Therapist (CAT) or DMH Licensed Clinical Addictions Therapist (LCAT) credential in good standing;
OR
2) Holds a current professional license as an independent practitioner in a behavioral health discipline and/or with experience in the behavioral health field; for more information on professional license types acceptable under this provision, refer to the "Independent Practitioner, Behavioral Health" definition in the "Glossary" section of this document. A Qualified Supervisor verifying work experience under this option must provide a copy of his/her current license with the applicant's submitted work experience, as prescribed in the application process. (Qualified Supervisors utilizing this option who verify applicant work experience on repeated occasions may elect to have a copy of their current license on file with the Division of PLACE.)
* All submitted work experience must be submitted on the appropriate form prescribed by the Division as part of the application packet.
Exam/Training Requirement
This requirement is only applicable to individuals applying for full certification - CAT.
* Successful completion of a DMH Addictions Therapist web-based training component, as prescribed by DMH.
* The web-based training component is a customized collection of e-learning courses (and corresponding exams) designed to address basic knowledge and practical information pertinent to an addictions therapist in the state mental heath system. DMH establishes the specific content.
* Course selections are subject to periodic update without prior notice.
* At the time of provisional certification (PCAT) award, individuals will receive general information on the DMH Addictions Therapist web-based training component as well as registration information.
* Applicants may complete the DMH Addictions Therapist web-based training component (i.e., Exam/Training Requirement) prior to initial application as long as: 1) the correct courses, as prescribed by DMH, are taken (courses are subject to change without prior notice); 2) all courses are successfully completed; 3) the appropriate documentation, as prescribed by the Division, is submitted with the initial application to illustrate successful completion; and, 4) the courses were completed within two (2) years from the date of receipt of the initial application, as determined by the Division's records.
* Participants will comply with the rules of the web-based training process, as prescribed by the web-based training administrator.
* DMH may prescribe appropriate, non-excessive fees for the web-based training to cover administrative costs; these fees are subject to change without prior notice.
* Proficiency for successful completion will be a passing score (as prescribed by the web-based training administrator) for each individual exam in the customized collection of courses.
* Individuals who complete the DMH Addictions Therapist web-based training component through a venue other than DMH may be able to count it to satisfy the CAT Exam/Training requirement as long as: 1) the correct courses, as prescribed by DMH, are taken (courses are subject to change without prior notice); 2) all courses are successfully completed; 3) the appropriate documentation, as prescribed by the Division, is submitted to illustrate successful completion; and, 4) the courses were completed within the appropriate time frame, as prescribed by DMH; this situation will be handled on a case-by-case basis and is subject to Review Board approval.
* Each individual completing the web-based training component, whether through DMH or an outside venue, will be required to submit documentation attesting to the fact that the entire web-based training component was completed by him/her. This documentation must illustrate successful completion of the entire web-based training component AND must be submitted in the appropriate format prescribed by the Division as part of the CAT application packet.
* Any individual holding a DMH professional credential who completes the web-based training component in a fraudulent manner will have their credential subject to disciplinary action, up to and including loss of any held DMH professional credential.
Ethics Requirement
All applicants must read and abide by the DMH Principles of Ethical and Professional Conduct located in Chapter Nine. It is the applicant's responsibility to read these principles before signing and submitting the application. The applicant should keep a reference copy.
Criminal Background Checks
As part of the application process, the Division of PLACE ensures that state mental health system employers have conducted background checks on individuals applying for DMH professional credentials. No one will be credentialed without proof of criminal background checks.
