Mississippi Administrative Code
Title 24 - Mental Health
Part 6 - Rules, Regulations and Application Guidelines for the Mental Health Therapist Program
Chapter 3 - Professional Certification and Licensure Requirements
Section 24-6-3-2 - Requirements for Provisionally Certified Mental Health Therapist (PCMHT)

(1) Provisional certification is primarily for those employees who have less than two years of experience in the field of mental health within the State of Mississippi. This applies equally to professionals new to the field of mental health and to experienced individuals from other states seeking employment in Mississippi. Provisional certification is also for those employees with two or more years of experience in the field of mental health within the State of Mississippi who did not obtain professional certification/licensure during the grandfathering period.

(2) The following professions may be included in this provisional certification: Psychology, Nursing, Counseling, Psychometry, Vocational Rehabilitation, Special Education and other related fields.

(1) Provisional certification is designed to allow an individual to be credentialed while pursuing full certification or licensure and is valid for up to two (2) years (twenty-four [24] consecutive months), during which time the individual shall complete all requirements to upgrade to either full certification (CMHT) or licensure (LCMHT). This maximum 24 month period is called the Provisional Certification Period.

(2) The Provisional Certification Period begins on the day provisional certification is issued and can last for a maximum of 24 consecutive months. By the end of the Provisional Certification Period, a provisional certificant is expected to apply for an upgrade.

(3) An individual may apply to upgrade his/her credential to either full certification (CMHT) or licensure (LCMHT) in less than twenty-four (24) consecutive months, but he/she must fully complete the requirements of the Provisional Certification Period. See Chapter 3, Section 2, E., pp. 9-10 for more information on the Provisional Certification Period.

(4) Provisional certification is not renewable. However, upon written request, the Review Board may grant an extension of provisional certification. See Chapter 3, Section 7, B., (2), p. 15 for more information on Extended status.

(1) Employment: Be employed in a program described in Chapter 3, Section 1, C., p. 7;

(2) Education: Have at least thirty (30) semester hours of applicable graduate-level course work from an approved educational institution which includes a minimum of a master's degree in mental health or a related field; and,

(3) Experience: There is no experience requirement to apply for provisional certification.

However, applicants for provisional certification who have applicable work experience may submit it as part of their application for provisional certification. Verification of Experience Forms submitted as part of an application packet for PCMHT will be processed and held in the individual's file until the individual applies to upgrade to full certification (CMHT) or licensure (LCMHT). See Chapter 3, Section 2, E., (1), p. 9 for more information on experience expectations during the Provisional Certification Period.

(1) Experience Requirement: Work under the supervision of a qualified supervisor for two (2) years in the state of Mississippi.

The maximum two (2) years of experience in Mississippi obtained during the Provisional Certification Period will satisfy the entire experience requirement for full certification (CMHT). In addition, these two (2) years of experience in Mississippi may be applied to the total four (4) years of experience required for licensure (LCMHT).

If the individual submitted applicable work experience when applying for provisional certification, he/she only needs to complete the balance of applicable work experience necessary to total the required two (2) years for certification (CMHT) or four (4) years for licensure (LCMHT).

Applicable work experience gained during the Provisional Certification Period should be included in the upgrade application packet submitted when applying to upgrade to either CMHT or LCMHT. See Chapter 4, Section 1, and E. and F., pp. 20-21 for more information on reporting experience. See Chapter 4, Section 3 and Section 4, pp.24-26 for more information on submitting an upgrade application.

(2) Ongoing Inservice/Training Requirement: Accrue a minimum of thirty (30) Contact Hours of successfully completed inservice/training (approximately fifteen [15] Contact Hours per year) as verified by the program's designated Staff Development Officer.

These Contact Hours may be accrued through staff development training provided through the individual's place of employment (including DMH- required training as indicated in the Minimum Standards for Community Mental Health/Mental Retardation Services), DMH-sponsored training opportunities (with the exception of the MH-CTP Modules in (3) below), or conferences/ workshops/CEUs/ etc., approved by the Division.

Priorities for training should be sessions required for programmatic compliance with DMH Minimum Standards and DMH-sponsored training events related to the provision of services to individuals with mental illness/emotional disturbance.

Contact Hours of inservice/ training accrued during the Provisional Certification Period should be included in the upgrade application packet submitted when applying to upgrade to either CMHT or LCMHT. See Chapter 4, Section 1, G. and H., pp. 21-23 for more information on reporting inservice/ training. See Chapter 4, Section 3 and Section 4, pp. 24-26 for more information on submitting an upgrade application.

(3) Mental Health Core Training Program (MH-CTP) Requirement: Successfully complete all three (3) Modules of the MH-CTP. The MH-CTP consists of three (3) training workshops and corresponding written examinations developed by/ under the direction of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health for the purpose of providing all Mental Health Therapists statewide with the same foundation of knowledge. Please see Chapter 3, Section 6, pp. 13-15 for more information on the MH-CTP and written examinations. See Chapter 4, Section 1, I., p. 23 for more information on reporting participation in the MH-CTP. See Chapter 6, Section 1, pp. 36-37 and Section 3, p. 37 for information on related fees.

(4) An individual who fails to complete all requirements during the Provisional Certification Period will be considered to have Defaulted. See Chapter 3, Section 7, B., (3), pp. 15-16 for more information on Defaulted status.