Current through December 26, 2024
11.3.1
Qualifications of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associates
and Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors
In addition to the requirements of R.I. Gen. Laws §
5-63.2-9, an applicant for
licensure shall submit to the Board written evidence on forms furnished by the
Department that said applicant has followed an approved pathway for
licensure.
11.3.2
Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate
A. A license as a "clinical mental health
counselor associate" shall be issued to an applicant who meets the following
qualifications:
1. Has completed the following
degree requirements:
a. Has received a
master's or higher level degree from a program accredited by CACREP; or an
equivalent accrediting agency approved by both the board and by the cognizable
national or regional certifying authority OR
b. Has received a master's degree or
certificate in advanced graduate studies or a doctoral degree in mental health
counseling from a recognized educational institution, or a graduate degree in
an allied field from a recognized educational institution and a graduate level
course work that is equivalent to a master's degree in mental health
counseling. Coursework must include the required components of the Core
Curriculum as indicated in §11.5.1 of this Part AND
c. Has completed sixty (60) semester credit
hours or ninety (90) quarter hours within their graduate counseling/therapy
program or post graduate program. The sixty (60) semester credit hours or
ninety (90) quarter hours must be received prior to beginning post graduate
experience and supervised case work hours.
2. Has completed the following educational
practicum and internship requirements:
a.
Completed requisite CACREP expectations for internship and practicum;
OR
b. Twelve (12) semester credit
hours or eighteen (18) quarter hours of supervised practicum and a minimum of
one (1) calendar year of supervised internship consisting of twenty (20) hours
per week deemed equivalent by the Board but in no case less than six hundred
(600) hours.
11.3.3
Clinical Mental Health
Counselor
A. A license as a "clinical
mental health counselor" shall be issued to an applicant who has met the
qualifications of a clinical mental health counselor associate as above and
also meets the following qualifications:
2. Has
completed a minimum of two (2) years of relevant postgraduate experience,
including at least two thousand (2,000) hours of direct client contact offering
clinical or counseling or therapy services with emphasis in mental health
counseling subsequent to being awarded a master's degree, certificate of
advanced graduate study, or doctorate;
3. Has a minimum of one hundred (100) hours
of post-degree supervised case work spread over a two-year (2) period;
provided, that the supervision was provided by a person who, at the time of
rendering the supervision, was recognized by the board as an approved
supervisor;
4. Successfully
completes the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination of the
National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) or other examination approved by
the Board to determine the applicant's qualification for licensure as a
clinical mental health counselor or is applying for licensure under the
provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws §
5-63.2-15.
B. An approved supervisor has completed post
graduate experience and supervised case work hours as required in R.I. Gen.
Laws §
5-63.2-9 by a person who at the
time of rendering the supervision is recognized by the Board as an approved
supervisor under the following requirements:
1. Must be a licensed clinical mental health
counselor, a licensed psychiatrist, a licensed psychologist, a licensed
marriage and family therapist, or a licensed independent clinical social
worker, who has been licensed in good standing for at least five (5) years and
has at least five (5) years of clinical experience as a licensee AND:
2. Has successfully completed one graduate
course in supervision in counseling, taken at an institution of higher learning
OR
3. Is approved by the National
Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination of the National Board of Certified
Counselors (NBCC) as a certified supervisor; OR
4. Has at least two (2) years' experience
supervising clinical staff in a mental health setting
11.3.4
Qualifications of
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associates and Licensed Marriage and
Family Therapists
In addition to the requirements of R.I. Gen. Laws §
5-63.2-10, an applicant for
licensure shall submit to the Board written evidence on forms furnished by the
Department that said applicant.
11.3.5
Marriage and Family Therapist
Associate
A. A license as a "marriage
and family therapist associate" shall be issued to an applicant who meets the
following qualifications:
2. Has completed the
following degree requirements:
a. Has
completed a master's degree or certificate in advanced graduate studies or
doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a recognized educational
institution, or a graduate degree in an allied field from a recognized
educational institution and graduate level course work that is equivalent to a
master's degree in marriage and family therapy and must include the required
components of the Core Curriculum as indicated in §11.5.2 of this Part
AND
b. Has completed sixty (60)
semester credit hours or ninety (90) quarter hours within their graduate degree
or post-graduate degree program specializing in marital and family
therapy.
3. Has
completed the following educational practicum and internship requirements:
a. Has completed a minimum of twelve (12)
semester credit hours or eighteen (18) quarter hours of supervised practicum
AND
b. Has completed a one (1)
calendar year of supervised internship consisting of twenty (20) hours per week
deemed equivalent by the Board.
11.3.6
Marriage and Family
Therapist
A. A license as a "marriage
and family therapist" shall be issued to an applicant who has met the
qualifications of a marriage and family therapist associate as above and also
meets the following qualifications:
1. Has
had a minimum of two (2) years of relevant postgraduate experience, including
at least two thousand (2,000) hours of direct client contact offering clinical
or counseling or therapy services with emphasis in marriage and family therapy
subsequent to being awarded a master's degree or doctorate; and
2. Has had a minimum of one hundred (100)
hours of post-degree supervised case work spread over two years (2); provided,
that the supervision was provided by a person who, at the time of rendering the
supervision, was recognized by the board as an approved supervisor;
and
3. Has passed to the
satisfaction of the board an examination conducted by it to determine the
applicant's qualifications for licensure as a marriage and family therapist or
is applying for licensure under the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws §
5-63.2-15.
4. Successfully completes the Association of
Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) or other examination
approved by the Board to determine the applicant's qualification for licensure
as a marriage and family therapist or is applying for licensure under the
provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws §
5-63.2-15.
B. An approved supervisor has completed post
graduate experience and supervised case work hours as required in R.I. Gen.
Laws §
5-63.2-10 by a person who at the
time of rendering the supervision is recognized by the Board as an approved
supervisor under the following requirements:
1. Is duly certified as a supervisor by the
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT); OR
2. Is a licensed marriage and family
therapist who has been licensed in good standing for at least five (5) years
and has at least five (5) years of clinical experience as a licensee;
AND
3. Has successfully completed
one graduate-level course in MFT supervision; OR
4. Has successfully completed one (1) MFT
supervision course taken through the American Association for Marriage and
Family Therapy (AAMFT)/Rhode Island Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
(RIAMFT).
11.3.7
Application for Licensure and
Fees
A. Application for license to
practice as a clinical mental health counselor or a marriage and family
therapist shall be made on forms provided by the Department, which shall be
completed and submitted to the Board thirty (30) days prior to the scheduled
date of the Board meeting at which they are to be reviewed.
B. Such application shall be accompanied by
the following:
A non-refundable application fee as set forth in the rules
and regulations Pertaining to the Fee Structure for Licensing, Laboratory and
Administrative Services Provided by the Department of Health (216-RICR-
10-05-2). In no case shall said fee be returned. Applicants requiring
reexamination shall submit a fee as set forth in 216-RICR- 10-05-2 for each
reexamination.
11.3.8
Examination of Applicants
Examination requirements are stated in R.I. Gen. Laws
§
5-63.2-14.
11.3.9
Endorsement for Licensure
In addition to the requirements in R.I. Gen. Laws §
5-63.2-15, an applicant who is a
licensed clinical mental health counselor in another state whose qualifying
degree is awarded by a CACREP accredited program in clinical mental health
counseling totaling sixty (60) or more semester hours shall be considered
equivalent to the requirement established pursuant to the Act.
11.3.10
Expiration and
Renewal of License
A. Licensed
clinical mental health counselor or licensed marriage and family therapists
shall abide by all expiration and renewal of licensure requirements in R.I.
Gen. Laws §
5-63.2-17.
B. Every clinical mental health counselor and
marriage and family therapist who desires to continue licensure as a licensed
clinical mental health counselor or licensed marriage and family therapist
shall attest to the Department that the licensed clinical mental health
counselor or licensed marriage and family therapist has completed a prescribed
course of continuing education in accordance with the requirements of
§11.3.12 of this Part.
C.
Licenses for Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associates and Marriage and
Family Therapist Associates shall expire three (3) years from the date of
issuance. However, for good cause shown, a one (1) year extension of the
Associate license may be granted to complete all postgraduate requirements, as
approved by the Board in its discretion.
11.3.11
Transfer to Inactive Lists -
Reinstatement
A licensed clinical mental health counselor and/or
licensed marriage and family therapist whose name has been transferred to the
inactive list pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §
5-63.2-19 who wishes to be
reinstated must, in addition to the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws §
5-63.2-19, submit an application
and fees to the Department, attesting to the completion of the continuing
education requirements in accordance with §11.3.12 of this Part within the
immediate two (2) years prior to the applicant's request for licensure
reactivation, unless the license has been suspended or
revoked.
11.3.12
Continuing Education Requirements
A. The application for license renewal shall
include satisfactory evidence of completion of forty (40) credits of continuing
education relevant to the practice of clinical mental health counseling or
marriage and family therapy practice, completed over the two (2) year period
preceding re-licensure. Furthermore, a minimum of twenty (20) of the forty (40)
credits of continuing education shall be completed within Category 1 of
§11.3.12(C) of this Part.
B.
Continuing education programs sponsored or approved by the following
organizations are deemed to be approved by the Board: American Counseling
Association (ACA), American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA),
National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. (NBCC),
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), Rhode Island
Mental Health Counselors Association (RIMHCA), Rhode Island Counseling
Association (RICA), Rhode Island Association for Marriage and Family Therapist
(RIAMFT), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), American Psychological
Association (APA), American Medical Association (AMA) or such other
nationally-recognized organizations, as approved by the Board.
C. Categories of Continuing Education
Programs and Credits:
1. The Board recognizes
the following categories of continuing education programs and/or activities and
established credit hours.
|
Category I: Formal continuing education program
that may consist of graduate or post-graduate courses, workshops, and/or
institutes, including web-based offerings.
|
Credit: 1 credit per hour; minimum twenty (20)
credits per two (2) year cycle.
|
|
Category II: Exceptional contributions to
professional development that may consist of: a written publication in a
peer-reviewed journal, teaching a relevant, semester-long course in an
accredited institution, serving as an elected officer on national or
international organizations (e.g., ACA, NBCC, AAMFT). Participation by duly
appointed members of the Board in regular Board meetings and investigating
committee meetings shall be considered acceptable on an hours served basis for
Category II credit.
|
Credit: ten (10) credits for each publication or
formal lecture twenty (20) credits for national or international
contribution.
|
D. An extension of time to complete the
continuing education requirements may be granted to a clinical mental health
counselor or marriage and family therapist solely at the discretion of the
Board for reasons of hardship or other extenuating circumstances.
E. It shall be the sole responsibility of the
individual clinical mental health counselor or marriage and family therapist to
obtain documentation from the approved sponsoring or co-sponsoring
organization, agency, or institution of his/her participation in a continuing
education program and/or activity that shall include no less than the date,
time, subject matter, name of lecturer or teacher, or such other data, and the
number of credits earned. Those documents shall be retained by each licensee
for no less than four (4) years (i.e., from the date of license renewal) and
are subject to random audit by the Department.
F. A license shall be denied to any applicant
who fails to provide satisfactory evidence of continuing education relevant to
counseling/family studies as required in this Part.
G. Clinical mental health counselors or
marriage and family therapists initially licensed by examination after the July
1st renewal date shall be exempt from the continuing education requirements
stated herein until the date of the next renewal cycle (i.e., June 30th of the
next even-numbered year).
H. A
clinical mental health counselor or marriage and family therapist whose license
has been revoked for failing to satisfy the continuing education requirements
of this Part shall be required to complete such additional continuing education
credits as may be required by the Board for the preceding two (2) year
cycle.
I. Failure to comply with
any provisions of this section shall be subject to the sanctions set forth in
the Act.
11.3.13
Privileged Communications
The provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws Chapters 9-17 and 5-37.3,
shall apply to persons licensed pursuant to the Act and the rules and
regulations herein.
