Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 24 - Mental Health › Part 4 - DMH Addictions Therapist Standards & Requirements › Chapter Three - Certification Requirements

Current through June 25, 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.