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 18 - Professional Responsibilities › Rule 24-3-18.14 - DMH Principles of Ethical and Professional Conduct

Current through June 25, 2024
All applicants and individuals holding a DMH professional
				  credential shall read and adhere to ethical standards/principles as established
				  by the PLACE Review Board and the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.
A. Introduction
1. The State Legislature granted Statutory
				Authority for Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) professional
				credentialing programs in 1996. As a result, the Division of Professional
				Licensure and Certification (PLACE) was a DMH division created to develop and
				implement the programs. Having been amended by the State Legislature in 1997,
				Section
				41-4-7
				of the Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated currently includes a provision
				authorizing the Mississippi State Board of Mental Health to certify/license
				case managers [i.e., community support specialists], mental health therapists,
				intellectual and developmental disabilities therapists, mental
				health/intellectual and developmental disabilities program administrators,
				addiction counselors [i.e., addictions therapists] and others as deemed
				appropriate by the Mississippi State Board of Mental Health.
2. The Mississippi Department of Mental
				Health (DMH) Division of Professional Licensure and Certification (PLACE)
				Review Board serves as the governing body for the everyday professional conduct
				of DMH-credentialed individuals. Individuals credentialed through DMH may
				identify with different professional associations and are often certified or
				licensed by other groups with promulgated codes of ethics.
3. The safety, health, welfare and best
				interest of the individuals and families receiving services, and the public at
				large, are the primary guiding principles for appropriate professional conduct
				of all individuals holding a DMH professional credential.
4. Applicants and individuals holding a DMH
				professional credential are required to read and adhere to all parts of the DMH
				Principles of Ethical and Professional Conduct listed below, with the exception
				of any parts superseded by federal or state law, policy, or rules and
				regulations adopted by the Mississippi State Board of Mental Health,
				Mississippi Department of Mental Health and/or the Mississippi Department of
				Mental Health Professional Licensure and Certification (PLACE) Review Board.
Applicants and individuals holding a DMH professional
				  credential are also required to read and maintain familiarity with the
				  corresponding "Grounds for Disciplinary Action" in the following chapter. Lack
				  of knowledge or unfamiliarity with these ethical principles and the
				  corresponding "Grounds for Disciplinary Action" is not a defense against an
				  allegation of unethical conduct.
5. Applicable federal and state laws, these
				principles, the DMH Operational Standards for Mental Health,
				Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Disorders Community
				Service Providers (as applicable), agency/program policies and any other
				pertinent rules and regulations must be observed when conducting business as a
				DMH-credentialed professional. Alleged violations of the principles may be
				subject to disciplinary action if the PLACE Review Board finds that a person is
				guilty of any violation of the principles and/or corresponding "Grounds for
				Disciplinary Action." Information on disciplinary action is covered in Chapter
				Nineteen.
6. The DMH Principles of
				Ethical and Professional Conduct herein referred to as "the principles,"
				provide a minimal ethical standard for the professional behavior of individuals
				credentialed through DMH. The principles provide a level of expectation for
				ethical practice from all who hold a DMH credential. In addition, the
				principles provide an enforceable standard for all DMH-credentialed individuals
				and, in conjunction with the corresponding "Grounds for Disciplinary Action,"
				facilitate an avenue of recourse in the case of an ethical violation. The
				absence of an exact reference to a specific behavior or situation among these
				principles and corresponding "Grounds for Disciplinary Action" does not mean
				that the behavior or situation is either ethical or unethical. Rather, these
				ethical principles and corresponding "Grounds for Disciplinary Action" are not
				exhaustive in nature. Individuals uncertain about whether or not a certain
				course of action is ethical should seek guidance and assistance from
				supervisors, colleagues, legal counsel, appropriate regulatory bodies, or other
				appropriate authorities prior to the onset of such action. Both laws and ethics
				govern the actions of DMH-credentialed individuals. When making decisions
				regarding professional behavior, DMH-credentialed individuals must consider all
				applicable laws and regulations.
7.
				While the principles cannot guarantee ethical practice by all DMH-credentialed
				individuals or resolve all issues, the intent of the principles is to provide
				guidelines for individuals who, in good faith, seek to make reliable ethical
				judgments. Seven general principles of ethical and professional conduct follow.