Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 24 - Mental Health › Part 6 - Rules, Regulations and Application Guidelines for the Mental Health Therapist Program › Chapter 1 - General Provisions › Section 24-6-1-5 - Definitions

Current through June 25, 2024
A. Applicant: An individual who has submitted
				a complete application packet for either provisional certification,
				certification or licensure.
B.
				Approved Educational Institution: An institution offering a graduate degree,
				which is accredited by a regional accrediting body.
C. Board: The Mississippi State Board of
				Mental Health.
D. Certificant: An
				individual who holds full certification as a Certified Mental Health Therapist
				(CMHT).
E. Certificate: The issued
				document attesting to an individual's provisional certification, certification
				or licensure.
F.
				Certification/Licensure: Refers to the professional certification/licensure of
				an individual, not a program.
G.
				Certification/Licensure Period: The two-year period of time an individual holds
				either full certification or licensure. The dates of the two-year period are
				established by the Division of Professional Licensure and Certification. At the
				end of the Certification/ Licensure Period, each certificant and licensee is
				expected to renew. See Chapter 4, Section 6, C., pp. 27-28 and Chapter 5,
				Section 1, A., p. 29 for more information on the Certification /Licensure
				Period.
H. Certified Mental Health
				Therapist (CMHT): An individual who provides direct services to individuals
				with mental illness/emotional disturbance or who supervises the direct
				provision of such services and who meets all requirements for Certified Mental
				Health Therapist as defined by the certification process described in Chapter
				3, Section 3, pp. 10-11 and Chapter 4, Section 3, pp. 24-25.
I. Contact Hours: The unit of measurement
				that is used to designate participation in an educational/training program
				designed to increase the professional proficiency of an individual holding
				Department of Mental Health professional certification/licensure. One Contact
				Hour will consist of a minimum of 50 consecutive minutes.
J. Credential: A general term referring to
				professional certification or licensure of an individual.
K. Division: The Department of Mental Health
				Division of Professional Licensure and Certification.
L. DMH: The Mississippi State Department of
				Mental Health.
M. Examination: The
				written test which is given at the conclusion of each required Module. See
				Chapter 3, Section 6, E., p. 14 for more information on examinations.
N. Executive Director: The Executive Director
				of the Mississippi State Department of Mental Health.
O. Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist
				(LCMHT): An individual who provides direct services to individuals with mental
				illness/ emotional disturbance or who supervises the direct provision of such
				services and who meets all requirements for Licensed Clinical Mental Health
				Therapist as defined by the licensing process described in Chapter 3, Section
				4, pp. 11-12 and Chapter 4, Section 4, pp. 25-26.
P. Licensee: An individual who holds
				licensure as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist (LCMHT).
Q. Mental Health Core Training Program: A
				training program comprised of three (3) Modules which must be successfully
				completed during the maximum twenty-four (24) months of provisional
				certification (PCMHT). MH-CTP is the acronym used for the program. See Chapter
				3, Section 6, pp. 13-15 for more information on the MH-CTP.
R. Module: One (1) of three (3) training
				workshops comprising the Mental Health Core Training Program
				(MH-CTP).
S. Provisional
				Certificant: An individual who holds provisional certification as a
				Provisionally Certified Mental Health Therapist (PCMHT).
T. Provisional Certification Period: The
				period of time an individual holds provisional certification. This period
				begins on the day provisional certification was 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. See
				Chapter 3, Section 2, B. and E., pp. 8-10 for more information on the
				Provisional Certification Period.
U.
				Provisionally Certified Mental Health Therapist (PCMHT): An individual who
				provides direct services to individuals with mental illness/ emotional
				disturbance or who supervises the direct provision of such services and who
				meets all requirements for Provisionally Certified Mental Health Therapist as
				defined by the certification process described in Chapter 3, Section 2, pp.
				8-10 and Chapter 4, Section 2, pp. 23-24.
V. Review Board: The Professional Licensure
				and Certification Review Board.
W.
				Staff Development Officer: Professional employee of a program as described in
				Chapter 3, Section 1, C., p. 7 responsible for maintaining staff development
				records and verifying ongoing inservice/training for both initial and renewal
				applicants. SDO is the acronym used for this person. See Chapter 4, Section 1,
				H., pp. 22-23 and Chapter 5, Section 7, p. 35 for more information on the role
				of the SDO.
X. State Mental Health
				System: The network of programs within the State of Mississippi which receive
				funding or programmatic certification from the Mississippi Department of Mental
				Health. See Chapter 3, Section 1, C., p. 7 for a description of the state
				mental health system.
Y. Supervisor:
				A DMH certified/licensed professional or a DMH certification/
				licensure-eligible professional who directly oversees the work of an applicant
				for professional certification/licensure. See Chapter 3, Section 5, A., p. 12
				for more information on Supervisor qualifications.
Z. Upgrade: The concept of moving up from one
				level of professional credential to another within the DMH Mental Health
				Therapist Program. There are three (3) types of upgrade possible:
PCMHT to CMHT;
PCMHT to LCMHT; and,
CMHT to LCMHT.
In addition, upgrading is intended to streamline the
				  application process and eliminate unnecessary duplication of previously
				  submitted information. More information on upgrading can be found throughout
				  Chapter 3, pp. 7-18; Chapter 4, pp. 19-28 and Chapter 5, pp.
				  29-35.
AA. Upgrade Option:
				The choice made by a CMHT to submit an application to upgrade to LCMHT at the
				time of renewal rather than renew certification. Specific requirements and
				timelines are applicable to this choice. See Chapter 5, Section 1, E., p. 30
				for more information on the Upgrade Option.