Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 24 - Mental Health › Part 2 - Operational Standards for Mental Health, Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Community Service Providers › Chapter 22 - Outpatient Therapy Services › Rule 24-2-22.1 - Psychotherapeutic Services

Current through June 25, 2024
A. Outpatient
				Psychotherapeutic Services include initial assessment and individual, family,
				group, and multi-family group therapies. Outpatient Psychotherapeutic Services
				are defined as intentional, face-to-face interactions (conversations or
				non-verbal encounters, such as play therapy) between a Mental Health Therapist,
				IDD Therapist or Addictions Therapist (as appropriate to the population being
				served) and a person, family or group where a therapeutic relationship is
				established to help resolve symptoms of a mental and/or emotional
				disturbance.
B. Individual Therapy
				is defined as one-on-one (1:1) psychotherapy that takes place between a Mental
				Health Therapist and the person receiving services.
C. Family Therapy shall consist of
				psychotherapy that takes place between a Mental Health Therapist and a person's
				family member(s) with or without the presence of the person. Family Therapy may
				also include others (MS Department of Child Protection Services personnel,
				foster family members, etc.) with whom the person lives or has a family-like
				relationship. This service includes family psychotherapy and psychoeducation
				provided by a Mental Health Therapist.
D. Group Therapy shall consist of
				psychotherapy that takes place between a Mental Health Therapist and at least
				two (2) but no more than ten (10) children or at least two (2) but not more
				than twelve (12) adults at the same time. Possibilities include, but are not
				limited to, groups that focus on relaxation training, anger management and/or
				conflict resolution, social skills training, and self-esteem
				enhancement.
E. Multi-Family Group
				Therapy shall consist of psychotherapy that takes place between a Mental Health
				Therapist and family members of at least two (2) different people receiving
				services, with or without the presence of the person, directed toward the
				reduction/resolution of identified mental health problems so that the person
				and/or their families may function more independently and competently in daily
				life. This service includes psychoeducational and family-to-family
				training.
F. Outpatient
				Psychotherapeutic Services must be available and accessible at appropriate
				times and places to meet the needs of the population to be served. The provider
				must establish a regular schedule, with a minimum of three (3) hours weekly for
				the provision of Outpatient Psychotherapeutic Services during evenings and/or
				weekends.
G. Providers utilizing
				Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) or best practices in the provision of Outpatient
				Psychotherapeutic Services must show verification that employees utilizing
				those practices have completed appropriate training or independent study as
				recommended by the developers of the model/practice for the practices being
				utilized.
H. For DMH/C and DMH/P
				agency providers of Outpatient Psychotherapeutic Services for Children/Youth:
				Outpatient therapy services must be offered to each school district in the
				region served by the agency provider. If the school district does not accept
				the agency provider's offer to provide Outpatient Psychotherapeutic Services,
				written documentation of the denial (for the current school year) by the school
				district superintendent must be on file at the agency provider for review by
				DMH personnel.
I. There must be
				written policies and procedures for:
1.
				Admission;
2. Coordination with
				other services in which the person is enrolled;
3. Follow-up designed to minimize dropouts
				and maximize treatment compliance;
4. Therapist assignments;
5. Referral to other appropriate services as
				needed; and,
6. Discharge planning.