38-2122. Mental health practitioner; qualifications.

A person shall be qualified to be a licensed mental health practitioner if he or she:

(1) Has received a master's degree, a doctoral degree, or the equivalent of a master's degree, as determined by the board, that consists of course work and training which was primarily therapeutic mental health in content and included a practicum or internship and was from an approved educational program. Practicums or internships completed after September 1, 1995, must include a minimum of three hundred clock hours of direct client contact under the supervision of a qualified physician, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed mental health practitioner;

(2) Has successfully completed three thousand hours of supervised experience in mental health practice of which fifteen hundred hours were in direct client contact in a setting where mental health services were being offered and the remaining fifteen hundred hours included, but were not limited to, review of client records, case conferences, direct observation, and video observation. For purposes of this subdivision, supervised means monitored by a qualified physician, a licensed clinical psychologist, or a certified master social worker, certified professional counselor, or marriage and family therapist qualified for certification on September 1, 1994, for any hours completed before such date or by a qualified physician, a psychologist licensed to engage in the practice of psychology, or a licensed mental health practitioner for any hours completed after such date, including evaluative face-to-face contact for a minimum of one hour per week. Such three thousand hours shall be accumulated after completion of the master's degree, doctoral degree, or equivalent of the master's degree; and

(3) Has satisfactorily passed an examination approved by the board. An individual who by reason of educational background is eligible for certification as a certified master social worker, a certified professional counselor, or a certified marriage and family therapist shall take and pass a certification examination approved by the board before becoming licensed as a mental health practitioner.

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