General MHCP Non-Enrollable Mental Health Provider Requirements

Revised: October 27, 2022

The following types of individual providers may be authorized to provide mental health services in specialty-specific service settings:

· Mental Health Practitioners

· Clinical Trainees

· Certified Rehabilitation Specialist

· Mental Health Certified Peer Specialists

· Mental Health Certified Family Peer specialists

· Mental Health Rehabilitation Workers

· Mental Health Behavioral Aides

· Mental Health Case Managers

Mental Health Practitioners

Mental health practitioners are people who provide services to adults with mental illness or children with emotional disturbance. Mental health practitioners are not eligible to enroll with Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP); they must be under treatment supervision of a mental health professional and qualified in at least one of the ways described in paragraphs (A) to (D):

(A) Practitioner is qualified through relevant coursework by completing at least 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours in Behavioral Sciences or related fields and:

· Has at least 2,000 hours of supervised experience in the delivery of services to adults or children with:

· Mental illness, substance use disorder,

· Traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities and completes 30 hours of additional training on mental illness, recovery and resiliency, mental health de-escalation techniques, co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, and psychotropic medications and side effects; or

· Is fluent in the non-English language of the ethnic group to which at least 50 percent of the practitioner's clients belong, and completes 30 hours of additional training on mental illness, recovery and resiliency, mental health de-escalation techniques, co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, and psychotropic medications and side effects; or

· Has completed a practicum or internship that required direct interaction with adults or children served, and was focused on behavioral sciences or related fields; or

· Is working in a MHCP-enrolled adult or children’s day treatment program.

(B) Practitioner is qualified through work experience if the practitioner has either:

· At least 4,000 hours of experience in the delivery of services to adults or children with:

· Mental illness, substance use disorder, or

· Traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities and completes 30 hours of additonal training on mental illness, recovery and resiliency, mental health de-escalation techniques, co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, and psychotropic medications and side effects;

· At least 2,000 hours of work experience and receives treatment supervision at least once per week until meeting the requirement of 4,000 hours in the delivery of services to adults or children with:

· Mental illness, or substance use disorder; or

· Traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities and completes 30 hours of additional training on mental illness, recovery and resiliency, mental health de-escalation techniques, co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, and psychotropic medications and side effects;

(C) Practitioner is qualified if they hold a master’s or other graduate degree in behavioral sciences or related fields.

(D) Practitioner is qualified as a vendor of medical care if the practitioner meets the definition of vendor of medical care in Minnesota Statutes, 256B.02, subdivision 7, paragraphs (b) and (c), and is serving a federally recognized tribe.

In addition to the above criteria:

· A mental health practitioner for a child member must have training working with children.

· A mental health practitioner for an adult member must have training working with adults.

Scope of practice
Mental health practitioners under treatment supervision of a mental health professional or certified rehabilitation specialists may provide an adult member with:

· Client education

· Rehabilitative mental health services

· Functional assessments

· Level of care assessments

· Treatment plans

Mental health practitioners under treatment supervision of a mental health professional may provide a child member with:

· Skill-building services

· Treatment plans

Mental health practitioners must not provide treatment supervision to other staff persons.

Mental health practitioners may provide crisis assessments and interventions according to Minnesota Statutes 256B.0624. 

Clinical Trainees

A clinical trainee must meet one of the following:

· Is enrolled in an accredited graduate program of study to prepare the staff person for independent licensure as a mental health professional and who is participating in a practicum or internship with the license holder through the individual's graduate program; or

· Has completed an accredited graduate program of study to prepare the staff person for independent licensure as a mental health professional and who is in compliance with the requirements of the applicable health-related licensing board, including requirements for supervised practice.

Scope of practice
Clinical trainees under treatment supervision of a mental health professional may provide a member with:

· Psychotherapy

· Client education

· Rehabilitative mental health services

· Diagnostic assessments

· Functional assessments

· Level of care assessments

· Treatment plans

Psychological clinical trainee’s under the treatment supervision of a psychologist may perform psychological testing.

Clinical trainee’s must not provide services that violate any practice act of a health-related licensing board, including failure to obtain licensure if licensure is required. A clinical trainee is responsible for notifying and applying to their health-related licensing board to ensure all requirements are met.

Clinical trainee’s must not provide treatment supervision to other staff persons.

Certified Rehabilitation Specialist

A certified rehabilitation specialists must have:

· Master's degree from an accredited college or university in behavioral sciences or related fields;

· Minimum of 4,000 hours post-master's supervised experience providing mental health services;

· National certification as a certified rehabilitation counselor or certified psychosocial rehabilitation practitioner

Scope of practice
Certified rehabilitation specialists may provide an adult member with:

· Client education

· Rehabilitative mental health services

· Funcitonal assesments

· Level of care assessments

· Treatment plans

Certified rehabilitation specialist’s may provide treatment supervision to a mental health certified peer specialist, mental health practitioner, and mental health rehabilitation worker.

Mental Health Certified Peer Specialist

A mental health certified peer specialist must:

· Have been diagnosed with a mental illness

· Be a current or former mental health services client

· Have a valid certification as a mental health certified peer specialist under Minnesota Statutes 256B.0615

Mental Health Certified Family Peer Specialist

A mental health certified family peer specialist must:

· Have raised or be currently raising a child with a mental illness

· Have experience navigating the children's mental health system

· Have a valid certification as a mental health certified family peer specialist under Minnesota Statutes 256B.0616

Scope of practice
Refer to the Certified Peer Specialists Services or Certified Family Peer Specialist section of the MHCP Provider Manual for additional information.

Mental Health Rehabilitation Worker

Mental Health Rehabilitation workers must have a high school diploma or equivalent and meet one of the following:

· Be fluent in the non-English language or competent in the culture of the ethnic group to which at least 20 percent of the mental health rehabilitation worker's clients belong, or

· Have an associate of arts degree, or

· Have two years of full-time postsecondary education or a total of 15 semester hours or 23 quarter hours in behavioral sciences or related fields, or

· Be a registered nurse, or

· Have, within the previous 10 years, three years of personal life experience with mental illness, or

· Have, within the previous 10 years, three years of life experience as a primary caregiver to an adult with a mental illness, traumatic brain injury, substance use disorder, or developmental disability, or

· Have, within the previous 10 years, 2,000 hours of work experience providing health and human services to individuals

Scope of practice
Mental health rehabilitation workers under the treatment supervision of a mental health professional or certified rehabilitation specialist may provide rehabilitative mental health services to an adult client according to the client's treatment plan.

Mental Health Behavioral Aide

Level 1 mental health behavioral aide must have:

· A high school diploma or equivalent; or

· Two years of experience as a primary caregiver to a child with mental illness within the previous 10 years

Level 2 mental health behavioral aide must:

· Have an associate or bachelor’s degree; or

· Be certified by a program under Minnesota Statutes 256B.0943, subdivision 8a

Scope of practice
Mental health behavioral aides under the treatment supervision of a mental health professional may practice psychosocial skills with a child client according to the child's treatment plan and individual behavior plan that a mental health professional, clinical trainee, or mental health practitioner has previously taught to the child.

Mental Health Case Manager

Mental Health case managers are eligible according to 256B.0596; 256B.0621; 256B.0625, subdivision 20; 256B.092, subdivision 1a; 256B.0924; 256B.093, subdivision 3a; 256B.094; or 256B.49.

The county agency or tribe may provide MH-TCM services directly or contract with an appropriate vendor to perform MH-TCM services on behalf of the county or tribe. Counties and tribes are responsible for determining eligibility for MH-TCM services.

Scope of practice
Services and activities that help eligible MA members gain access to needed medical, social, educational, and financial services comprise MH-TCM. Refer to the Adult Mental Health Targeted Case Management (AMH-TCM) and Children’s Mental Health Targeted Case Management (CMH-TCM) section of the MHCP Provider Manual for additional information.

Non-Enrollable Providers Training and Continuing Education Requirements

All non-enrollable providers must:

· Complete ongoing continuing education as required by the agency’s specialty, professional license or certification and Minnesota Statutes 245I.05 required training.

· Receive all treatment supervision requirements according to Minnesota Statutes 245I.06

For additional service-specific requirements, refer to that services section of the MHCP Provider Manual

For MHCP mental health professional certification requirements, refer to MHCP Mental Health Professional Certification Requirements.

References

Minnesota Statutes 245I.04