Child and Family Psychoeducation

Revised: August 27, 2026

· Overview

· Eligible Providers

· Eligible Members

· Covered Services

· Noncovered Services

· Authorization

· Billing

· Legal References

Overview

Child and Family Psychoeducation services are planned, structured and face-to-face interventions that involve presenting or demonstrating information. The goal of Child and Family Psychoeducation is to help prevent relapse or development of comorbid disorders and to achieve optimal mental health and long-term resilience. It supports the member and family in understanding these factors:

· The member’s symptoms of mental illness

· The impact on the member's development

· Needed components of treatment

· Skill development

Refer to the Child and Family Psychoeducation: Frequently Asked Questions webpage for more information about this service.

Eligible Providers

Only mental health professionals, clinical trainees under the clinical or treatment supervision of a mental health professional, or a behavioral health practitioner under the treatment supervision of a mental health professional may provide child and family psychoeducation.

Eligible Members

Eligible MHCP members of Child and Family Psychoeducation must have a mental health condition or diagnosed mental illness as determined by a diagnostic assessment and be under age 21.

Covered Services  

MHCP covers Child and Family Psychoeducation services for any of the following in outpatient settings when directed toward meeting the identified treatment needs of each participating member as indicated in the member’s treatment plan:

· The member (individual)

· A member’s family (with or without the member present). The member’s family includes people the member, parent or guardian identify as being important to the member's mental health treatment.

· Groups of members (peer group). A peer group must be at least three, but no more than 12 members.

· Multiple families (family group). A family group must be at least two but no more than five families.

If you believe the member’s absence from a Child and Family Psychoeducation session is necessary, document the length of time, location and reason for the member to be absent. Family members or primary caregivers do not need to be eligible for MHCP to participate

Child and Family Psychoeducation services include individual, family, or group skills development or training to:

· Support the development of psychosocial skills that are medically necessary to rehabilitate the member to an age-appropriate developmental trajectory when the child’s development was disrupted by a mental health condition or diagnosed mental illness

· Enable the child to self-monitor, compensate for, cope with, counteract, or replace skills deficits or maladaptive skills acquired over the course of the child’s mental health condition or mental illness.

Skills development or training delivered to a child or the child’s family must be targeted to the specific deficits related to the child’s mental health condition or mental illness and must be prescribed in the child’s treatment plan. Group skills training may be provided to multiple members who, because of the nature of their emotional, behavioral, or social functional ability, may benefit from interaction in a group setting.

Documentation of Covered Services

Document medical necessity, individualized treatment plans and progress notes following professional requirements.

Medical necessity
Document the medical necessity for psychoeducation in the diagnostic assessment.

Individualized treatment plan
Document specific interventions in the individualized treatment plan. Include measurable goals and objectives (including start and stop time) describing how the mental health provider will use psychoeducation to treat the member’s mental health condition or mental illness.

Progress notes
A progress note must be used to document each occurrence of a mental health service provided to a member according to Minnesota Statutes, 245I.08, subdivision 4. Failure to maintain appropriate record keeping may result in MHCP recovering funds already paid. Document service and modality provided in a progress note for each episode of care on each date of service. A progress note must be legible and signed by provider, and treatment supervisor, when appropriate.

A progress note must include the following:

· Type of service; the intervention and methods used

· Service modality (that is, group or individual, family)

· Date of service

· Start and stop times of each session

· Service location

· Scope of the service (including nature of interventions or contacts including treatment modalities, phone contacts, or similar)

· Targeted goal and objective, child’s progress (or lack of) to overall treatment plan goals and objectives

· Response or reaction to treatment intervention, and the provider’s plan for future sessions including changes in treatment to be implemented when interventions are ineffective

· Formal or informal assessment of the member’s mental health status

· Summary of effectiveness of treatment, prognosis, discharge planning

· Name and title of person who provided the service

· Signature, credentials of the person who provided the service

· Signature, printed name and credentials of treatment supervisor must be documented if services are provided by a clinical trainee or mental health practitioner

· Other elements may include significant observations including member’s current risk factors, emergency interventions by provider or other staff, consultations with or referrals to other professionals, family or significant other, or changes in symptoms

For clinical trainees or mental health practitioners conducting child and family psychoeducation, the clinical or treatment supervisor must review and approve the member’s progress notes according to the clinical trainee’s or mental health practitioner’s supervision plan as per Minnesota Statutes, 245I.06.

Noncovered Services

Child and family psychoeducation does not include the following:

· Communication between the treating mental health professional and a person under the clinical supervision of the treating mental health professional

· Written communication between providers

· Reporting, charting and record keeping (These activities are the responsibility of the provider.)

· Mental health services not related to the member’s diagnosis or treatment for mental illness

· Communication provided while performing any of the following mental health services:

· Mental health case management

· In-reach services

· Intensive Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (IRMHS)

· Children’s Intensive Behavioral Health Services (CIBHS)

Authorization Requirements

Refer to the Authorization section for general authorization policy and procedures.

Child and family psychoeducation units or sessions are subject to the same calendar year, cumulative limits as psychotherapy. These limits are as follows for child and family psychoeducation:

· 26 hours of individual psychoeducation per calendar year, cumulative

· 26 sessions of family psychoeducation per calendar year, cumulative

· 52 sessions of peer group psychoeducation per calendar year, cumulative

· 10 sessions of family group psychoeducation per calendar year, cumulative

· A maximum of 4 units of family psychoeducation, per individual in one day

· A maximum of 1 session (or 4 units) of family psychoeducation, per family in one day

· A maximum of 1 session (or 4 units) of family psychoeducation, per family in a multifamily group in one day

· A maximum of 1 session (or 4 units) of family psychoeducation, per individual in a group setting in one day

Follow the authorization process for psychotherapy services for continuation of services.

Coordination of Services

Providers are responsible to ask MHCP members if they are currently receiving the same health care services from another provider. If the member is receiving the same services from another provider, the providers must coordinate the services and document in the member's record how the services were coordinated. MHCP will not inform providers of services the member is receiving from other providers.

Billing

Submit claims only for the member who is the primary subject of the family psychoeducation sessions, regardless of the number of other family or group members in the session.

When more than one family member receives services (such as two or three siblings, each receiving treatment within a specific timeframe), bill only for the time spent conducting child and family psychoeducation with each member.

When two professionals render group child and family psychoeducation, submit only one claim for each member. Professionals must determine which member each will bill for or one professional may claim for all members and reimburse the other professional.

When billing, use the following guidelines:

· Bill using MN–ITS 837P

· Enter the treating provider NPI number on each claim line

· Use HN modifier for services performed by a clinical trainee

Use the following table for billing services:

Child and Family Psychoeducation Benefits for Children under aged 21
Procedure Code	Modifier	Brief Description	Unit	Service Limitation
H2027		Child and Family Psychoeducation Individual (with a single member)	15 min.	Calendar year threshold, refer to Authorization—104 units. Maximum 4 units/day.
	HQ	Child and Family Psychoeducation Member Group (with multiple members)		Calendar year threshold, refer to Authorization—52 sessions. Maximum 1 session (6 units)/day.
	HR	Child and Family Psychoeducation Member and Family (with a single member and their family)		Calendar year threshold, refer to Authorization—26 sessions. Maximum 1 session (6 units)/day.
	HS	Child and Family Psychoeducation Family (with a single family, member not present)		Calendar year threshold, refer to Authorization—26 sessions. Maximum 1 session (6 units)/day.
	HQ HR	Child and Family Psychoeducation Family Group (with multiple families with members present)		Calendar year threshold, refer to Authorization—10 sessions. Maximum 1 session (8 units)/day.
	HQ HS	Child and Family Psychoeducation Family Group (with multiple families, members not present)		Calendar year threshold, refer to Authorization—10 sessions. Maximum 1 session (8 units)/day.

Legal References

Minnesota Statutes, 256B.0671, subdivision 5
Minnesota Statutes, 245I.04, subdivision 2-7