24 Miss. Code. R. 3-15.1 - Provisional Certification (PCMHT, PCIDDT, PCAT, PCCSS) - Upgrade Information and Timelines

A. The provisional credential (i.e., PCMHT, PCIDDT, PCAT, PCCSS) is a temporary, nonrenewable certification. It is valid for up to two years or 24 consecutive months from the date of issuance. This two-year period is referred to as the provisionally-certified individual's "Provisional Certification Period."

B. The Provisional Certification Period begins on the day the provisional credential (i.e., PCMHT, PCIDDT, PCAT, PCCSS) is issued and lasts for a maximum of up to two years or 24 consecutive months.

C. Once an individual is awarded a provisional credential as a PCMHT, PCIDDT or a PCAT, he/she will receive notification of the credentialing award, along with upgrade instructions. (The upgrade instructions will include registration information for the web-based training component and either the DMH Mental Health Therapist Examination, the DMH Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Therapist Examination or the DMH Addictions Therapist Examination, as appropriate, and as covered in Chapters Three, Four and Seven, respectively.)

D. Once an individual is awarded a provisional credential as a PCCSS, he/she will receive notification of the credentialing award, along with upgrade instructions. (The upgrade instructions will include registration information for the web-based exam/training component, as covered in Chapter Five.)

E. By the end of the 24-month Provisional Certification Period, a provisionally-certified individual (i.e., PCMHT, PCIDDT, PCAT, PCCSS) must complete ALL requirements to upgrade to full certification (i.e., CMHT, CIDDT, CAT, CCSS).

F. It is the provisionally-certified individual's responsibility to complete all upgrade requirements.

G. Provisionally-certified individuals (i.e., PCMHTs, PCIDDTs, PCATs, PCCSSs) who complete the upgrade requirements may upgrade to full certification (i.e., CMHT, CIDDT, CAT, CCSS) prior to the end of the two-year Provisional Certification Period.

H. A provisionally-certified individual (i.e., PCMHT, PCIDDT, PCAT, PCCSS) who does not complete all requirements to upgrade to full certification (i.e., CMHT, CIDDT, CAT, CCSS) by the end of his/her provisional expiration date will default from his/her respective credentialing program. Default means the credential is expired, and the individual no longer holds the credential.

I. In rare and extenuating circumstances, the PLACE Review Board may grant an extension of an individual's Provisional Certification Period. Information on extensions, including how to request an extension, is covered in Chapter Eighteen.

J. Individuals upgrading from provisional certification (i.e., PCMHT, PCIDDT, PCAT, PCCSS) to full certification (i.e., CMHT, CIDDT, CAT, CCSS) must submit an upgrade application. Upgrade from provisional certification (i.e., PCMHT, PCIDDT, PCAT, PCCSS) to full certification (i.e., CMHT, CIDDT, CAT, CCSS) is not an automatic process initiated by the Division of PLACE.

K. A provisionally-certified individual (i.e., PCMHT, PCIDDT, PCAT, PCCSS) should submit an upgrade application packet as soon as all upgrade requirements are met, but no later than the last working day of the month following the provisional certification expiration date. For example, if a provisionally-certified individual's credential expires in October of a given year, the upgrade application must be received by the Division by the last working day of November of that same year.

L. The provisional certification expiration date is located on the provisional certification credential award letter. It is the provisionally-certified individual's responsibility to keep track of his/her provisional certification expiration date and corresponding upgrade application deadline.

M. The Division does not notify provisionally-certified individuals (i.e., PCMHTs, PCIDDTs, PCATs, PCCSSs) when their provisional credential is expiring and the upgrade application is due.

N. Incomplete portions/problems associated with the submitted upgrade application should be resolved as soon as possible but no later than 30 calendar days from the provisionally-certified individual's prescribed upgrade application deadline, as outlined above. If all upgrade application deficiencies are not resolved within this time frame, the individual's provisional credential will automatically default effective per his/her provisional expiration date.

O. Unless an extension for more time has been granted, individuals who fail to submit an upgrade application within established timelines will be considered to have defaulted from the program, meaning their provisional credential is expired. This will be an automatic action by the Division of PLACE; no default notification will be sent.

P. Except in rare and extenuating circumstances, as determined on a case-by-case basis by the Review Board, an individual may not hold provisional certification more than twice. An exception to this rule may be when the individual's provisional certification expiration (default) occurred due to an individual's separation from state mental health system employment rather than a failure to meet upgrade requirements. The burden of proof falls on the provisionally-certified individual.

Notes

24 Miss. Code. R. 3-15.1

Section 41-4-7 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated

Adopted 5/1/2017