24 Miss. Code. R. § 6-1-5 - Definitions

A. Applicant: An individual who has submitted a complete application packet for either provisional certification, certification or licensure.

B. Approved Educational Institution: An institution offering a graduate degree, which is accredited by a regional accrediting body.

C. Board: The Mississippi State Board of Mental Health.

D. Certificant: An individual who holds full certification as a Certified Mental Health Therapist (CMHT).

E. Certificate: The issued document attesting to an individual's provisional certification, certification or licensure.

F. Certification/Licensure: Refers to the professional certification/licensure of an individual, not a program.

G. Certification/Licensure Period: The two-year period of time an individual holds either full certification or licensure. The dates of the two-year period are established by the Division of Professional Licensure and Certification. At the end of the Certification/ Licensure Period, each certificant and licensee is expected to renew. See Chapter 4, Section 6, C., pp. 27-28 and Chapter 5, Section 1, A., p. 29 for more information on the Certification /Licensure Period.

H. Certified Mental Health Therapist (CMHT): An individual who provides direct services to individuals with mental illness/emotional disturbance or who supervises the direct provision of such services and who meets all requirements for Certified Mental Health Therapist as defined by the certification process described in Chapter 3, Section 3, pp. 10-11 and Chapter 4, Section 3, pp. 24-25.

I. Contact Hours: The unit of measurement that is used to designate participation in an educational/training program designed to increase the professional proficiency of an individual holding Department of Mental Health professional certification/licensure. One Contact Hour will consist of a minimum of 50 consecutive minutes.

J. Credential: A general term referring to professional certification or licensure of an individual.

K. Division: The Department of Mental Health Division of Professional Licensure and Certification.

L. DMH: The Mississippi State Department of Mental Health.

M. Examination: The written test which is given at the conclusion of each required Module. See Chapter 3, Section 6, E., p. 14 for more information on examinations.

N. Executive Director: The Executive Director of the Mississippi State Department of Mental Health.

O. Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist (LCMHT): An individual who provides direct services to individuals with mental illness/ emotional disturbance or who supervises the direct provision of such services and who meets all requirements for Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist as defined by the licensing process described in Chapter 3, Section 4, pp. 11-12 and Chapter 4, Section 4, pp. 25-26.

P. Licensee: An individual who holds licensure as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist (LCMHT).

Q. Mental Health Core Training Program: A training program comprised of three (3) Modules which must be successfully completed during the maximum twenty-four (24) months of provisional certification (PCMHT). MH-CTP is the acronym used for the program. See Chapter 3, Section 6, pp. 13-15 for more information on the MH-CTP.

R. Module: One (1) of three (3) training workshops comprising the Mental Health Core Training Program (MH-CTP).

S. Provisional Certificant: An individual who holds provisional certification as a Provisionally Certified Mental Health Therapist (PCMHT).

T. Provisional Certification Period: The period of time an individual holds provisional certification. This period begins on the day provisional certification was issued and can last for a maximum of 24 consecutive months. By the end of the Provisional Certification Period, a provisional certificant is expected to apply for an upgrade. See Chapter 3, Section 2, B. and E., pp. 8-10 for more information on the Provisional Certification Period.

U. Provisionally Certified Mental Health Therapist (PCMHT): An individual who provides direct services to individuals with mental illness/ emotional disturbance or who supervises the direct provision of such services and who meets all requirements for Provisionally Certified Mental Health Therapist as defined by the certification process described in Chapter 3, Section 2, pp. 8-10 and Chapter 4, Section 2, pp. 23-24.

V. Review Board: The Professional Licensure and Certification Review Board.

W. Staff Development Officer: Professional employee of a program as described in Chapter 3, Section 1, C., p. 7 responsible for maintaining staff development records and verifying ongoing inservice/training for both initial and renewal applicants. SDO is the acronym used for this person. See Chapter 4, Section 1, H., pp. 22-23 and Chapter 5, Section 7, p. 35 for more information on the role of the SDO.

X. State Mental Health System: The network of programs within the State of Mississippi which receive funding or programmatic certification from the Mississippi Department of Mental Health. See Chapter 3, Section 1, C., p. 7 for a description of the state mental health system.

Y. Supervisor: A DMH certified/licensed professional or a DMH certification/ licensure-eligible professional who directly oversees the work of an applicant for professional certification/licensure. See Chapter 3, Section 5, A., p. 12 for more information on Supervisor qualifications.

Z. Upgrade: The concept of moving up from one level of professional credential to another within the DMH Mental Health Therapist Program. There are three (3) types of upgrade possible:

PCMHT to CMHT;

PCMHT to LCMHT; and,

CMHT to LCMHT.

In addition, upgrading is intended to streamline the application process and eliminate unnecessary duplication of previously submitted information. More information on upgrading can be found throughout Chapter 3, pp. 7-18; Chapter 4, pp. 19-28 and Chapter 5, pp. 29-35.

AA. Upgrade Option: The choice made by a CMHT to submit an application to upgrade to LCMHT at the time of renewal rather than renew certification. Specific requirements and timelines are applicable to this choice. See Chapter 5, Section 1, E., p. 30 for more information on the Upgrade Option.

Notes

24 Miss. Code. R. § 6-1-5