A. Levels of
Credentialing Within the Mental Retardation Therapist Certification and
Licensure Program, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) offers
three levels of credentialing for persons providing direct services to
individuals with mental retardation/ developmental disabilities or supervising
the direct provision of such services. These levels are:
(1) Provisionally Certified Mental
Retardation Therapist (PCMRT) - (See Chapter 3, Section 2, pp. 8-10);
(2) Certified Mental Retardation Therapist
(CMRT) - (See Chapter 3, Section 3, pp. 10-11); and
(3) Licensed Clinical Mental Retardation
Therapist (LCMRT) - (See Chapter 3, Section 4, pp. 11-12).
B. Provisional Certification
Beginning July 1, 1998, all individuals submitting
applications for the Mental Retardation Therapist program will be expected to
apply for provisional certification (PCMRT) and to meet all current
requirements of the Mental Retardation Therapist program. After successful
completion of all requirements, individuals may then apply to upgrade their
credentials to either full certification (CMRT) or licensure (LCMRT).
C. Employment in the State Mental
Health System
The professional certification/licensure issued by the
Mississippi Department of Mental Health is designed primarily for those
individuals who are not already professionally certified/licensed and who are
employed within the state mental health system. The state mental health system
is comprised of the following programs which are governed by the Mississippi
Board of Mental Health:
(1) programs
which receive funding from the Mississippi Department of Mental
Health;
(2) programs which are
certified/licensed by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health;
(3) programs which are administered by the
Mississippi Department of Mental Health; or,
(4) programs that provide services to persons
with mental retardation/ developmental disabilities which are designated by the
Mississippi Legislature to require certification/licensure.
D. Programmatic Licensure with the
Mississippi Department of Health Persons employed by programs primarily
providing services to individuals with mental retardation/ developmental
disabilities which are licensed by the Mississippi Department of Health in
addition to Department of Mental Health programmatic certification may be
issued professional certification/licensure, if requested.
E. Other Professional Credentials
(1) Individuals who hold professional
certification or licensure in another discipline are not required to hold DMH
professional certification/licensure as a requisite for employment in programs
as described in Chapter 3, Section 1, C., p. 7.
(2) DMH professional certification/licensure
does not exempt an individual from any other professional licensure required by
state law.
(3) Lack of DMH
professional certification/ licensure does not impede the activities or
services of an individual professionally licensed under state law.
(4) A professionally certified/licensed
individual who is exempt from DMH professional certification/licensure but
chooses to obtain DMH professional certification/licensure is subject to the
same rules and regulations as other provisional certificants, certificants and
licensees.
(5) Revocation for cause
of any professional certification/licensure may result in disciplinary action
and/ or revocation by the DMH.
F. Voluntary Mississippi Department of Mental
Health professional certification/licensure shall not be required and shall be
on a voluntary basis.
