Section 839 IAC 1-5-1 - Educational requirements for mental health counselors and mental health counselor associatesAuthority: IC 25-23.6-2-8
Affected: IC 25-23.6-8.5
Sec. 1.
(a) As used in IC 25-23.6-8.5-1, "master's degree in an area related to mental health counseling" means a degree earned in one (1) of the following programs: (1) Clinical social work.(7) Programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) or the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE).(b) An applicant for licensure as a mental health counselor or mental health counselor associate with a graduate degree not listed in subsection (a), or an applicant asserting that his or her program is equivalent to a program in counseling whose content areas are listed in IC 25-23.6-8.5-3, must provide the board with the following information: (1) Evidence that their degree program and any additional course work are equivalent to the criteria for a graduate degree in counseling as set forth in this section.(2) An official college transcript.(3) Appropriate certifications or affidavits from university officials.(4) Any additional supporting documentation as requested by the board.(c) As used in IC 25-23.6-8.5-2, "regional accrediting body" means a college or university that was accredited prior to or within two (2) years of the time of the applicant's graduation by one (1) of the following:(1) New England Association of Schools and Colleges.(2) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.(3) North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.(4) Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.(5) Southern Association of Schools and Colleges.(6) Western Association of Schools and Colleges.(d) An applicant for licensure as a mental health counselor or mental health counselor associate under IC 25-23.6-8.5 must show successful completion of a degree curriculum that shall encompass a minimum of forty-eight (48) semester hours or seventy-two (72) quarter hours of graduate study for the master's degree or a minimum of ninety-six (96) semester hours or one hundred forty-four (144) quarter hours of graduate study for the doctoral degree. If the course titles as stated on the transcript do not clearly reflect the course work content areas as listed in IC 25-23.6-8.5-3, the applicant must document the course or combination of courses in which the material was covered. Further, the applicant for licensure shall document a minimum of sixty (60) semester hours or ninety (90) quarter hours of graduate credit in mental health counseling or a related field. Only graduate level courses are acceptable for establishing equivalency. The board will not accept course work counted or credited toward an undergraduate degree.(e) The following criteria shall be used to identify a master's or doctoral program in counseling or an area related to mental health counseling:(1) The program, wherever it may be housed, shall:(A) be clearly identified as a counseling program in pertinent catalogs and brochures; and(B) specify the program's intent to educate and train counselors.(2) There shall be a clear authority and primary responsibility for the core and specialty areas, whether or not the program cuts across administrative lines.(3) The program shall have the following: (A) An identifiable mental health professional responsible for the program.(B) An integrated, organized sequence of study that follows the CACREP standards.(C) An identifiable body of students who are matriculated in that program for a degree.(4) The program shall include a supervised practicum and internship.(5) The degree program may or may not include an advanced internship. However, the advanced internship must be conducted in a setting focused on mental health counseling or mental health services, or both, under the auspices of an approved graduate counseling program.(f) As used in IC 25-23.6-8.5-3, "practicum" means a distinctly defined, supervised curricular experience intended to enable the student to develop basic counseling skills and to integrate professional knowledge and skills appropriate to the student's program emphasis. The practicum shall be a minimum of one hundred (100) clock hours and include the following:(1) A minimum of forty (40) hours of direct service with clients so that experience can be gained in individual and group interactions. At least one-fourth (1/4) of these hours should be in group work.(2) A minimum of one (1) hour per week of individual supervision, over a minimum of one (1) academic term by a program faculty member or a supervisor working under the supervision of a program faculty member, using at least one (1) of the following: (3) A minimum of one and one-half (1 1/2) hours per week of group supervision with other students in similar practica over a minimum of one (1) academic term by a program faculty member or a supervisor working under the supervision of a program faculty member.(4) An evaluation of the student's performance throughout the practicum, including a formal evaluation at the completion of the practicum.(g) As used in IC 25-23.6-8.5-3, "internship" means a distinctly defined, supervised curricular experience intended to enable the student to refine and enhance basic counseling skills, to develop more advanced counseling skills, and to integrate professional knowledge and skills appropriate to the student's initial postgraduation professional placement. A supervised internship of six hundred (600) clock hours that is begun after successful completion of the student's practicum includes the following: (1) A minimum of two hundred forty (240) hours of direct service with clients appropriate to the program of study.(2) A minimum of one (1) hour per week of individual supervision, throughout the internship, usually performed by the onsite supervisor.(3) A minimum of one and one-half (1 1/2) hours per week of group supervision, throughout the internship, usually performed by a program faculty member supervisor.(4) The opportunity for the student to become familiar with a variety of professional activities other than direct service.(5) The opportunity for the student to develop audiotapes or videotapes, or both, of the student's interactions with clients appropriate for use in supervision.(6) The opportunity for the student to gain supervised experience in the use of a variety of professional resources, such as the following:(A) Assessment instruments.(C) Print and nonprint media.(D) Professional literature.(F) Information and referral to appropriate providers.(7) A formal evaluation of the student's performance during the internship, by a program faculty supervisor, in consultation with the site supervisor.(h) The practicum and internship experiences listed in this section are tutorial forms of instruction. Individual supervision is supervision rendered to one (1) person at a time, and group supervision is supervision rendered to at least two (2) and not more than twelve (12) individuals at one (1) time.(i) As used in IC 25-23.6-8.5-3, "advanced internship" means a minimum of three hundred (300) clock hours of supervised experience that must be completed in a setting in which the individual is providing mental health services under the direct supervision of a professional as defined in subsection (m).(j) The required practicum, internship, and advanced internship experiences listed in this section must have been primarily in the provision of direct counseling services. This includes knowledge, skill, or experience derived from direct observations of, and participation in, the practice of counseling. No course intended primarily for practice in the administration and grading of appraisal or assessment instruments shall count toward these clinical semester hour requirements.(k) The required experiences gained through the practicum, internship, and advanced internship may not be taken concurrently, and the academic credit must appear on the applicant's official graduate transcript.(l) As used in IC 25-23.6-8.5-3, "one hundred (100) hours of face-to-face supervision" refers to the entire clinical experience requirement of one thousand (1,000) hours. This includes individual and group supervision. The applicant must document that at least one hundred (100) hours were spent face-to-face with a supervisor during the practicum, internship, and advanced internship. The graduate counseling student may work away from the premises of the educational institution but must: (1) be enrolled in a counseling practicum, internship, or advanced internship; and(2) conduct counseling under the auspices of that graduate program.(m) As used in IC 25-23.6-8.5-3, "supervised practice experience" means experience gained under supervision provided by: (1) a counselor educator;(2) a licensed master's level or doctoral level:(A) mental health counselor;(B) clinical social worker;(C) marriage and family therapist;(D) physician who has training in psychiatric medicine;(F) clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric or mental health nursing; or(3) another state-regulated mental health professional or, if the experience was gained in a state where no regulation exists, by a mental health professional of equivalent status.Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board; 839 IAC 1-5-1; filed Dec 29, 1998, 10:57 a.m.: 22 IR 1507; readopted filed Dec 2, 2001, 12:30 p.m.: 25 IR 1311; filed Oct 1, 2003, 9:28 a.m.: 27 IR 518; readopted filed Dec 1, 2009, 9:12 a.m.: 20091223-IR-839090777RFA; filed Aug 1, 2012, 11:01 a.m.: 20120829-IR-839110676FRAReadopted filed 11/29/2018, 10:34 a.m.: 20181226-IR-839180402RFAReadopted filed 6/24/2024, 3:49 p.m.: 20240724-IR-839230815RFA