Section 172-94-007 - EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS If the educational program is not accredited by one of the organizations set out in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 38-2104, the applicant must provide evidence that the program meets the following requirements:
007.01MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY. A program that meets substantially equivalent educational requirements as adopted by Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.007.02MENTAL HEALTH PRATICE. To be approved as equivalent to an approved mental health program, a program must meet the following: (A) Be at least 60 semester hours in duration. If the master's degree is less than 60 semester hours, additional hours can be attained outside of the program to equal 60 semester hours. Any additional hours must be graduate hours and have a mental health focus to be considered as substantially equivalent.(B) Have a mental health focused supervised practicum or internship that included a minimum of 300 clock hours of direct client contact under the supervision of a qualified supervisor as defined in 172 NAC 94-008 of these regulations. Any artificial situation where a person presents a problem, such as role playing, is not direct client contact. The program must have an emphasis on mental health practice and include coursework in theories and techniques, professional ethics, assessment techniques, human growth and development, and research and evaluation. Two years after the effective date of these regulations the coursework must also include social and cultural diversity. No course may be used to fulfill more than 1 coursework area. The coursework must meet the following requirements: (i) A minimum of 6 semester hours or 9 quarter hours in theories and techniques. Two years after the effective date of these regulations, the coursework must include a minimum of at least 9 semester hours or 12 quarter hours in theories and techniques. The course must focus on therapeutic techniques and strategies for human behavioral intervention. Therapeutic techniques and strategies may include the study of major contributions of biological, behavioral, cognitive, and social sciences relevant to understanding assessment and treatment of a person and his or environment with an emphases on the social systems framework, personality theories and development through the life cycle and application of those during therapy.(ii) A minimum of 3 semester hours or 4.5 quarter hours in professional ethics. The course must focus on the application of ethical and legal issues to the practice. Ethical and legal issues may include family law, codes of ethics, boundaries, peer review, record keeping, confidentiality, informed consent, and duty to warn.(iii) A minimum of 3 semester hours or 4.5 quarter hours in assessment techniques. The course must focus on the process of collecting pertinent data about a client or client systems and their environment and appraising the data as a basis for making decisions regarding treatment or referral or both. Assessment techniques may include the ability to make a clinical diagnostic impression, knowledge of psychopathology, and assessment of substance abuse and other addictions.(iv) A minimum of 3 semester hours or 4.5 quarter hours in human growth and development. The course must focus on studies that provide an understanding of the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels. Human growth and development may include theories of individual and family development and transitions across the life-span; theories of learning and personality development; human behavior including an understanding of developmental crises, disability, exceptional behavior, addictive behavior, psychopathology, and situational and environmental factors that affect both normal and abnormal behavior; and strategies for facilitating optimum development over the life-span.(v) A minimum of 3 semester hours or 4.5 quarter hours in research and evaluation. Research and evaluation includes statistics or research design and development of research and demonstration proposals.(vi) Two years after the effective date of these regulations, in addition to the above coursework, a minimum of 3 semester hours or 4.5 quarter hours in social and cultural diversity. The course must focus on studies that provide an understanding of the cultural context of relationships, and issues and trends in a multicultural and diverse society. Social and cultural diversity may include multicultural and pluralistic trends, including characteristics and concerns between and within diverse groups nationally and internationally; attitudes, beliefs, understandings, and acculturative experiences, including specific experiential learning activities; individual, couple, family, group, and community strategies for working with diverse populations and ethnic groups; counselors' roles in social justice, advocacy and conflict resolution, cultural self-awareness, the nature of biases, prejudices, processes of intentional and unintentional oppression and discrimination, and other culturally supported behaviors that are detrimental to the growth of the human spirit, mind, or body; theories of multicultural counseling, theories of identity development, and multicultural competencies.(C) Graduate programs accepting an undergraduate course as meeting the course criteria set out in 172 NAC 94-007.02(B)(i) through (vi) are acceptable if the course was used to meet the requirements for the master's degree. The applicant must have the school submit a notarized letter, on institutional letterhead, from an authorized person stating the undergraduate course(s) was accepted to meet the educational requirement(s) of the master's degree.007.03INDEPENDENT MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE. A program that meets the educational requirements set out in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 38-2124.007.04PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING. A program that meets substantially equivalent educational requirements as adopted by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.007.05SOCIAL WORK. The following are acceptable programs: 007.05(A)BACCALAUREATE DEGREE. Undergraduate social work education and training approved by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).007.05(B)MASTER'S DEGREE. Graduate social work education and training approved by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).007.05(C)DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAMS. Recognized by the Groups for Advancement of Doctoral Education (GADE).007.06DEGREE OBTAINED IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY. A degree obtained in a foreign country must be evaluated by a foreign educational credential evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) and be determined as equivalent to a degree issued from an approved program.172 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 94, § 007
Amended effective 7/12/2021