Section 453D-NEW - [Newly enacted section not yet numbered] [Effective 7/1/2026] Provisional license for associate mental health counselors; services reimbursable(a) The department shall grant, upon application and payment of proper fees, provisional licensure as an associate mental health counselor to an individual who: (1) Has received a master's or doctoral degree from an accredited educational institution in counseling or in an allied field related to the practice of mental health counseling that includes, or is supplemented by, at least two academic terms of supervised mental health practicum intern experience for graduate credit of at least six semester hours or ten quarter hours in a mental health counseling setting, with a total of three hundred hours of supervised client contact. The practicum experience shall be completed under the clinical supervision of a licensed clinical supervisor; and(2) Engages in the practice of mental health counseling under the clinical supervision of a licensed clinical supervisor during the period of time necessary to fulfill the requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor pursuant to section 453D-7(a)(2); provided that the licensed clinical supervisor is in good standing with the department.(b) Each provisional license issued pursuant to this section shall include the name and title of the licensed clinical supervisor providing clinical supervision of the applicant as described in subsection (a)(2). A licensed associate mental health counselor shall practice mental health counseling only under the direct supervision of the licensed clinical supervisor.(c) A provisional license issued pursuant to this section shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance and may be renewed for an additional one-year period if needed to fulfill the requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor pursuant to section 453D-7(a)(2).(d) Services provided by a supervised licensed associate mental health counselor shall be eligible for insurance reimbursement; provided that the supervising licensed clinical supervisor's services are eligible for reimbursement as a contracted provider; provided further that the billed rate for the licensed associate mental health counselor is commensurate with the requisite level of training.(e) For the purposes of this section, "clinical supervisor" means a person who provides clinical supervision and who is licensed as a mental health counselor, psychologist, clinical social worker, advanced practice registered nurse with a specialty in mental health, marriage and family therapist, or physician with a specialty in psychiatry.Added by L 2024, c 93,§ 11, eff. 7/1/2026.