2006 Nebraska Revised Statutes - § 71-1,314 — Mental health practitioner; qualifications.

Section 71-1,314
Mental health practitioner; qualifications.

(1) On and after September 1, 1994, no person shall hold himself or herself out as a mental health practitioner unless he or she is licensed as such by the department. A person shall be qualified to be a licensed mental health practitioner if he or she:

(a) Has received a master's or doctorate degree that consists of course work and training which was primarily therapeutic mental health in content and included a practicum or internship and was from an approved educational program. Practicums or internships completed after September 1, 1995, must include a minimum of three hundred clock hours of direct client contact under the supervision of a qualified physician, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed mental health practitioner;

(b) Has successfully completed three thousand hours of supervised experience in mental health practice of which fifteen hundred hours were in direct client contact in a setting where mental health services were being offered and the remaining fifteen hundred hours included, but were not limited to, review of client records, case conferences, direct observation, and video observation. For purposes of this subdivision, supervised shall mean monitored by a qualified physician, a licensed clinical psychologist, or a certified master social worker, certified professional counselor, or marriage and family therapist qualified for certification on September 1, 1994, for any hours completed before such date or by a qualified physician, a psychologist licensed to engage in the practice of psychology, or a licensed mental health practitioner for any hours completed after such date, including evaluative face-to-face contact for a minimum of one hour per week. Such three thousand hours shall be accumulated after completion of the master's or doctorate degree and during the five years immediately preceding the application for licensure; and

(c) Has satisfactorily passed an examination approved by the board. An individual who by reason of educational background is eligible for certification as a certified master social worker, a certified professional counselor, or a certified marriage and family therapist shall take and pass a certification examination approved by the board before becoming licensed as a mental health practitioner.

(2) For a period of one year following September 1, 1994:

(a) An individual who is certified on September 1, 1994, as a certified master social worker or certified professional counselor can be licensed as a mental health practitioner by making application to the department and paying the licensure fee;

(b) An individual who has a mental health-related master's degree, as determined by the board, and five years experience providing mental health services may, upon successful completion of the examination for licensure as a mental health practitioner, be licensed as a mental health practitioner; and

(c) An individual who obtains certification as a marriage and family therapist by September 1, 1995, can be licensed as a mental health practitioner by making application to the department and paying the licensure fee.

(3) An individual who, within one year after June 17, 1997, demonstrates to the board that he or she was certified as a master social worker or professional counselor shall be licensed as a mental health practitioner by making application to the department and paying the licensure fee.

(4) The application for a mental health practitioner license shall include the applicant's social security number.

Source:

Laws 1993, LB 669, § 33

Laws 1994, LB 1210, § 100

Laws 1995, LB 406, § 31

Laws 1997, LB 622, § 84

Laws 1997, LB 752, § 160

~Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska