Section 25-23.6-8.5-3 - Educational requirements An applicant as a mental health counselor under section 1 of this chapter or a mental health counselor associate under section 1.5 of this chapter must complete the following educational requirements:
(1) Graduate course work in counseling that must include either a master's degree or a doctor's degree in counseling. The graduate course work must include the following content areas: (A) Human growth and development.(B) Social and cultural foundations of counseling.(C) Helping relationship, including counseling theory and practice.(D) Group dynamics, processes, counseling, and consultation.(E) Lifestyle and career development.(F) Assessment and appraisal of individuals.(G) Research and program evaluation.(H) Professional orientation and ethics.(I) Foundations of mental health counseling.(J) Contextual dimensions of mental health counseling.(K) Knowledge and skills for the practice of mental health counseling and psychotherapy.(L) Clinical instruction.(2) Not less than one (1) supervised clinical practicum, internship, or field experience in a counseling setting, which must include a minimum of seven hundred (700) clock hours consisting of one (1) practicum of one hundred (100) hours, and one (1) internship of six hundred (600) hours with at least sixty-six (66) hours of face to face supervision. This requirement may be met by a supervised practice experience that took place away from an eligible postsecondary educational institution but that is certified by an official of the eligible postsecondary educational institution as being equivalent to a clinical mental health graduate level practicum or internship program at an institution accredited by an accrediting agency approved by the United States Department of Education or the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.Amended by P.L. 149-2022,SEC. 7, eff. 7/1/2022.Amended by P.L. 160-2018,SEC. 4, eff. 7/1/2018.As added by P.L. 147-1997, SEC.71. Amended by P.L. 2-2007, SEC.342; P.L. 84-2010, SEC.62.