General Assembly passes bill to create two-tier licensing for mental health counselors

THE HOUSE is set to vote on the fiscal 2023 budget on June 16 that includes a $10 million increase in the annual motion picture tax credit cap. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ARTISTIC IMAGES

PROVIDENCE – A bill aimed at easing the state’s shortage of mental health counselors by allowing counselors to practice as entry-level associates prior to earning their license has passed the R.I. General Assembly and is headed to Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s desk.

The bill would create a licensing system that allows mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists to see clients while they are in the process of pursuing their license.

Sponsored by Sen. Alana M. DiMario, D-Narragansett, and Rep. Kathleen A. Fogarty, D-South Kingstown, the bill requires supervision for counselors who are still earning their license.

“There are unbearable and unnecessary barriers and wait times for people to be able to access the type of treatment that they need,” DiMario said. “We have a difficult time retaining providers. We need to make sure that the continuum of care in our system as a whole is well staffed and operating to meet the needs of those patients. This legislation would solve some of those problems by getting qualified graduates out into the field faster to practice for a wider range of clients.”

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Similar measures have already passed in 44 states, Fogarty said.

“The associates would be able to bill any insurance that their supervisor accepts. As it stands now, they may only be able to be utilized in a Medicaid setting,” she said. “This way they would be able to see a wider range of patients to build their skills without being limited to a certain population of people.”

Elizabeth Graham is a PBN contributing writer.

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