There’s a barrier for mental health professionals in Indiana that a local state lawmaker wants to take down.
State Sen. Randy Head, R-Logansport, recently filed a bill that would make it easier for mental health clinicians serving families to obtain a license. The bill would apply to those seeking license in the fields of clinical social work, mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, and addiction counseling.
Under current law, 1,000 hours in a counseling setting is required for mental health counselor and mental health counselor associate applicants. Furthermore, of those hours, at least 100 must include face-to-face supervision.
Authored by Head, Senate Bill 224 would require an applicant to complete only 700 hours in a counseling setting and only 66 hours would require face-to-face supervision. Additionally, up to 50 percent of the supervised hours may be virtual supervision.
“The ultimate goal of the bill is to get more people into the state of Indiana,” Head said. “The state government erected a barrier between professionals and the people who need their help.”
Owner/CEO of Snyder Counseling Service in Logansport, Steve Snyder, knows all too well the troubles facing those who seek licenses in Indiana.
“Having gone through the licensing process myself and having an associate who is going through the licensing process now, I can tell you it’s a nightmare,” said Snyder, whose office works with the Cass County Alcohol and Drug Court Program.
He said the excessive licensing requirements could be a deterrent for those wishing to pursue the profession.
“If you look at the requirements versus the pay scale, it’s almost like you have to have a real cause of mind to get into this profession,” he said.
Head said the problems that Indiana’s stringent requirements create are two-fold. First, they keep licensed professionals from relocating to Indiana. Those licensed in other states must complete additional requirements before they could acquire an Indiana license and practice here.
Second, it often results in current Indiana students leaving for other states because they can get their license sooner and at less expense.
“They get to 700 hours and get a job offer somewhere, why would they stay and spend more for the same thing?” Head questioned. “We want to make it as easy to get a license here as it is in other states.”
Head stresses that the bill doesn’t look to take standards and requirements down to where they become meaningless. Rather, he said, Indiana should be in line with the national standard.
An important component of the bill is that it addresses the requirement that supervision be face-to-face, Head said. With today’s readily available technology, requiring in-person supervision is archaic, he said.
“We’ve got telemedicine now,” he said. “It’s a fantastic technology, and we need to use it.”
With the possibility of virtual supervision, Head said, mental health applicants won’t be restricted in where they can perform their required hours in a counseling setting. The hope is that this bill would give smaller communities a better chance to access needed services.
The bill passed unanimously out of committee and now goes before the full Senate.