The purpose of this hearing is to receive comments on proposed changes to Title 172, Chapter 94 of the Nebraska Administrative Code (NAC) – Licensure of Mental Health Practitioners and the Certification of Marriage and Family Therapists, Professional Counselors, and Social Workers. The chapter provides the requirements for education, experience, examination, and documentation to be licensed as an independent mental health practitioner, marriage and family therapist, professional counselor, master social worker, and social worker. The proposed changes remove all duplicative statutory language from the regulations and removes any repetitive regulatory language that is found in 172 NAC 10; clarify the requirement for a license regardless of how services are delivered to clients who are present in Nebraska at the time of service; update definitions; update supervision requirements; revise unprofessional conduct standards to include language relating to discrimination, professional records, and referrals; revise continuing education requirements to remove the maximum number of hours allowed per program type and includes additional options for obtaining continuing education; update education requirements; and update formatting.
