Getting Licensed as a Mental Health Practitioner in Nebraska
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is responsible for issuing mental health practitioner credentials in the state of Nebraska.
There are several credentials for mental health practice:
Provisionally Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (PLMHP)
To obtain the PLMHP credential, you must:
1. have a masters/doctorate of which the course work and training leading to the degree was primarily therapeutic mental health in content and included a practicum/internship.
2. be at least 19 years old and of good character.
Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (LMHP)
[does NOT include: diagnosing major mental illness or disorder except in consultation with a licensed independent mental health practitioner, qualified physician or licensed clinical psychologist]
To obtain the LMHP credential, you must:
1. have received a master’s degree, a doctoral degree, or the equivalent of a master’s 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 must include a minimum of 300 clock hours of direct client contact under the supervision of a qualified physician, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed mental health practitioner.
2. have successfully completed 3,000 hours of supervised experience (monitored by a qualified physician, a licensed clinical psychologist, or a certified master social worker, certified professional counselor, or marriage and family therapist face-to-face at least 1 hour per week) in mental health practice of which 1,500 hours were in direct client contact in a setting where mental health services were being offered and the remaining 1,500 hours included, but were not limited to, review of client records, case conferences, direct observation, and video observation.
3. have satisfactorily passed an exam approved by the board.
Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (LIMHP)
[includes diagnosis and treatment of major mental illness/disorders, without supervision or consultation]
To obtain the LIMHP credential, you must:
1. have graduated with a master’s or doctoral degree from an educational program which is accredited, at the time of graduation or within four years after graduation, by the Commission on the Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.
2. be licensed as a licensed mental health practitioner OR is licensed as a provisional mental health practitioner.
3. have satisfactorily passed an examination approved by the board.
4. have 3,000 hours of experience supervised by a licensed physician, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed independent mental health practitioner, one-half of which is comprised of experience with clients diagnosed under the major mental illness or disorder category.
Additionally, you may obtain a certification in Marriage and Family Therapy from DHHS when you meet specific supervision requirements.
For more information, please visit the Department of Health and Human Services website.