Background:

Suicide Assessment, Treatment, and Management Training Programs.

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death nationally. Suicide assessment, treatment, and management training programs help participants identify individuals at risk of suicide and perform prevention-related services. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) jointly created a best practices registry that contains programs rated on accuracy of content, likelihood of meeting objectives, programmatic guidelines, and messaging guidelines. Programs listed on the best practices registry are not necessarily endorsed or recommended by the AFSP or the SPRC, but are intended to be used as an information source as part of a prevention planning process.

Continuing Education Requirements for Certain Mental Health Professionals.

All health professions are subject to at least four hours of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) education prior to licensure and have varying requirements for continuing education post licensure.

Certified counselors and certified advisors must complete at least 36 hours of continuing education every two years. The continuing education must be relevant to counseling and must contribute to the advancement, extension, and enhancement of the adviser's or counselor's professional competence.
Certified chemical dependency professionals must complete at least 28 hours of continuing education every two years. At least 14 of the hours must be in one or more of several specified topics; e.g., understanding addiction, individual counseling, or group counseling.
Licensed marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, and social workers must complete at least 36 hours of continuing education every two years. The continuing education must be relevant to the profession.
Licensed psychologists must complete at least 60 hours of continuing education every three years. The continuing education must cover one or more of the following areas depending on the individual practice of the psychologist: practice, consultation, research, teaching, or supervision.
Licensed physicians are subject to 200 hours of continuing education every four years.
Licensed osteopathic physicians are subject to 150 hours of continuing education every three years.
Advanced registered nurse practitioners must complete at least 30 hours of continuing education every two years (plus 15 additional hours for advanced registered nurse practitioners with prescriptive authority).

Licensing by Specialty.

Licensed physicians, licensed osteopathic physicians, and advanced registered nurse practitioners are not licensed by specialty. In 2011, the Legislature required the Medical Quality Assurance Commission to request demographic information about licensed physicians, including specialty. This requirement was not imposed on the Board of Osteopathic Medicine or the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission.

Summary of Bill:

The following mental health professions are subject to training requirements relating to suicide assessment, treatment, and management:

certified counselors;
certified advisors;
certified chemical dependency professionals;
licensed marriage and family therapists;
licensed mental health counselors;
licensed social workers (advanced);
licensed social workers (independent clinical);
licensed psychologists;
licensed physicians who self-identify as psychiatrists;
licensed osteopathic physicians who self-identify as psychiatrists; and
licensed advanced registered nurse practitioners who self-identify as psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioners.

A mental health professional applying for initial licensure/certification on or after the effective date of the act must either:

show that he or she has completed at least 15 hours of coursework in suicide assessment, treatment, and management during his or her academic training; or
complete a six-hour training program in suicide assessment, treatment, and management no more than six years prior to applying for the license (eight years for physicians who self-identify as psychiatrists).

A mental health professional already licensed on the effective date of the act must complete a six-hour training program in suicide assessment, treatment, and management during his or her next full continuing education reporting period. Completion of this training counts toward meeting his or her continuing education requirements.

Regardless of the date of initial licensure, a mental health professional must complete a six-hour training program in suicide assessment, treatment, and management every six years (eight years for physicians who self-identify as psychiatrists) after the initial training. Completion of this training counts toward meeting his or her continuing education requirements.

The six-hour training program must either be:

on the best practices registry of the AFSP or the SPRC, such as Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, Assessment and Management of Suicide Risk, Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk, or Question, Persuade, Respond, and Treat; or
a training program approved by the applicable licensing agency that is substantially equivalent to one of the training programs on the best practices registry.

It is clarified that none of the education requirements expand or limit the scope of practice of any of the mental health professions.

The Board of Osteopathic Medicine and the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission are required to request demographic information from licensees at the time of renewal, in the same manner that the Medical Quality Assurance Commission.