(1) The minimum qualifications for community instructors for mental health specialty training, in addition to the general qualifications in WAC 388-112A-1240 (1) and (2), include:

(a) The instructor must be experienced in mental health caregiving practices and capable of demonstrating competency in the entire course content;

(b) Education:

(i) Bachelor's degree, registered nurse, or mental health specialist, with at least one year of education in seminars, conferences, continuing education, or accredited college classes, in subjects directly related to mental health, including, but not limited to, psychology (one year of education equals twenty-four credits in a semester system, thirty-six credits in a quarter system, or at least eighty hours of seminars, conferences, and continuing education); and

(ii) Successful completion of the mental health specialty training class before the instructor trains others;

(c) Work experience: Two years full-time equivalent direct work experience with people who have a mental illness; and

(d) Teaching experience:

(i) Two hundred hours experience teaching long-term care related subjects;

(ii) Successful completion of an adult education class that meets the requirements of WAC 388-112A-1297;

(iii) Successful completion of the DSHS instructor qualification/demonstration process; and

(iv) The instructor has been approved and contracted by the department as a community instructor;

(e) Instructors who will administer tests must have experience or training in assessment and competency testing; and

(2) Five years of full-time equivalent direct work experience with people who have a mental illness may substitute for either:

(a) The credential described in subsection (1)(b)(i) of this section; or

(b) The one year of education in college classes or eighty hours in seminars, conferences, continuing education described in subsection (1)(b)(ii).

(3) If your status is an approved instructor for mental health specialty training, you may instruct a new mental health specialty training curriculum after submitting to the department a copy of a certificate of completion for that curriculum and a copy of a certificate of completion of an adult education class that meets the requirements of WAC 388-112A-1297.