Before beginning your PSS certification application, it’s important to understand what clinical eligibility criteria you fall under. The Texas Board of Certification offers five different applications depending on your clinical and supervisory experience.
As outlined by the Texas Administrative Code, a Peer Specialist Supervisor must be:
-
A QCC (Qualified Credentialed Counselor)
-
A LPHA (Licensed Practitioner of the Healing Arts)
-
A QMHP-CS (Qualified Mental Health Professional – Community Supervision), supervised under a QCC or LMHP
-
A QPS, supervised under a QCC or LMHP
However, these titles are complex, and it may be difficult to understand which category you fall under. This article will outline what each of these categories are, as well as what application you should use for those respective categories.
Qualified Credentialed Counselor (QCC) #
A Qualified Credentialed Counselor is a person with one of the following clinical licenses, acting within the authorized scope of that license:
-
licensed professional counselor
-
licensed clinical social worker
-
licensed marriage and family therapist
-
psychologist
-
physician
-
physician’s assistant
-
licensed chemical dependency counselor
-
certified addictions registered nurse
-
advanced practice nurse, recognized by the Board of Nurse Examiners as a clinical nurse specialist or practitioner with a specialty in psychiatric-mental health nursing.
If you hold any of the aforementioned licenses, you will qualify as a QCC. A QCC will qualify to go through Peer Specialist Supervisor training without further education or supervision. A QCC is also qualified to supervise other types of Peer Specialist Supervisors, detailed below. If you are a QCC, after completing 2-day PSS training you will use the certification application titled “PSS-QCC or LPHA”.
Licensed Practitioner of the Healing Arts (LPHA) #
A Licensed Practitioner of the Healing Arts is a person with one of the following clinical licenses, acting within the authorized scope of that license:
-
physician
-
licensed professional counselor
-
licensed clinical social worker
-
psychologist
-
advanced practice registered nurse
-
physician assistant
-
licensed marriage and family therapist.
If you hold any of the aforementioned licenses, you will qualify as a LPHA. A LPHA will qualify to go through Peer Specialist Supervisor training without further education or supervision. A LPHA is also qualified to supervise other types of Peer Specialist Supervisors, detailed below. If you are a LPHA, after completing 2-day PSS training you will use the certification application titled “PSS-QCC or LPHA”.
Qualified Mental Health Professional – Community Supervision (QMHP-CS), with a QCC or LPHA supervisor #
A Qualified Mental Health Professional – Community Supervision is a person with some level of college education in select fields, a licensed registered nurse, or some combination of the two. Most references to a QMHP-CS refer to it as just a QMHP – they are the same thing, so if you see QMHP, understand it is referring to a QMHP-CS.
In order to qualify as a QMHP, one must meet at least one of the following requirements:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum number of hours that are equivalent to a major in:
- Psychology
- social work
- Medicine
- Nursing
- Rehabilitation
- Counseling
- Sociology
- Human growth and development
- Physician assistance
- Gerontology
- special education
- educational psychology
- early childhood education
- early childhood intervention.
2. Be a Licensed Registered Nurse
As a QMHP seeking certification as a PSS, you must also be supervised by someone who falls under the QCC or LMHP categories. To better understand the hierarchy of supervision, please see the flowchart at the end of this article. Additionally, there are two PSS applications for a QMHP, depending on which of the above categories you fall under.
If you have a bachelor’s degree, you will use the certification application titled “PSS – QMHP-CS w/Degree under LCC or LPHA” after completing your two-day PSS training. If you are a licensed registered nurse, you will use the certification application titled “PSS- QMHP-CS w/License under QCC or LPHA” after completing your two-day PSS training. If you meet both criteria, just choose one.
Qualified Peer Specialist (QPS), with a QCC or LPHA supervisor #
A Qualified Peer Specialist is a person who is certified as a peer specialist, and has some level of education, work experience as a peer specialist, or some combination of the two. For the purposes of this qualification a peer specialist includes a Mental Health Peer Specialist, Recovery Support Peer Specialist, or Certified Family Partner. There are two specific categories that identifies one as a Qualified Peer Specialist:
- you have a GED or high school diploma, and at least four years of work experience as a peer specialist
or;
- an associate degree or higher from an accredited university, and at least two years of experience as a peer specialist.
As a QPS seeking certification as a PSS, you must also be supervised by someone who falls under the QCC or LMHP categories. To better understand the hierarchy of supervision, please see the flowchart at the end of this article. Additionally, there are two PSS applications for a QPS, depending on which of the above categories you fall under.
If you have a GED/high school diploma and at least four years of work experience, you will use the certification application titled “PSS – Peer Specialist w/out Degree” after completing your two-day PSS training. If you have an associate degree or higher and at least two years of work experience as a peer specialist, you will use the certification application titled “PSS – Peer Specialist w/ Degree” after completing your two-day PSS training.
Here is a quick flowchart that showing the two TAC compliant oversight structures for peer specialists:
