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Committee sends definition change for 'mental health professional' to the floor; peers added to tier list
Summary
The committee approved Senate Bill 2079 to move Licensed Professional Counselors from a higher tier into tier 2 and to add certified peer support specialists to tier 4 of the state mental health professional definitions; supporters said the change will expand the available workforce for certain evaluations and petitions.
The Senate Human Services Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 2079, which would change North Dakota’s statutory definition of mental health professionals so licensed professional counselors (LPC) are placed in tier 2 and certified peer support specialists are added to tier 4.
Dr. Shauna Eberhardt of the Department of Health and Human Services told the committee the department requested the bill to increase workforce flexibility. "The requested change would move licensed professional counselors to a tier 2 status and remove them from the tier 3 mental health professional definition," she said. Eberhardt explained LPCs complete two years of supervised clinical experience and may practice and bill independently in the state, while licensed professional clinical counselors (LPCC) require an additional 3,000 hours and a national exam.
The bill would allow LPCs to perform certain tasks designated for tier 2 professionals, including investigation and evaluation duties tied to petitions under state code. The department also proposed adding certified peer support specialists to tier 4 to reflect the professionalization of peer services and their role in recovery: "Peer support is a nationally recognized service and is now considered a best practice," Eberhardt said.
Nexus Path Family Healing submitted written testimony through Kelvin Benson, citing high youth behavioral-health need in North Dakota and supporting the change as a way to increase access. Benson read figures from the organization’s materials about student mental-health indicators and argued the bill could improve workforce availability.
Senators discussed workforce supply and training; Senator Kathy Hogan noted statewide shortages and asked the department for licensure counts. Committee members moved and seconded a do-pass recommendation; the roll call produced unanimous approval and the bill will move forward to the Senate floor.
