645—31.6(154D) Educational qualifications for mental health counselors.  The applicant must complete three semester credit hours, or equivalent quarter hours, of graduate level coursework in each of the content areas identified in subrule 31.6(2); no course may be used to fulfill more than one content area. The applicant must present proof of completion of the following educational requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor:
	31.6(1) Accredited program. Applicants must present with the application an official transcript verifying completion of a master’s degree of 60 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours) or a doctoral degree in counseling with emphasis in mental health counseling from a mental health counseling program accredited by the CACREP from a college or university accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education. Applicants who entered a program of study prior to July 1, 2012, must present with the application an official transcript verifying completion of a master’s degree of 45 semester hours or the equivalent; or
	31.6(2) Content-equivalent program. Applicants must present an official transcript verifying completion of a master’s degree or a doctoral degree from a college or university accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education that is content-equivalent to a master’s degree in counseling with emphasis in mental health counseling. Graduates from non-CACREP accredited mental health counseling programs shall provide an equivalency evaluation of their educational credentials by the CCE, website cce-global.org.
	31.6(3) Foreign-trained marital and family therapists or mental health counselors. Foreign-trained marital and family therapists or mental health counselors shall:
	a. 	Provide an equivalency evaluation of their educational credentials by the following: International Education Research Foundation, Inc., Credentials Evaluation Service, P.O. Box 3665, Culver City, CA 90231-3665; telephone 310.258.9451; website www.ierf.org or email at info@ierf.org. A candidate shall bear the expense of the curriculum evaluation.
	b. 	Receive a final determination from the board regarding the application for licensure.
[ARC 7917C, IAB 5/1/24, effective 6/5/24]