Be at least 18 years old;
Have a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED)
OR
Two years of experience as a primary caregiver to a child with severe emotional disturbance within the previous 10 years
AND
Meet pre-service and continuing education requirements

Be at least 18 years old;
Have an associate or bachelor’s degree
OR
4,000 hours of experience in delivering clinical services in the treatment of mental illness concerning children or adolescence;
AND
Meet pre-service and continuing education requirements.

Hold a bachelor’s degree in one of the behavioral sciences or related fields from an accredited college or university
AND
has at least 2,000 hours of supervised experience in delivery of mental health services to clients with mental illness;
OR
is fluent in non-English language of the cultural group to which at least 50 percent of the practitioner’s clients belong, completes 40 hours of training in the delivery of services to clients with mental illness, and receives clinical supervision from a mental health professional at least once a week until the requirements of 2,000 hours of supervised experience are met;
OR
has at least 6,000 hours of supervised experience in the delivery of mental health services to clients with mental illness. Hours worked as a mental health behavioral aide I or II may be included in the 6,000 hours of experience for child clients;
OR
is a graduate student in one of the mental health professional disciplines and is formally assigned by an accredited college or university to an agency or facility for clinical training;
OR
holds a master’s or other graduate degree in one of the mental health professional disciplines from an accredited college or university
OR
is an individual who is serving a federally recognized Indian tribe.