What is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern?
You may be wondering:
Just what is a registered mental health counselor intern??
M.Ed., Ed.S., RMHCI…….What do all these letters mean?
Let me explain. Before I became a therapist, I also had no idea about the different licenses and degree options for mental health professionals. So, here's a little crash course for you. Let's start at the beginning. Like many other healthcare professionals (nurses, doctors, psychologists, etc.), mental health counselors and therapists are licensed by their state licensing board. In Florida, that is the Florida Department of Health. You can search providers to see their licensure status and also see if they have had any complaints or disciplinary actions filed against them.
A registered mental health counselor intern (RMHCI) is a type of licensing status in Florida. Many other states have changed the name of this type of license to "Counselor Associates" or "Pre-licensed Professional" as the term "intern" is misleading and could be considered demeaning as it implies a lack of professional experience.
All RMHCI's have completed at least a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in mental health counseling from an accredited graduate program. They have also completed a year-long graduate internship with a state-required minimum number of hours of group, family, and individual counseling sessions. They are allowed to practice independently with supervision, similar to a medical residency.
Many interns exceed these hours, such as myself, during their graduate internship. This process is supervised by multiple licensed professionals as well as counseling professors. The student's performance is evaluated during this year, which is an essential step in the development of a counselor as it provides the necessary experience to practice independently post-graduation. Once a new counselor graduates, they can apply for an RMHCI provisional license. This type of license allows them to practice independently with biweekly supervision and working in close contact with other licensed professionals. Supervision is a process in which the registered intern discusses client cases with a more experienced clinical supervisor. It is required at least biweekly and it allows for the supervisor to give feedback, consultation, and guidance to the registered intern in a one-on-one or group setting with other interns. The work done by the registered interns is still independent, but it is checked over by their supervisor to make sure that they are on the right track.
A registered intern has received their degrees and is able to treat clients independently, but they are still earning hours towards becoming fully licensed. This process can take anywhere from 2-5 years. The purpose of this period is to gain professional experience working independently while still having the safety net of being supervised by a more experienced, licensed colleague who can oversee cases and ensure that the RMHCI is practicing ethically and continuing to learn.
The practice of mental health counseling, like any field related to human development and health, is expansive. Despite the extensive academic training and year-long professional internship completed in school, it still takes many additional years to encounter all the different kinds of issues that can come up. In fact, even fully licensed counselors are required by the state to complete continuing education on an ongoing basis, as mental healthcare is constantly evolving and counselors have to stay updated with the latest regulations, legal concerns, and research.
I hope that this explanation has provided some much needed clarity to the qualifications and professional titles held by different mental health providers.
Thank you for reading!
Daniela Childers
M.Ed., Ed.S., RMHCI (and know you know what it all means!)