Minnesota Agencies

Responsible for licensing and disciplining Licensed Professional Counselors and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors.

The board shall establish by rule appropriate techniques for determining whether applicants and licensees are qualfied; establish standards for professional conduct; issue licenses to qualified individuals; establish standards for initial education including coursework for licensure; establish standard for disciplinary process; establish, maintain and publish a register of licensees and supervisors; establish application and fees; educate the public; establish regulations pertaining to treatment for impaired practitioners; and periodically evaluate its rules in order to refine the standards for licensing professional counselors and alcohol and drug counselors, and to improve the methods used to enforce the board's standards.

Summary of Activities: New Board in 2003; Alcohol and Drug counselors added July 1, 2005.

2004 Minn Laws Chap. 279 Art. 5 Sec. 11 amended Minn. Stat. 148B.51 with the following language concerning Alcohol and Drug Counselors:

Sec. 11. [TRANSITION PLAN.]
The commissioner of health, in consultation with the executive directors of the health-related licensing boards, must develop a transition plan to transfer the authority for licensed alcohol and drug counselors from the commissioner of health to the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy and for the regulation of individuals after July 1, 2005, who are not regulated by a health-related licensing board or the commissioner of health and who are providing mental health services for remuneration. The transition plan must include any necessary legislative language to transfer authority and corresponding funding to the board, identify critical licensing activities, and specify a schedule for transferring all duties and activities.

As of 2011, the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy consists of 13 members appointed by the governor. Five of the members shall be professional counselors licensed or eligible for licensure under sections 148B.50 to 148B.593. Five of the members shall be alcohol and drug counselors licensed under chapter 148C. Three of the members shall be public members as defined in section 214.02.

At the time of their appointments, at least two members of the board must reside outside of the seven-county metropolitan area, and two members of the board must be members of: a community of color; or an underrepresented community, defined as a group that is not represented in the majority with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical ability.