{"data":{"id":"us-va/va.-code-54.1-3521","jurisdiction":"us-va","citation":"Va. Code § 54.1-3521","heading":"Scope of practice, supervision, and qualifications of qualified mental health professional-trainees","body":"A. A qualified mental health professional-trainee shall be qualified to perform, under Board-approved supervision, collaborative behavioral health services, including the supportive functions of (i) screening; (ii) intake; (iii) orientation; (iv) care coordination; (v) client education; (vi) referral activities; (vii) initiating crisis de-escalation; (viii) gathering histories of mental and physical health conditions, alcohol and drug use, past mental health treatment, and interactions with the criminal justice system; (ix) providing psychosocial skills development; (x) implementing interventions as assigned on individual plans of care and documenting the interventions for the purposes of recordkeeping; and (xi) prevention of mental health and substance use disorders. A registered qualified mental health professional-trainee shall not engage in independent or autonomous practice and shall only perform collaborative behavioral health services.B. Such registered qualified mental health professional-trainees shall be supervised by a mental health professional licensed by the Department of Health Professions who has completed the required supervisor training, a person under supervision that has been approved by the Board of Counseling, Board of Psychology, or Board of Social Work as a prerequisite for licensure and who has completed the required supervisor training, or a registered qualified mental health professional who has practiced for three years and completed the required supervisor training.C. Pursuant to regulations adopted by the Board, an applicant for registration as a qualified mental health professional-trainee shall submit evidence satisfactory to the Board that the applicant has (i) completed a specified number of hours of didactic education in a program or programs recognized or approved by the Board and (ii) received, at a minimum, a bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Board or is actively enrolled and in good standing in a bachelor's degree program from an institution of higher education accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Board.2024, c. 595.","path":["Title 54.1. Professions and Occupations","Subtitle III. Professions and Occupations Regulated by Boards Within the Department of Health Professions","Chapter 35. Professional Counseling","Article 4. Behavioral Health Technicians and Qualified Mental Health Professionals"],"source_url":"https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/54.1-3521/","current_through":"9/4/2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-04T15:17:24Z","sha256":"f3610f7a00bd5acc906f19a86d87b5672c6a086579d8cb79b2842216ca1b3b5e","source_id":"us-va","stale":true,"prev":"us-va/va.-code-54.1-3520","next":"us-va/va.-code-54.1-3600"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}