245G.11 STAFF QUALIFICATIONS.

§

Subdivision 1.General qualifications.

(a) All staff members who have direct contact must be 18 years of age or older. §

Subd. 2.

MS 2020 [Repealed, 2022 c 98 art 12 s 21] §

Subd. 3.Treatment directors.

A treatment director must:

(1) have at least one year of work experience in direct service to an individual with substance use disorder or one year of work experience in the management or administration of direct service to an individual with substance use disorder;

(2) have a baccalaureate degree or three years of work experience in administration or personnel supervision in human services; and

(3) know and understand the implications of this chapter, sections 626.557 and 626.5572, and chapters 245A and 260E. Demonstration of the treatment director’s knowledge must be documented in the personnel record. §

Subd. 4.Alcohol and drug counselor supervisors.

An alcohol and drug counselor supervisor must:

(1) meet the qualification requirements in subdivision 5;

(2) have three or more years of experience providing individual and group counseling to individuals with substance use disorder; and

(3) know and understand the implications of this chapter, sections 245A.65, 626.557, and 626.5572, and chapter 260E. §

Subd. 5.Alcohol and drug counselor qualifications.

(a) An alcohol and drug counselor must either be licensed or exempt from licensure under chapter 148F.

(b) An individual who is exempt from licensure under chapter 148F, must meet one of the following additional requirements:

(1) completion of at least a baccalaureate degree with a major or concentration in social work, nursing, sociology, human services, or psychology, or licensure as a registered nurse; successful completion of a minimum of 120 hours of classroom instruction in which each of the core functions listed in chapter 148F is covered; and successful completion of 440 hours of supervised experience as an alcohol and drug counselor, either as a student or a staff member;

(2) completion of at least 270 hours of drug counselor training in which each of the core functions listed in chapter 148F is covered, and successful completion of 880 hours of supervised experience as an alcohol and drug counselor, either as a student or as a staff member;

(3) current certification as an alcohol and drug counselor or alcohol and drug counselor reciprocal, through the evaluation process established by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, Inc.;

(4) completion of a bachelor’s degree including 480 hours of alcohol and drug counseling education from an accredited school or educational program and 880 hours of alcohol and drug counseling practicum; or

(5) employment in a program formerly licensed under Minnesota Rules, parts 9530.5000 to 9530.6400, and successful completion of 6,000 hours of supervised work experience in a licensed program as an alcohol and drug counselor prior to January 1, 2005.

(c) An alcohol and drug counselor may not provide a treatment service that requires professional licensure unless the individual possesses the necessary license. For the purposes of enforcing this section, the commissioner has the authority to monitor a service provider’s compliance with the relevant standards of the service provider’s profession and may issue licensing actions against the license holder according to sections 245A.05, 245A.06, and 245A.07, based on the commissioner’s determination of noncompliance. §

Subd. 6.Paraprofessionals.

A paraprofessional must have knowledge of client rights, according to section 148F.165, and staff member responsibilities. A paraprofessional may not make decisions to admit, transfer, or discharge a client but may perform tasks related to intake and orientation. A paraprofessional may be the responsible staff member according to section 245G.10, subdivision 3. A paraprofessional must not provide a treatment service unless qualified to do so according to section 245G.07, subdivision 3.

[See Note.] §

Subd. 7.Treatment coordination provider qualifications.

(a) Treatment coordination must be provided by qualified staff. An individual is qualified to provide treatment coordination if the individual meets the qualifications of an alcohol and drug counselor under subdivision 5 or if the individual:

(1) is skilled in the process of identifying and assessing a wide range of client needs;

(2) is knowledgeable about local community resources and how to use those resources for the benefit of the client;

(3) has completed 15 hours of education or training on substance use disorder, co-occurring conditions, and care coordination for individuals with substance use disorder or co-occurring conditions that is consistent with national evidence-based standards;

(4) meets one of the following criteria:

(i) has a bachelor’s degree in one of the behavioral sciences or related fields;

(ii) has a high school diploma or equivalent; or

(iii) is a mental health practitioner who meets the qualifications under section 245I.04, subdivision 4; and

(5) either has at least 1,000 hours of supervised experience working with individuals with substance use disorder or co-occurring conditions or receives treatment supervision at least once per week until obtaining 1,000 hours of supervised experience working with individuals with substance use disorder or co-occurring conditions.

(b) A treatment coordinator must receive the following levels of supervision from an alcohol and drug counselor or a mental health professional whose scope of practice includes substance use disorder treatment and assessments:

(1) for a treatment coordinator that has not obtained 1,000 hours of supervised experience under paragraph (a), clause (5), at least one hour of supervision per week; or

(2) for a treatment coordinator that has obtained at least 1,000 hours of supervised experience under paragraph (a), clause (5), at least one hour of supervision per month. §

Subd. 8.Recovery peer qualifications.

A recovery peer must:

(1) meet the qualifications in section 245I.04, subdivision 18; and

(2) provide services according to the scope of practice established in section 245I.04, subdivision 19, under the supervision of an alcohol and drug counselor.

[See Note.] §

Subd. 9.Volunteers.

A volunteer may provide treatment service when the volunteer is supervised and can be seen or heard by a staff member meeting the criteria in subdivision 4 or 5, but may not practice alcohol and drug counseling unless qualified under subdivision 5. §

Subd. 10.Student interns and former students.

(a) A qualified staff member must supervise and be responsible for a treatment service performed by a student intern and must review and sign each assessment, individual treatment plan, and treatment plan review prepared by a student intern.

(b) An alcohol and drug counselor must supervise and be responsible for a treatment service performed by a former student and must review and sign each assessment, individual treatment plan, and treatment plan review prepared by the former student.

(c) A student intern or former student must receive the orientation and training required in section 245G.13, subdivisions 1, clause (7), and 2. No more than 50 percent of the treatment staff may be student interns or former students with time documented to be directly related to the provision of treatment services for which the staff are authorized. §

Subd. 11.Individuals with temporary permit.

An individual with a temporary permit from the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy may provide substance use disorder treatment services and complete comprehensive assessments, individual treatment plans, treatment plan reviews, and service discharge summaries according to this subdivision if they meet the requirements of either paragraph (a) or (b).

(a) An individual with a temporary permit must be supervised by a licensed alcohol and drug counselor assigned by the license holder. The supervising licensed alcohol and drug counselor must document the amount and type of supervision provided at least on a weekly basis. The supervision must relate to the clinical practice.

(b) An individual with a temporary permit must be supervised by a clinical supervisor approved by the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. The supervision must be documented and meet the requirements of section 148F.04, subdivision 4. §

Subd. 12.Behavioral health practitioners.

(a) A behavioral health practitioner must meet the qualifications in section 245I.04, subdivision 4.

(b) A behavioral health practitioner working within a substance use disorder treatment program licensed under this chapter has the following scope of practice:

(1) a behavioral health practitioner may provide clients with recovery support services, as defined in section 245G.07, subdivision 2a, paragraph (b), clause (1); and

(2) a behavioral health practitioner must not provide treatment supervision to other staff persons.

(c) A behavioral health practitioner working within a substance use disorder treatment program licensed under this chapter must receive at least one hour of supervision per month on individual service delivery from an alcohol and drug counselor or a mental health professional who has substance use treatment and assessments within the scope of their practice.

[See Note.]

History:

1Sp2017 c 6 art 8 s 24; 1Sp2019 c 9 art 2 s 83; art 6 s 22,23; 1Sp2020 c 2 art 8 s 76,77; 2022 c 98 art 4 s 51; art 12 s 13,14; 2023 c 50 art 3 s 2; 2023 c 70 art 6 s 35; 2024 c 108 art 4 s 10; 2025 c 38 art 4 s 22; art 5 s 20; 1Sp2025 c 9 art 4 s 17,18

**NOTE: **The amendment to subdivision 6 by Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 9, article 4, section 17, is effective July 1, 2026, or upon federal approval, whichever is later. The commissioner of human services shall notify the revisor of statutes when federal approval is obtained. Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 9, article 4, section 17, the effective date.

**NOTE: **The amendments to subdivision 8 by Laws 2023, chapter 50, article 3, section 2, are effective upon federal approval. The commissioner of human services shall notify the revisor of statutes when federal approval is obtained. Laws 2023, chapter 50, article 3, section 2, the effective date.

**NOTE: **Subdivision 12, as added by Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 9, article 4, section 18, is effective July 1, 2026, or upon federal approval, whichever is later. The commissioner of human services shall notify the revisor of statutes when federal approval is obtained. Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 9, article 4, section 18, the effective date.

History: History: 1Sp2017 c 6 art 8 s 24; 1Sp2019 c 9 art 2 s 83; art 6 s 22,23; 1Sp2020 c 2 art 8 s 76,77; 2022 c 98 art 4 s 51; art 12 s 13,14; 2023 c 50 art 3 s 2; 2023 c 70 art 6 s 35; 2024 c 108 art 4 s 10; 2025 c 38 art 4 s 22; art 5 s 20; 1Sp2025 c 9 art 4 s 17,18