Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature
Skip Navigation Links > >

Minnesota Agencies

Information on Minnesota State Agencies, Boards, Task Forces, and Commissions

Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library


Mental Health Practice Office

Also known as:
Office of Mental Health Practice
Active dates:1991-2009
Function:

From 1991 enacting law: "The office of mental health practice is created in the Department of Health to investigate complaints and take and enforce disciplinary actions against all unlicensed mental health practitioners for violations of prohibited conduct. The office shall also serve as a clearinghouse on mental health services and both licensed and unlicensed mental health professionals, through the dissemination of objective information to consumers and through the development and performance of public education activities."

From 1996/1998 Biennial Report: "... regulates unlicensed mental health practitioners by establishing prohibited acts and a code of ethics for persons otherwise not licensed by mental health boards or the Minnesota Department of Health. There is no credentialing component in this program and its activities involve investigations and enforcement only."

Succeeded by:
Office of Mental Health Practices Committee
History:

The Mental Health Practice Office was established on July 1, 1991 and succeeded the Unlicensed Mental Health Service Providers Board which sunset on that same date.

Name change and sunset provisions: 2005 Minn. Laws Chap. 147 Art. 8 Sec. 2 Subd. 4. This law transferred the duties of the Office of Mental Health Practice from the Minnesota Dept. of Health to the Mental Health-Related Licensing Boards. The name was changed to the Office of Mental Health Practices Committee.

Per the law, "The committee shall prepare and submit a report to the legislature by January 15, 2009, evaluating the activity of the office and making recommendations concerning the regulation of unlicensed mental health practitioners. In the absence of legislative action to continue the committee, the committee expires on June 30, 2009".

The report, Recommendations Concerning the Regulation of Unlicensed Mental Health Practitioners in Minnesota (2009) recommended that the Committee be allowed to sunset. From the report transmittal letter: "In sum, the Office of Mental Health Practice is recommending that the Office be allowed to sunset. Additionally, the report includes several recommendations that generally propose that unlicensed mental health practice not be allowed in Minnesota, unless the
practitioner is otherwise licensed or exempt pursuant to ...". (See reports section below for a link to the report).

Subordinate to:
Agency heads:

Director; term: at the pleasure of the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health

Note: The Legislative Reference Library may have additional reports on or by this group available through our catalog.
Documents/Articles:
Status of health occupations program. Minnesota Department of Health, 2005.
News clippings and documents. Agencies Notebook Collection, 1991.
Record last updated: 07/25/2023
 

All information on this group from the Library’s collection of agency notebooks has been digitized. These materials are incorporated into the “documents/articles” section of the record. Please contact a librarian with any questions. The Minnesota Agencies database is a work in progress.

Agencies image