Certifications and Training Information

Behavioral Health Services oversees a variety of facility and individual licensing/certification that enhance the services provided to consumers in Kansas.To find the licensing and/or certification information for each type of facility, including their standards/regulations and application documents, please click the appropriate link below:

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Kansas Problem Gambling Counselor Certification and Application
Eligibility Requirements
(Revised July 1, 2012)
Problem gambling services, for which state reimbursement is sought, must be provided by individuals who meet the following provider qualifications and certification requirements:
Provider Qualifications:
Problem gambling services, except residential treatment, must be provided by individuals who meet the following qualifications:
1. Shall be working for a Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) - licensed or KDADS-certified alcohol and drug treatment program, or
2. Shall be working for an KDADS-licensed community mental health center, or
3. Shall be licensed by the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB) at the clinical level, or
4. Shall be licensed by the state of Kansas to practice medicine or surgery, or both, or
5. Shall be licensed by Kansas state board of nursing as an advanced registered nurse practitioner in the category of clinical nurse specialist.
Problem gambling residential treatment services must be provided by individuals working for a KDADS-licensed or KDADS-certified alcohol and drug treatment program.
Certification Requirements:
A. Kansas Certified Gambling Counselor Level I (KCGC I)
Individuals seeking the KCGC I must hold a current certification as a National Certified Gambling Counselor OR meet all of the following conditions:
1. (a) Hold a Master’s or Doctorate Degree in a related field from an accredited college or university, OR (b) Hold a Bachelor’s Degree and licensed with the BSRB as an LAC or LCAC, and
2. Complete a designated gambling specific training program approved by KDADS/Behavioral Health Services (BHS), and
3. Receive a passing score on a designated problem gambling counselor exam approved by KDADS/BHS, and
4. Complete 24 hours of supervision in problem gambling counseling. Supervision shall be obtained over a minimum of a 12 month period (with no more than 4 hours of supervision each month) to a maximum of a 3 year period. The supervision must be documented and include evidence of an assessment and evaluation of the counselor’s KCGC professional competencies. The supervision must be from a:
  Kansas Certified Gambling Counselor Level II (KCGC II), or
  National Board Approved Clinical Consultant (BACC), or
  National Certified Gambling Counselor II (NCGC II), or
  KDADS approved KCGC Level I, or NCGC I, or
  KDADS approved individual practicing in another state as a problem gambling counselor with equivalent experience and education as either a KCGC II or BACC.
B. Provisional Kansas Certified Gambling Counselor Level I (P-KCGC I)
Individuals meeting the educational requirements of a KCGC I, as specified under conditions 1 and 2 of the KCGC I requirements, may apply for a P-KCGC I certificate. Provisional certificate is a temporary certificate that allows an individual to provide problem gambling treatment services. P-KCGC I status may be held a maximum of three (3) years. To apply for a P-KCGC I certificate, an individual must meet the following conditions:
1. Submission of a P-KCGC I application, including signing an agreement to abide by the P-KCGC I practice ethics, and
2. Submission of a written plan including applicable dates to take and pass a designated problem gambling counselor exam approved by KDADS/BHS, not to exceed 365 days from completion of the KDADS designated gambling specific training program, and
3. Submission of a written supervisory plan describing how the P-KCGC I will obtain clinical supervision for services provided to problem gamblers and their concerned others. The plan will show how the P-KCGC I will complete 24 hours of supervision in problem gambling counseling, including a timeline and methodology to assess and document the counselor’s P-KCGC competencies and any additional training needs. The supervision shall be obtained over a minimum of a 12 month period (with no more than 4 hours of supervision each month) to a maximum of a 3 year period. The supervision must be documented and include evidence of an assessment and evaluation of the counselor’s KCGC professional competencies. The supervision must be completed and documented by a:
  Kansas Certified Gambling Counselor Level II (KCGC II), or
  National Board Approved Clinical Consultant (BACC), or
  National Certified Gambling Counselor II (NCGC II), or
  KDADS approved KCGC Level I, or NCGC I, or
  KDADS approved individual practicing in another state as a problem gambling counselor with equivalent experience and education as either a KCGC II or BACC
Kansas Certified Peer Mentor Certification (SUD)

Kansas Certified Peer Mentoring is provided by people who are in long-term recovery and have been trained in providing recovery support. The purpose of providing this service is to help build recovery capacity for persons new to recovery by connecting them to recovery by connecting them to naturally occurring resources in the community, assist in reduction of barriers to fully engaging in recovery, and providing support in skill development for maintaining a recovery lifestyle.
For more information regarding Behavioral Health Services Peer Support Policies click here.

Kansas Certified Peer Mentor Training Information (SUD)
Kansas Certified Peer Specialist (MH)

Kansas Certified Peer Specialists are people who have been successful in the recovery process who help others experiencing similar situations. Through shared understanding, respect, and mutual empowerment, peer support workers help people become and stay engaged in the recovery process. Peer support services can effectively extend the reach of treatment beyond the clinical setting into the everyday environment of those seeking a successful, sustained recovery process.
Kansas Certified Peer Specialist Training Information
Person Centered Case Management Certification
Person Centered Case Manage (PCCM) is a service based on a strength perspective. When a person struggles with substance use disorders, or co-occurring disorders, the focus is placed on the person, not the problem/illnesses. The stated social outcomes, desires, and aspirations of the person drive the helping activities of the case manager. Key concepts of PCCM include collaboration, power sharing, mutability, social/behavioral outcomes (may precede authentic cognitive changes), harm reduction, and recovery.
State Institutional Alternatives

Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) has worked in cooperation with the Mental Health Task Force, the Governor’s Behavioral Health Planning Council, Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs), and other stakeholders to expand the number of regional psychiatric hospital beds (State Institutional Alternatives) to serve individuals with mental illness meeting the criteria for state hospital admission. Adding this capacity regionally will help serve patients closer to their home communities.
Funding from the State General Fund will be used to contract with providers to provide hospital bed space for adults and children. These “regional” beds would be financed using a combination of state dollars, Medicaid, or other private insurance when patients have insurance coverage available. These beds will supplement the Osawatomie State Hospital capacity to meet immediate needs with the same focus on short inpatient stays, initiating treatment, and smoothly transitioning patients into community-based treatment.
“State Institutional Alternatives (SIA)” are defined as facilities that provide inpatient psychiatric treatment and are authorized by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) to serve as an alternative to placement in a state mental health institution.
Source: Kansas Medicaid State Plan
A facility or hospital seeking to receive authorization as an SIA shall submit the SIA application with accreditation documentation to the Adult Inpatient Coordinator, Cynthia Edwards. Once the application is reviewed, a letter with the result of the review (authorized or not authorized) will be sent to the applicant. Authorized applicants will receive instruction on next steps to become an SIA.
Application for State Institutional Alternatives Authorization

For information on behavioral health facility licensing, such as for Community Mental Health Centers, Private Psychiatric Hospitals, Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities, Residential Care Facilities, or Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs, or to become certified as an Alcohol and Drug Evaluator per K.S.A. 8-1008, please visit the KDADS Survey, Certification, and Credentialing Commission here.

For information on becoming licensed as an addiction counselor, clinical addiction counselor, psychologist, social worker, professional counselor, Master's Level psychologist, or marriage and family therapist in the state of Kansas, please contact the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board at 785-296-3240.

Certifications and Training Information

Kansas Problem Gambling Counselor Certification and Application

Eligibility Requirements

Provider Qualifications:

Certification Requirements:

Kansas Certified Peer Mentor Certification (SUD)

Kansas Certified Peer Specialist (MH)

Person Centered Case Management Certification

State Institutional Alternatives