Collaborative Relationship with the Coalition for Mental Health Counselors (CMHC)
MMHCA is excited to announce a collaborative relationship with the Coalition for Mental Health Counselors (CMHC). This collaboration formed in 2024 after a team of therapists in Missouri reached out to build and administer an advanced supervision training for Missouri therapists that cover topics around effective supervision strategies and supports. As a result of these conversations, the Coalition for Mental Health Counselors has begun pursuing an evidence-based approach to advanced supervision strategies specific to Missouri. Effective January 2025, CMHC has received IRB approval and is actively engaging in collecting research.
The Coalition for Mental Health Counselors (CMHC), originating in MO, aims to strengthen client and practitioner protection by putting measures in place to ensure community access to ethical and competent mental health services through the standardization of quality care. The coalition’s goals are derived from the ACA code of ethics and the existing code of ethics for MO. The CMHC encompasses all mental health licensure designations and invites anyone interested in protecting the trust in the mental health industry to take action through modeling ethical and competent practice, gaining education in supervision, and other important areas of education that Missouri does not require in order to fulfill the ethical duties of the licensure proudly held. The coalition endeavors to make additions to the current Missouri regulations in order to hold professionals accountable who do not wish to assume responsibility for maintaining the ethical code on their own, which will serve as gatekeeping to protect the reputation of the industry as well as the consumer of mental health services.
How to engage in research?
To complete the Coalition for Mental Health Counselors initial research survey, please use this link.
MMHCA is partnering with CMHC at the 2025 Annual Conference and will be offering a clock hour training that empowers content development around advanced supervision and research. This training is capped at 30 participants and will be managed on a first come-first serve basis for conference participants. No pre-registration required.
Will the advanced supervision training be different from MMHCA’s Supervision Training?
The current MMHCA Supervision Training aligns with Missouri’s minimum standards for an individually licensed counselor to obtain a supervisor endorsement. This standard is set forth by the Missouri Board for Licensed Professional Counselors. This training covers rules around supervision, how to establish safe supervision practices between a supervisor and supervisee, and strategies around supervision processes.
The advanced supervision training being developed by CMHC will expand and develop a second layer of supervisor education that focuses on topics around strategies for effective leadership, healthy and safe supervision relationships, and other key topics that are identified as part of the research process. MMHCA is endorsing the development of and integration of the advanced supervision training and will be offering the official training once research has concluded and training is ready for implementation. These trainings will work independent of each other to offer an informed, educated partnership that is designed to grow healthy supervision practices in the State of Missouri.
Timeline around this partnership.
● In 2023, the Missouri Mental Health Counseling Association began to receive feedback requesting an expansion of services around supervision training.
● In 2024, the CMHC was formed and contacted MMHCA to form a formal partnership.
● In 2025, the MMHCA and CMHC partnership was made official and research has gone live per IRB approval and MMHCA gathered information from our current training to explore gaps in coverage and feedback from past participants. CMCH presents at the 2025 Annual Conference to gather information connected to research implementation.
