Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-110

§1665e Licensing Requirement for Mental Health Care Workers

Title 25 › CHAPTER 18 — INDIAN HEALTH CARE › SUBCHAPTER V–A — BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAMS › Part A — General Programs › § 1665e

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Requires anyone hired to give clinical mental health care to Indians as a psychologist, social worker, or marriage and family therapist to hold the proper license, subject to section 1621t and the trainee rules below. Allows a trainee to provide those services if they work under direct supervision of a licensed professional, are enrolled in or have completed at least 2 years of a post-secondary, accredited program in psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, or counseling, and meet any other training, supervision, and quality-review rules the Secretary sets.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §1665e

Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general
Subject to section 1621t of this title, and except as provided in subsection (b), any individual employed as a psychologist, social worker, or marriage and family therapist for the purpose of providing mental health care services to Indians in a clinical setting under this chapter is required to be licensed as a psychologist, social worker, or marriage and family therapist, respectively.
(b)Trainees
An individual may be employed as a trainee in psychology, social work, or marriage and family therapy to provide mental health care services described in subsection (a) if such individual—
(1)works under the direct supervision of a licensed psychologist, social worker, or marriage and family therapist, respectively;
(2)is enrolled in or has completed at least 2 years of course work at a post-secondary, accredited education program for psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, or counseling; and
(3)meets such other training, supervision, and quality review requirements as the Secretary may establish.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 94–437, Sept. 30, 1976, 90 Stat. 1400, known as the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1601 of this title and Tables. Codification section 706 of Pub. L. 94–437 is based on section 181 of title I of S. 1790, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, as reported by the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate in Dec. 2009, which was enacted into law by section 10221(a) of Pub. L. 111–148.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 1665e, Pub. L. 94–437, title VII, § 706, as added Pub. L. 102–573, title VII, § 702(a), Oct. 29, 1992, 106 Stat. 4576; amended Pub. L. 104–313, § 2(e), Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3822, provided for establishment of an alcohol and substance abuse residential treatment center in Gallup, New Mexico, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 111–148.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 1665e

Title 25, Indians

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110