Mental Health Support Specialist (MHSS)

The Mental Health Support Specialist (MHSS) provides daily living support and residential services to individuals with mental illness. In order to be a MHSS you must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or a GED.

The MHSS course meets one of the requirements for Mental Health Rehabilitation Technician MHRT I certification. MHSS consists of approximately 35-hours of training and it is regularly offered throughout Maine by various agencies and trainers. The MHSS course may be waived in certain circumstances. Please see the section of our website on MHRT I for details.

NEW! For trainers of the MHSS curriculum and the MHRT/C non-academic domain training, there is now a page containing supplemental material, (link opens in a new page) shared by other approved trainers. If you have material you would like to share, please send it to cfl-muskie@maine.edu

As a Mental Health Support Specialist (MHSS) trainer, you have a variety of requirements. Some of your responsibilities include: Offering the MHSS course to participants at least one time per year; notifying the Center for Learning at least 30 days before you teach the MHSS course; and collecting course evaluations from participants and submitting them to the Center for Learning.

You will also need to submit a Validation Form (confirmation of the dates that you taught the class and the names of participants who attended) to the Center for Learning.

By clicking on the following link, you will find detailed information about MHSS training policies and procedures.

• MHSS Training Policies and Procedural Manual (PDF)

Please note that in 2006, the Direct Support Professional and Mental Health Support Specialist curricula were compared. It was determined that the following three modules are interchangeable between the two curricula: Confidentiality, Documentation, and Sexuality.

NOTICE FOR MHSS TRAINERS:

The Office of Behavorial Health Services revised the MHSS evaluation policy in 2012. The policy includes the following:

1) Trainer(s) will assign one student to distribute the evaluations, collect them once completed, and place them in an envelope provided ahead of time by Center for Learning. The envelope will have instructions for both the designated student and trainer. 2) Trainer(s) will leave the room while students complete their evaluation form. 3) Trainer(s) may reenter the room after all evaluation forms have been collected and sealed by the designated individual.

Please notify the Center for Learning (using the MHSS Trainer Notification form) within 30 days prior to offering a course so that we can ensure you have the envelope and instructions prior to the end of your course.

Below are links to the various forms that you will need as a trainer.

Use the Training Notification Form to notify the Center for Learning that you will be teaching the MHSS class:

MHSS Training Notification Form (updated April 16, 2020)

Training Notification Form Word    Training Notification Form PDF

Use the Evaluation Form when you are ready to ask students to provide feedback about the course:

MHSS Student Evaluation Form (updated June 2014)

MHSS Student Evaluation Form Word   MHSS Student Evaluation Form PDF

Use the Curriculum Modification Form if you wish to change the order of the MHSS modules or add material to the standardized curriculum:

MHSS Curriculum Modification Request Form

MHSS Curriculum Modification Form Word    MHSS Curriculum Modification Form PDF

Ask students to complete the Student Information Form so that they can receive their certificate once they finish the course

MHSS Student Information Form (Updated April 16, 2020)

MHSS Student Info Word  MHSS Student Student Info Form PDF

Use the Training Validation Form to inform the Center for Learning of the dates that you taught the MHSS class and the names of students who participated:

MHSS Training Validation Form (Updated April 16, 2020)

Training Validation Form Word Training Validation Form PDF