Becoming a Mental Health Technician in 3 Steps

Mental health technicians help keep mental health facilities running smoothly by assisting and advocating for patients and coordinating patient care.

You may be able to become a mental health technician in just three steps. Below, we'll explain what a mental health technician does and what the three steps are to becoming one.

What Is a Mental Health Technician?

Mental health technicians, sometimes called psychiatric technicians or behavioral health technicians, are medical staff who provide direct support to mental health patients.

Job duties of a mental health technician may include:

• assisting patients with daily tasks like eating and bathing
• checking and monitor patient vital signs
• dispensing prescribed medications to patients
• helping with patient intake and discharge
• listening and acknowledging patient concerns
• observing patient behavior
• recording patient information and behavior
• reporting behavior changes to superior staff members
• restraining violent patients
• running therapeutic and recreational activities

Most mental health technicians work in psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals. Other work environments may include:

• general medical and surgical hospitals
• outpatient mental health and substance abuse facilities
• residential mental health and substance abuse facilities
• state government organizations

To work as a mental health technician, you'll need to obtain a certain level of education. You may also need to become licensed or certified. We'll break down all the steps below.

Step 1: Complete an Education Program

At the very minimum, mental health technicians need to have a high school diploma or GED to work.

If your state requires licensure or if you are interested in pursuing certification, you may need at least an associate degree. These are usually about 60 credits and take two years to complete.

For higher positions in the mental health field, a bachelor's degree or above may be required. Bachelor's degrees are usually 120 credits and take four years to complete.

Some colleges, usually community colleges or technical colleges, offer programs specifically for mental health technicians.

Other majors you can choose include:

• mental health
• nursing
• psychiatry
• social work

Some states require that you take certain courses in order to obtain licensure.

Step 2: Become Licensed

Only a handful of states require mental health technicians to become licensed. These states are:

• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Kansas

Each state has different requirements for becoming licensed, and you'll need to become licensed before you can work as a mental health technician in one of these states.

Arkansas

Psychiatric technicians in Arkansas are licensed by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing.

Applicants will need to create an account through the Arkansas Nurse Portal. They can then use this to submit an application for licensure.

This will supply all the information needed to take the license exam.

California

California has the most comprehensive licensing requirements of any state. To become licensed in California, you must meet all of the following requirements:

• be at least 18 years old
• have a high school diploma or GED
• complete and pass the written exam
• meet one of the experience criteria

There are three experience criteria options:

• graduate from a California approved school of psychiatric technicians
• complete 576 hours of theory and 954 hours of supervised clinical experience
• have served as a nurse in the medical corps of any branch of the U.S. armed forces

Once you determine that you qualify, you will then need to take the California Psychiatric Technician Licensure Examination to become licensed.

Colorado

Colorado's requirements are not as strict as California's. To earn licensure in Colorado you must have attended a board-approved psychiatric technician training program.

Once you've finished the program, you can take the licensure exam. You'll need to upload your results within your application.

The licensure application also includes criminal history screening questions and will require you to upload supporting documentation.

Kansas

In Kansas, mental health technicians are licensed through the state's Board of Nursing. You'll start by submitting the application.

The application must include proof that you've completed a board-approved program. You must also submit fingerprints for a background check.

If your application is accepted, you'll be able to take the licensure test.

Step 3: Earn Certification

While it's not necessary to have a certification to work as a mental health technician, some employers require it.

The primary certification body for mental health technicians is the American Association of Psychiatric Technicians (AAPT). It offers four levels of certification:

• level 1: requires a high school diploma or GED
• level 2: requires at least 30 college credits and at least one year of work experience in the mental health field
• level 3: requires 60 college credits and at least two years of work experience in the mental health field
• level 4: requires a bachelor's degree in the mental health field plus at least three years of work experience in the field

All applicants start with the level 1 exam. This is an open-book exam made up of 201 multiple-choice questions and can be taken at home.

After passing the level one exam, the other exam levels require passing an essay test.

The AAPT certification is good in any state, regardless of where you initially earned your certification.

To renew your certification, you'll need to complete 12 hours of study in the field and read one book in the mental health field.

Become a Mental Health Technician

To start your career as a mental health technician, you'll need the right education, as well as certification and possibly licensure.