Behavioral Health Staffing in Mississippi: RBTs, BCBAs & DSPs

What Mississippi requires before a start

The BACB layer applies everywhere, Mississippi included. An RBT is at least 18, passes a background and abuse-registry check, completes the 40-hour training and competency assessment, passes the RBT exam, and is then supervised for at least 5% of service hours each month BACB, RBT 2026 requirements. A BCBA holds a master's degree or higher, completes behavior-analytic coursework or an accredited program and 2,000 hours of supervised fieldwork (or 1,500 concentrated hours), passes the BCBA exam, and recertifies every two years BACB, BCBA Handbook. Here is what Mississippi adds on top.

A Mississippi Autism Board license — Miss. Code Ann. § 73-75-1 et seq. The Board licenses behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts. A behavior analyst applicant holds at least a master's degree from a program approved by the BACB, has passed the BCBA examination with evidence of BCBA or BCBA-D certification, and completes an oral examination administered by the Board, submitting the application, fee, transcripts, BCBA verification, and fingerprint cards at least seven days before the published examination date. An assistant behavior analyst applicant holds at least a bachelor's degree and BCaBA certification and submits records of ongoing supervision by a licensed behavior analyst. A six-month temporary license is available to an applicant awaiting a national examination score or the next oral examination, under supervision by a licensee. The licensure period may not exceed three years, and each licensee reports at least 12 hours of continuing education each year, including one hour of ethical or legal content Miss. Admin. Code Title 30, Part 3301.

Technicians are registered, not licensed. A behavior technician is an individual currently certified by the BACB as a Registered Behavior Technician who provides ABA treatment under the supervision and direction of a licensed behavior analyst or licensed assistant behavior analyst. The supervising licensee applies to register the technician and must determine that the applicant is at least 18, of good moral character, holds at least a high school diploma or equivalent, has adequate communication skills, holds current RBT qualifications from the BACB, and works under a licensee's supervision; no examination is required. The licensee must follow the BACB's supervision policy, notify the Board within seven days when supervision ends, and is responsible for all conduct of the technician, who is not a separately licensed professional and works solely under the license of the behavior analyst Miss. Admin. Code Title 30, Part 3301, ch. 9. The Board's registration form requires each technician to be registered within 7 days of assuming supervision, with a $25 fee and the supervisor's attestation that the RBT completed a criminal background registry check Mississippi Autism Board, behavior technician registration form.

DMH background checks — Rule 11.2. Every DMH-certified provider obtains a national criminal history background check on all employees, volunteers, and interns, at hire and before contact with people served, including at minimum prior convictions under the Vulnerable Adults Act, the Child Abuse Registry, the Mississippi Nurse Aide Abuse Registry, the OIG exclusion database, and fingerprints. The standards point to Miss. Code Ann. § 43-11-13 for the disqualifying convictions. For staff providing IDD home and community based services, the fingerprint-based national check is conducted before employment and every two years thereafter, and the registry checks before employment and monthly thereafter; the provider may not employ anyone whose name appears on a registry. DMH does not run the checks — they are the certified provider's responsibility DMH Operational Standards, Rule 11.2.

Staff qualifications and orientation. All direct support personnel must have at least a high school diploma or GED, and ABA services must be provided by a Mississippi Licensed Behavior Analyst or Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst, with behavior technicians certified as RBTs and listed with the licensure board under a supervising licensed behavior analyst DMH Operational Standards, Rule 11.4. Direct service personnel must complete all General Orientation topics before contact with people receiving services — among them basic first aid and choking procedures, live in-person CPR certification from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, or another DMH-approved provider, infection control, incident reporting and Vulnerable Persons Act reporting with a signed acknowledgement, rights of people receiving services, confidentiality, and, for IDD providers, behavior support principles and the HCBS Settings Final Rule. Each agency's annual staff development plan continues CPR, first aid, abuse and neglect reporting, and behavior support training DMH Operational Standards, Rules 12.2–12.4.

Ready to scope a Mississippi search? Send a staffing request or book a 30-minute discovery call. Comparing partners first? Start with our guides to the best RBT staffing agencies and the best DSP and group home staffing agencies.