Mandatory Prescreening Agent (MPA) Program

A Mandatory Pre-screening Agent (MPA) is a qualified mental health professional who has successfully completed a 6-hour MPA training course and has been designated by the Commissioner of the Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. MPAs are certified to write the first “Certificate of Need” after conducting the first assessment for involuntary psychiatric hospitalization.

To be considered for eligibility for designation as an MPA you must be licensed to practice in Tennessee and be a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP). MPA designation is limited to Qualified Mental Health Professionals (QMHP) who are employed to provide crisis services by a state provider or the Veterans Administration.

Qualified mental health professionals:

  • Psychiatrist
  • Physician with expertise in psychiatry
  • Psychologist with health service provider designation
  • Licensed psychological examiner
  • Licensed senior psychological examiner
  • Licensed master’s social worker with two years of mental health experience
  • Licensed clinical social worker
  • Licensed or certified marital and family therapist
  • Licensed professional counselor
  • Licensed nurse with a master’s degree in nursing who functions as a psychiatric nurse
  • Licensed Physician's Assistant with a master's degree and expertise in psychiatry as determined by training, education or experience

The MPA training is a 6-hour virtual training that covers crisis assessments, clinical judgement, as it pertains to completing the first certificate of need and suicide prevention. It includes case scenarios and class discussions regarding crisis services as it pertains to Title 33.

Please Note: No CEUs are afforded with this training, however, it does count for six contact hours.

Training Dates:

All registrations for MPA training must be received at least four (4) weeks prior to MPA training date in order to allow time for processing.  Any late registrations may be required to choose a different training date.
All Qualified Mental Health Professionals must be licensed at time of registration.

 2024 Training Dates:
(registrations must be received at least 4 weeks prior to training date)

Oct. 24, 2024- THIS CLASS IF FULL. PLEASE CHOOSE ANOTHER TRAINING DATE.
Dec. 12, 2024


2025 Training Dates:
(registrations must be received at least 4 weeks prior to training date)

Feb. 20, 2025
April 17, 2025
June 26, 2025
Aug. 21, 2025
Oct. 16, 2025
Dec. 11, 2025

PLEASE NOTE:  IF YOUR PROFESSIONAL LICENSE IS A WORK PERMIT, PLEASE SUBMIT DOCUMENTATION REGARDING YOUR WORK PERMIT THAT INCLUDES NUMBER AND EXPIRATION DATE ALONG WITH YOUR MPA TRAINING REGISTRATION FORM.

Download a MPA  training registration form here.