Definitions for the purpose of this part are as follows:

1. (1) “Advanced practice nurse” means a person holding a current Arkansas license from the Arkansas State Board of Nursing with specialty education and experience in at least one (1) of the following:

   1. (A) Adult psychiatric mental health clinical nurse specialist;
   2. (B) Child psychiatric mental health clinical nurse specialist;
   3. (C) Adult psychiatric mental health advanced practice nurse; or
   4. (D) Family psychiatric mental health advanced practice nurse;

2. (2)

   1. (A) “Aural Communication” means the transmission of information through the auditory system which includes the system of speaking and hearing.
   2. (B) It usually encompasses both verbal and paralinguistic communication to convey meaning.
   3. (C) Paralinguistic communication would include things such as volume, speed, and intonation of voice, along with gestures and facial expressions or other nonverbal cues;

3. (3)

   1. (A) “Communication assessment” means an evidenced-based assessment which is approved by the Deaf Mental Health Advisory Committee prior to implementation.
   2. (B) A list of approved communication assessments will be available on the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services of the Department of Human Services webpage;

4. (4) “Communication method” means any one (1), or combinations, of the following languages or systems of communication used by clients, which may include, but are not limited to:

   1. (A) American Sign Language;
   2. (B) An English-based system, such as signed English or cued speech;
   3. (C) High visual orientation communication;
   4. (D) Tactile American Sign Language;
   5. (E) Spoken English, aural communication, and speechreading, also known as lip-reading; or
   6. (F) Speech-to-text services, to include but not limited to, Communication Access Realtime Translation or TypeWell, for example;

5. (5)

   1. (A) “Culturally affirmative mental health services” means the full continuum of mental health services that are respectful to and informed by the values and norms of the culture of the individual being served, including members of the Deaf community and culture, that are delivered by licensed mental health professionals who have been certified under the guidelines of this manual.
   2. (B) This may also include services to be provided by ancillary staff who are licensed or unlicensed;
6. (6) “Deaf” means the condition of having a hearing loss at the level that results in the individual having difficulty processing linguistic information through hearing, regardless of amplification or other assistive technology, and thus relying on visual means of communication;
7. (7) “English-based system” means a sign system that uses manual signs or cues in English word order, sometimes with added affixes that are not present in American Sign Language;
8. (8) “Fluent” means a score of “advanced” or higher for licensed mental health professionals certified under the guidelines of this part, or a score of “intermediate plus” for other licensed or nonlicensed ancillary staff qualified to work in a mental health setting on a sign language communication skills assessment, including without limitation the Sign Language Proficiency Interview assessment and other communication skills assessments;
9. (9) “Hard of hearing” means the condition of having a hearing loss, whether permanent or fluctuating, that may be corrected by amplification or other hearing assistive technology, but yet presents challenges in processing linguistic information through hearing;

10. (10) “Independently licensed clinician” means a person holding a current Arkansas license from the applicable state board as a:

    1. (A) Licensed clinical social worker;
    2. (B) Licensed marriage and family therapist;
    3. (C) Licensed psychologist;
    4. (D) Licensed psychological examiner — independent; or
    5. (E) Licensed professional counselor;
11. (11) “Interpreter” means a licensed qualified interpreter or a licensed provisional interpreter as defined under Arkansas Code § 20-14-802;
12. (12) “Linguistically appropriate mental health services” means the full continuum of mental health services that are made available in the communication method preferred by the client or in the communication method that is determined to be most effective by a communication assessment;

13. (13) “Non-independently licensed clinician” means a person holding a current Arkansas license from the applicable state board as a:

    1. (A) Licensed master social worker;
    2. (B) Licensed associate marital and family therapist;
    3. (C) Licensed associate counselor;
    4. (D) Licensed psychological examiner; or
    5. (E) Provisionally licensed psychologist; and
14. (14) “Primary communication method” means the communication method preferred by the individual who is deaf or hard of hearing that will be most effective, as determined by the preference of the individual who is deaf or hard of hearing or by an appropriate communication assessment, or both.