AN ACT CONCERNING MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPISTS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 20-195b of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):

(a) Except as provided in section 20-195f, no person shall practice marital and family therapy unless he or she is licensed in accordance with the provisions of section 20-195c, as amended by this act.

(b) No person shall use the title "licensed marital and family therapist" or "licensed marital and family therapist associate" unless he or she is licensed in accordance with the provisions of section 20-195c, as amended by this act.

Sec. 2. Section 20-195c of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):

(a) Each applicant for licensure as a marital and family therapist shall present to the department satisfactory evidence that such applicant has: (1) Completed a graduate degree program specializing in marital and family therapy [from] offered by a regionally accredited college or university or an accredited postgraduate clinical training program, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education; (2) completed a supervised practicum or internship with emphasis in marital and family therapy supervised by the program granting the requisite degree or by an accredited postgraduate clinical training program, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education in which the student received a minimum of five hundred direct clinical hours that included one hundred hours of clinical supervision; (3) completed a minimum of twelve months of relevant postgraduate experience, including at least (A) one thousand hours of direct client contact offering marital and family therapy services subsequent to being awarded a master's degree or doctorate or subsequent to the training year specified in subdivision (2) of this subsection, and (B) one hundred hours of postgraduate clinical supervision provided by a licensed marital and family therapist; and (4) passed an examination prescribed by the department. The fee shall be three hundred fifteen dollars for each initial application.

(b) Each applicant for licensure as a marital and family therapist associate shall present to the department (1) satisfactory evidence that such applicant has (A) completed a graduate degree program specializing in marital and family therapy offered by a regionally accredited college or university or an accredited postgraduate clinical training program, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education, and (B) passed an examination prescribed by the department; and (2) verification from a supervising licensed marital and family therapist that the applicant is working toward completing the postgraduate experience required for licensure as a marital and family therapist under subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of this section. The fee shall be one hundred twenty-five dollars for each initial application.

[(b)] (c) The department may grant licensure without examination, subject to payment of fees with respect to the initial application, to any applicant who is currently licensed or certified as a marital or marriage and family therapist or a marital and family therapist associate in another state, territory or commonwealth of the United States, provided such state, territory or commonwealth maintains licensure or certification standards which, in the opinion of the department, are equivalent to or higher than the standards of this state. No license shall be issued under this section to any applicant against whom professional disciplinary action is pending or who is the subject of an unresolved complaint.

[(c) Licenses issued] (d) (1) A license issued to a marital and family therapist under this section may be renewed annually in accordance with the provisions of section 19a-88, as amended by this act. The fee for such renewal shall be three hundred fifteen dollars.

(2) Each licensed marital and family therapist applying for license renewal shall furnish evidence satisfactory to the commissioner of having participated in continuing education programs. The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to [(1)] (A) define basic requirements for continuing education programs, which shall include not less than one contact hour of training or education each registration period on the topic of cultural competency, [(2)] (B) delineate qualifying programs, [(3)] (C) establish a system of control and reporting, and [(4)] (D) provide for waiver of the continuing education requirement for good cause.

(3) A license issued to a marital and family therapist associate shall expire on or before thirty-six months after the date on which such license was issued and may be renewed once for an additional thirty-six months in accordance with the provisions of section 19a-88, as amended by this act. The fee for such renewal shall be two hundred twenty dollars.

(4) Each licensed marital and family therapist associate applying for license renewal shall furnish evidence satisfactory to the commissioner of working toward completing the postgraduate experience required for licensure as a marital and family therapist under subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of this section and the potential for successful completion of such experience prior to the expiration of the thirty-six month renewal period.

[(d)] (e) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, an applicant who is currently licensed or certified as a marital or marriage and family therapist in another state, territory or commonwealth of the United States that does not maintain standards for licensure or certification that are equivalent to or higher than the standards in this state may substitute three years of licensed or certified work experience in the practice of marital and family therapy, as defined in section 20-195a, in lieu of the requirements of subdivisions (2) and (3) of subsection (a) of this section.

Sec. 3. Subdivision (1) of subsection (e) of section 19a-88 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):

(e) (1) Each person holding a license or certificate issued under section 19a-514, 20-65k, 20-74s, 20-195cc or 20-206ll and chapters 370 to 373, inclusive, 375, 378 to 381a, inclusive, 383 to 383c, inclusive, 384, 384a, 384b, 384d, 385, 393a, 395, 399 or 400a and section 20-206n or 20-206o shall, annually, or, in the case of a person holding a license as marital and family therapist associate under section 20-195c, as amended by this act, on or before thirty-six months after the date of initial licensure, during the month of such person's birth, apply for renewal of such license or certificate to the Department of Public Health, giving such person's name in full, such person's residence and business address and such other information as the department requests.

Sec. 4. Section 20-206oo of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):

The Commissioner of Public Health may adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to carry out the provisions of subdivision (24) of subsection (c) of section 19a-14, subsection (e) of section 19a-88, as amended by this act, subdivision (15) of section 19a-175, subsection (b) of section 20-9, subsection [(c)] (d) of section 20-195c, as amended by this act, sections 20-195aa to 20-195ff, inclusive, and sections 20-206jj to [20-206oo] 20-206nn, inclusive.