Bill Text: FL S1706 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Marriage and Family Therapists
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2018-03-10 - Died in Health Policy [S1706 Detail]
Download: Florida-2018-S1706-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2018 SB 1706 By Senator Torres 15-01662A-18 20181706__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to marriage and family therapists; 3 amending s. 491.005, F.S.; providing equivalent 4 education requirements for licensure by examination; 5 conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 6 amending s. 491.006, F.S.; deleting certain education 7 requirements for licensure or certification by 8 endorsement; providing an effective date. 9 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11 12 Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 491.005, Florida 13 Statutes, is amended to read: 14 491.005 Licensure by examination.— 15 (3) MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY.—Upon verification of 16 documentation and payment of a fee not to exceed $200, as set by 17 board rule, plus the actual costto the departmentfor the 18 purchase of the examination from the Association of Marital and 19 Family Therapy Regulatory Board, or similar national 20 organization, the department shall issue a license as a marriage 21 and family therapist to an applicant who the board certifies: 22 (a) Has submitted an application and paid the appropriate 23 fee. 24 (b)1. Has a minimum of a master’s degree with major 25 emphasis in marriage and family therapy from a program 26 accredited by the Commission of Accreditation for Marriage and 27 Family Therapy Education or from a Florida university program 28 accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and 29 Related Educational Programs, or a closely related field, and 30 has completed graduate courses approved by the Florida Board of 31 Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental 32 Health Counseling.all of the following requirements:33a.Thirty-six semester hours or 48 quarter hours of34graduate coursework, which must include a minimum of 3 semester35hours or 4 quarter hours of graduate-level course credits in36each of the following nine areas: dynamics of marriage and37family systems; marriage therapy and counseling theory and38techniques; family therapy and counseling theory and techniques;39individual human development theories throughout the life cycle;40personality theory or general counseling theory and techniques;41psychopathology; human sexuality theory and counseling42techniques; psychosocial theory; and substance abuse theory and43counseling techniques. Courses in research, evaluation,44appraisal, assessment, or testing theories and procedures;45thesis or dissertation work; or practicums, internships, or46fieldwork may not be applied toward this requirement.47b.A minimum of one graduate-level course of 3 semester48hours or 4 quarter hours in legal, ethical, and professional49standards issues in the practice of marriage and family therapy50or a course determined by the board to be equivalent.51c.A minimum of one graduate-level course of 3 semester52hours or 4 quarter hours in diagnosis, appraisal, assessment,53and testing for individual or interpersonal disorder or54dysfunction; and a minimum of one 3-semester-hour or 4-quarter55hour graduate-level course in behavioral research which focuses56on the interpretation and application of research data as it57applies to clinical practice. Credit for thesis or dissertation58work, practicums, internships, or fieldwork may not be applied59toward this requirement.60d.A minimum of one supervised clinical practicum,61internship, or field experience in a marriage and family62counseling setting, during which the student provided 180 direct63client contact hours of marriage and family therapy services64under the supervision of an individual who met the requirements65for supervision under paragraph (c). This requirement may be met66by a supervised practice experience which took place outside the67academic arena, but which is certified as equivalent to a68graduate-level practicum or internship program which required a69minimum of 180 direct client contact hours of marriage and70family therapy services currently offered within an academic71program of a college or university accredited by an accrediting72agency approved by the United States Department of Education, or73an institution which is publicly recognized as a member in good74standing with the Association of Universities and Colleges of75Canada or a training institution accredited by the Commission on76Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education77recognized by the United States Department of Education.78Certification shall be required from an official of such79college, university, or training institution.80 2. If the course title which appears on the applicant’s 81 transcript does not clearly identify the content of the 82 coursework, the applicant shall be required to provide 83 additional documentation, including, but not limited to, a 84 syllabus or catalog description published for the course. 85 86 The required master’s degree must have been received in an 87 institution of higher education which at the time the applicant 88 graduated was: fully accredited by a regional accrediting body 89 recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary 90 Accreditation; publicly recognized as a member in good standing 91 with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada; or 92 an institution of higher education located outside the United 93 States and Canada, which at the time the applicant was enrolled 94 and at the time the applicant graduated maintained a standard of 95 training substantially equivalent to the standards of training 96 of those institutions in the United States which are accredited 97 by a regional accrediting body recognized by the Commission on 98 Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation. Such foreign 99 education and training must have been received in an institution 100 or program of higher education officially recognized by the 101 government of the country in which it is located as an 102 institution or program to train students to practice as 103 professional marriage and family therapists or psychotherapists. 104 The burden of establishing that the requirements of this 105 provision have been met shall be upon the applicant, and the 106 board shall require documentation, such as, but not limited to, 107 an evaluation by a foreign equivalency determination service, as 108 evidence that the applicant’s graduate degree program and 109 education were equivalent to an accredited program in this 110 country. An applicant with a master’s degree from a program 111 which did not emphasize marriage and family therapy may complete 112 the coursework requirement in a training institution fully 113 accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and 114 Family Therapy Education recognized by the United States 115 Department of Education. 116 (c) Has had at least 2 years of clinical experience during 117 which 50 percent of the applicant’s clients were receiving 118 marriage and family therapy services, which must be at the post 119 master’s level under the supervision of a licensed marriage and 120 family therapist with at least 5 years of experience, or the 121 equivalent, who is a qualified supervisor as determined by the 122 board. An individual who intends to practice in Florida to 123 satisfy the clinical experience requirements must register 124 pursuant to s. 491.0045 before commencing practice. If a 125 graduate has a master’s degree with a major emphasis in marriage 126 and family therapy or a closely related field that did not 127 include all the coursework required under subparagraph (b)1. 128sub-subparagraphs (b)1.a.-c., credit for the post-master’s level 129 clinical experience shall not commence until the applicant has 130 completed a minimum of 10 of the courses required under 131 subparagraph (b)1.sub-subparagraphs (b)1.a.-c., as determined 132 by the board, and at least 6 semester hours or 9 quarter hours 133 of the course credits must have been completed in the area of 134 marriage and family systems, theories, or techniques. Within the 135 23years of required experience, the applicant shall provide 136 direct individual, group, or family therapy and counseling, to 137 include the following categories of cases: unmarried dyads, 138 married couples, separating and divorcing couples, and family 139 groups including children. A doctoral internship may be applied 140 toward the clinical experience requirement. A licensed mental 141 health professional must be on the premises when clinical 142 services are provided by a registered intern in a private 143 practice setting. 144 (d) Has passed a theory and practice examination provided 145 by the department for this purpose. 146 (e) Has demonstrated, in a manner designated by rule of the 147 board, knowledge of the laws and rules governing the practice of 148 clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental 149 health counseling. 150 (f) For the purposes of dual licensure, the department 151 shall license as a marriage and family therapist any person who 152 meets the requirements of s. 491.0057. Fees for dual licensure 153 shall not exceed those stated in this subsection. 154 Section 2. Section 491.006, Florida Statutes, is amended to 155 read: 156 491.006 Licensure or certification by endorsement.— 157 (1) The department shall license or grant a certificate to 158 a person in a profession regulated by this chapter who, upon 159 applying to the department and remitting the appropriate fee, 160 demonstrates to the board that he or she: 161 (a) Has demonstrated, in a manner designated by rule of the 162 board, knowledge of the laws and rules governing the practice of 163 clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental 164 health counseling. 165 (b)1. Holds an active valid license to practice and has 166 actively practiced the profession for which licensure is applied 167 in another state for 3 of the last 5 years immediately preceding 168 licensure. 1692.Meets the education requirements of this chapter for the170profession for which licensure is applied.171 2.3.Has passed a substantially equivalent licensing 172 examination in another state or has passed the licensure 173 examination in this state in the profession for which the 174 applicant seeks licensure. 175 3.4.Holds a license in good standing, is not under 176 investigation for an act that would constitute a violation of 177 this chapter, and has not been found to have committed any act 178 that would constitute a violation of this chapter. The fees paid 179 by any applicant for certification as a master social worker 180 under this section are nonrefundable. 181 (2) The department shall not issue a license or certificate 182 by endorsement to any applicant who is under investigation in 183 this or another jurisdiction for an act which would constitute a 184 violation of this chapter until such time as the investigation 185 is complete, at which time the provisions of s. 491.009 shall 186 apply. 187 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.