Marriage and family therapists: licensing.

Existing law, the Marriage and Family Therapist Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of marriage and family therapists and marriage and family therapist interns and trainees by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Existing law, until January 1, 2013, requires the issuance of a license to practice marriage and family therapy to qualified applicants, as defined, who pass a board-administered written or oral examination or, under specified circumstances, a clinical vignette written examination. Existing law, on or after January 1, 2013, requires that a license be issued to qualified applicants upon the passage of a clinical examination and a California law and ethics examination, subject to specified fees, and requires applicants for licensure to retake the law and ethics examination under certain circumstances, as specified. Existing law, on and after January 1, 2013, requires marriage and family therapist interns to take the law and ethics examination, subject to specified fees. This bill would instead make these provisions operative as of January 1, 2014.