Marriage and family therapists.

Existing law provides for the licensing and regulation of marriage and family therapists by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Existing law specifies the education required for licensure, which includes a requirement for a practicum that involves direct client contact and hours of experience relating to client centered advocacy, as defined. Existing law authorizes trainees to perform activities and services in certain work settings provided that these constitute part of the trainee's supervised course of study and the person is designated as a trainee. Existing law also authorizes trainees to gain hours of experience outside the required practicum under certain conditions, but requires trainees who gain experience outside the required practicum to be enrolled in a practicum in order to counsel clients. This bill would provide that trainees may also counsel clients while not enrolled in a practicum if the period of lapsed enrollment is less than 90 calendar days, and if that period is immediately preceded and immediately followed by enrollment in a practicum course. The bill would reduce the maximum number of hours that may be gained by engaging in client centered advocacy, as specified. Existing law requires an applicant for licensure as a marriage and family therapist to complete a specified number of hours of supervised experience. For those purposes, existing law requires the supervision of a marriage and family therapy intern or trainee by a supervisor, defined as, among other things, a person who has been licensed for at least 2 years as a marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical social worker, licensed psychologist, or licensed physician certified in psychiatry. This bill would authorize a licensed professional clinical counselor to act as a supervisor of a marriage and family therapy intern or trainee if he or she meets additional training and education requirements, as specified. This bill would incorporate changes to Sections 4980.36 and 4980.42 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by SB 943 and this bill if SB 943 is also enacted and this bill is chaptered last.