Board of Behavioral Sciences: licensees: suicide prevention training.

Existing law, the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Act, the Educational Psychologist Practice Act, the Clinical Social Worker Practice Act, and the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of marriage and family therapists, educational psychologists, clinical social workers, and professional clinical counselors, respectively, by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Existing law requires a person applying for licensure as a marriage and family therapist, educational psychologist, clinical social worker, or professional clinical counselor to complete specified coursework and training, requires licensees to complete specified continuing education requirements, and requires a licensee on inactive status to complete certain continuing education requirements as a condition of having his or her license reactivated. This bill, on or after January 1, 2021, would require an applicant for licensure as a marriage and family therapist, an educational psychologist, a clinical social worker, or a professional clinical counselor to complete a minimum of 6 hours of coursework or applied experience under supervision in suicide risk assessment and intervention. The bill would require, as a one-time requirement, a licensed marriage and family therapist, educational psychologist, clinical social worker, or professional clinical counselor to have completed this suicide risk assessment and intervention training requirement prior to the time of his or her first renewal after January 1, 2021. The bill would also require an applicant for reactivation or for reinstatement to an active license status on or after January 1, 2021, to have completed this suicide risk assessment and intervention training requirement. The bill would require that proof of compliance with requirements be certified under penalty of perjury and be retained for submission to the board upon request. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.