(a) To qualify for licensure as specified in Section 4980.40, each applicant shall complete experience related to the practice of marriage and family therapy under a supervisor who meets the qualifications set forth in Section 4980.03. The experience shall comply with the following:
(1) A minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised experience completed during a period of at least 104 weeks.
(2) A maximum of 40 hours in any seven consecutive days.
(3) A minimum of 1,700 hours obtained after the qualifying master’s or doctoral degree was awarded.
(4) A maximum of 1,300 hours obtained prior to the award date of the qualifying master’s or doctoral degree.
(5) A maximum of 750 hours of counseling and direct supervisor contact prior to the award date of the qualifying master’s or doctoral degree.
(6) No hours of experience may be gained prior to completing either 12 semester units or 18 quarter units of graduate instruction.
(7) No hours of experience may be gained more than six years prior to the date the application for examination eligibility was filed, except that up to 500 hours of clinical experience gained in the supervised practicum required by subdivision (c) of Section 4980.37 and subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 4980.36 shall be exempt from this six-year requirement.
(8) A minimum of 1,750 hours of direct counseling with individuals, groups, couples, or families, that includes not less than 500 total hours of experience in diagnosing and treating couples, families, and children.
(9) A maximum of 1,250 hours of nonclinical practice, consisting of direct supervisor contact, administering and evaluating psychological tests, writing clinical reports, writing progress or process notes, client centered advocacy, and workshops, seminars, training sessions, or conferences directly related to marriage and family therapy that have been approved by the applicant’s supervisor.
(10) It is anticipated and encouraged that hours of experience will include working with elders and dependent adults who have physical or mental limitations that restrict their ability to carry out normal activities or protect their rights.
This subdivision shall only apply to hours gained on and after January 1, 2010.
(b) An individual who submits an application for examination eligibility between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020, may alternatively qualify under the experience requirements that were in place on January 1, 2015.
(c) All applicants, trainees, and registrants shall be at all times under the supervision of a supervisor who shall be responsible for ensuring that the extent, kind, and quality of counseling performed is consistent with the training and experience of the person being supervised, and who shall be responsible to the board for compliance with all laws, rules, and regulations governing the practice of marriage and family therapy. Supervised experience shall be gained by an intern or trainee only as an employee or as a volunteer. The requirements of this chapter regarding gaining hours of experience and supervision are applicable equally to employees and volunteers. Associates and trainees shall not be employed as independent contractors, and shall not gain experience for work performed as an independent contractor, reported on an IRS Form 1099, or both.
(1) If employed, an intern shall provide the board with copies of the corresponding W-2 tax forms for each year of experience claimed upon application for licensure.
(2) If volunteering, an intern shall provide the board with a letter from his or her employer verifying the intern’s employment as a volunteer upon application for licensure.
(d) Except for experience gained by attending workshops, seminars, training sessions, or conferences as described in paragraph (9) of subdivision (a), supervision shall include at least one hour of direct supervisor contact in each week for which experience is credited in each work setting, as specified:
(1) A trainee shall receive an average of at least one hour of direct supervisor contact for every five hours of client contact in each setting. No more than six hours of supervision, whether individual or group, shall be credited during any single week.
(2) An individual supervised after being granted a qualifying degree shall receive at least one additional hour of direct supervisor contact for every week in which more than 10 hours of client contact is gained in each setting. No more than six hours of supervision, whether individual or group, shall be credited during any single week.
(3) For purposes of this section, “one hour of direct supervisor contact” means one hour per week of face-to-face contact on an individual basis or two hours per week of face-to-face contact in a group.
(4) Direct supervisor contact shall occur within the same week as the hours claimed.
(5) Direct supervisor contact provided in a group shall be provided in a group of not more than eight supervisees and in segments lasting no less than one continuous hour.
(6) Notwithstanding paragraph (3), an intern working in a governmental entity, a school, a college, or a university, or an institution that is both nonprofit and charitable may obtain the required weekly direct supervisor contact via two-way, real-time videoconferencing. The supervisor shall be responsible for ensuring that client confidentiality is upheld.
(7) All experience gained by a trainee shall be monitored by the supervisor as specified by regulation.
(8) The six hours of supervision that may be credited during any single week pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) shall apply to supervision hours gained on or after January 1, 2009.
(e) (1) A trainee may be credited with supervised experience completed in any setting that meets all of the following:
(A) Lawfully and regularly provides mental health counseling or psychotherapy.
(B) Provides oversight to ensure that the trainee’s work at the setting meets the experience and supervision requirements set forth in this chapter and is within the scope of practice for the profession as defined in Section 4980.02.
(C) Is not a private practice owned by a licensed marriage and family therapist, a licensed professional clinical counselor, a licensed psychologist, a licensed clinical social worker, a licensed physician and surgeon, or a professional corporation of any of those licensed professions.
(2) Experience may be gained by the trainee solely as part of the position for which the trainee volunteers or is employed.
(f) (1) An intern may be credited with supervised experience completed in any setting that meets both of the following:
(A) Lawfully and regularly provides mental health counseling or psychotherapy.
(B) Provides oversight to ensure that the intern’s work at the setting meets the experience and supervision requirements set forth in this chapter and is within the scope of practice for the profession as defined in Section 4980.02.
(2) An applicant shall not be employed or volunteer in a private practice, as defined in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (e), until registered as an intern.
(3) While an intern may be either a paid employee or a volunteer, employers are encouraged to provide fair remuneration to interns.
(4) Except for periods of time during a supervisor’s vacation or sick leave, an intern who is employed or volunteering in private practice shall be under the direct supervision of a licensee that has satisfied subdivision (g) of Section 4980.03. The supervising licensee shall either be employed by and practice at the same site as the intern’s employer, or shall be an owner or shareholder of the private practice. Alternative supervision may be arranged during a supervisor’s vacation or sick leave if the supervision meets the requirements of this section.
(5) Experience may be gained by the intern solely as part of the position for which the intern volunteers or is employed.
(g) Except as provided in subdivision (h), all persons shall register with the board as an intern to be credited for postdegree hours of supervised experience gained toward licensure.
(h) Postdegree hours of experience shall be credited toward licensure so long as the applicant applies for the intern registration within 90 days of the granting of the qualifying master’s or doctoral degree and is thereafter granted the intern registration by the board. An applicant shall not be employed or volunteer in a private practice until registered as an intern by the board.
(i) Trainees, interns, and applicants shall not receive any remuneration from patients or clients, and shall only be paid by their employers.
(j) Trainees, interns, and applicants shall only perform services at the place where their employers regularly conduct business, which may include performing services at other locations, so long as the services are performed under the direction and control of their employer and supervisor, and in compliance with the laws and regulations pertaining to supervision. For purposes of paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 2290.5, interns and trainees working under licensed supervision, consistent with subdivision (c), may provide services via telehealth within the scope authorized by this chapter and in accordance with any regulations governing the use of telehealth promulgated by the board. Trainees and interns shall have no proprietary interest in their employers’ businesses and shall not lease or rent space, pay for furnishings, equipment, or supplies, or in any other way pay for the obligations of their employers.
(k) Trainees, interns, or applicants who provide volunteered services or other services, and who receive no more than a total, from all work settings, of five hundred dollars ($500) per month as reimbursement for expenses actually incurred by those trainees, interns, or applicants for services rendered in any lawful work setting other than a private practice shall be considered employees and not independent contractors. The board may audit applicants who receive reimbursement for expenses, and the applicants shall have the burden of demonstrating that the payments received were for reimbursement of expenses actually incurred.
(l) Each educational institution preparing applicants for licensure pursuant to this chapter shall consider requiring, and shall encourage, its students to undergo individual, marital or conjoint, family, or group counseling or psychotherapy, as appropriate. Each supervisor shall consider, advise, and encourage his or her interns and trainees regarding the advisability of undertaking individual, marital or conjoint, family, or group counseling or psychotherapy, as appropriate. Insofar as it is deemed appropriate and is desired by the applicant, the educational institution and supervisors are encouraged to assist the applicant in locating that counseling or psychotherapy at a reasonable cost.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 489, Sec. 32. (SB 1478) Effective January 1, 2017.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018