(a) This section applies to a person who is licensed outside of California and applies for licensure on or after January 1, 2016.
(b) The board may issue a license to a person who, at the time of submitting an application for a license pursuant to this chapter, holds a valid license in good standing issued by a board of marriage counselor examiners, board of marriage and family therapists, or corresponding authority, of any state or country, if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
(1) The applicant’s education is substantially equivalent, as defined in Section 4980.79. The applicant’s degree title need not be identical to that required by Section 4980.36 or 4980.37.
(2) The applicant complies with Section 4980.76, if applicable.
(3) The applicant’s supervised experience is substantially equivalent to that required for a license under this chapter. The board shall consider hours of experience obtained outside of California during the six-year period immediately preceding the date the applicant initially obtained the license described above. If the applicant has less than 3,000 hours of qualifying supervised experience, time actively licensed as a marriage and family therapist shall be accepted at a rate of 100 hours per month, up to a maximum of 1,200 hours, if the applicant’s degree meets the practicum requirement described in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 4980.79 without exemptions or remediation.
(4) The applicant passes the California law and ethics examination.
(5) The applicant passes a clinical examination designated by the board. An applicant who obtained his or her license or registration under another jurisdiction may apply for licensure with the board without taking the clinical examination if both of the following conditions are met:
(A) The applicant obtained a passing score on the clinical licensing examination set forth in regulation as accepted by the board.
(B) The applicant’s license or registration in that jurisdiction is active, in good standing at the time of his or her application, and is not revoked, suspended, surrendered, denied, or otherwise restricted or encumbered.
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 573, Sec. 6. (SB 800) Effective January 1, 2018.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018