(a) This section applies to persons who apply for licensure or registration on or after January 1, 2016, and who do not hold a license as described in Section 4980.72.
(b) For purposes of Section 4980.74, education is substantially equivalent if all of the following requirements are met:
(1) The degree is obtained from a school, college, or university accredited by a regional or national institutional accrediting agency that is recognized by the United States Department of Education and consists of, at a minimum, the following:
(A) (i) For an applicant who obtained his or her degree within the timeline prescribed by subdivision (a) of Section 4980.36, the degree shall contain no less than 60 semester or 90 quarter units of instruction.
(ii) Up to 12 semester or 18 quarter units of instruction may be remediated, if missing from the degree. The remediation may occur while the applicant is registered as an intern.
(B) For an applicant who obtained his or her degree within the timeline prescribed by subdivision (a) of Section 4980.37, the degree shall contain no less than 48 semester units or 72 quarter units of instruction.
(C) Six semester or nine quarter units of practicum, including, but not limited to, a minimum of 150 hours of face-to-face experience counseling individuals, couples, families, or groups, and an additional 75 hours of either face-to-face experience counseling individuals, couples, families, or groups or client centered advocacy, or a combination of face-to-face experience counseling individuals, couples, families, or groups and client centered advocacy.
(D) Twelve semester or 18 quarter units in the areas of marriage, family, and child counseling and marital and family systems approaches to treatment, as specified in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 4980.36.
(2) The applicant shall complete coursework in California law and ethics as follows:
(A) An applicant who completed a course in law and professional ethics for marriage and family therapists as specified in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 4980.81, that did not contain instruction in California law and ethics, shall complete an 18-hour course in California law and professional ethics. The content of the course shall include, but not be limited to, advertising, scope of practice, scope of competence, treatment of minors, confidentiality, dangerous patients, psychotherapist-patient privilege, recordkeeping, patient access to records, state and federal laws relating to confidentiality of patient health information, dual relationships, child abuse, elder and dependent adult abuse, online therapy, insurance reimbursement, civil liability, disciplinary actions and unprofessional conduct, ethics complaints and ethical standards, termination of therapy, standards of care, relevant family law, therapist disclosures to patients, differences in legal and ethical standards in different types of work settings, and licensing law and licensing process. This coursework shall be completed prior to registration as an intern.
(B) An applicant who has not completed a course in law and professional ethics for marriage and family therapists as specified in paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 4980.81 shall complete this required coursework. The coursework shall contain content specific to California law and ethics. This coursework shall be completed prior to registration as an intern.
(3) The applicant completes the educational requirements specified in Section 4980.81 not already completed in his or her education. The coursework may be from an accredited school, college, or university as specified in paragraph (1), from an educational institution approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, or from a continuing education provider that is acceptable to the board as defined in Section 4980.54. Undergraduate courses shall not satisfy this requirement.
(4) The applicant completes the following coursework not already completed in his or her education from an accredited school, college, or university as specified in paragraph (1) from an educational institution approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, or from a continuing education provider that is acceptable to the board as defined in Section 4980.54. Undergraduate courses shall not satisfy this requirement.
(A) At least three semester units, or 45 hours, of instruction regarding the principles of mental health recovery-oriented care and methods of service delivery in recovery-oriented practice environments, including structured meetings with various consumers and family members of consumers of mental health services to enhance understanding of their experience of mental illness, treatment, and recovery.
(B) At least one semester unit, or 15 hours, of instruction that includes an understanding of various California cultures and the social and psychological implications of socioeconomic position.
(5) An applicant may complete any units and course content requirements required under paragraphs (3) and (4) not already completed in his or her education while registered as an intern, unless otherwise specified.
(6) The applicant’s degree title need not be identical to that required by subdivision (b) of Section 4980.36.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 489, Sec. 33. (SB 1478) Effective January 1, 2017.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018