Florida Senate - 2021 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 818
Ì526946LÎ526946
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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The Committee on Criminal Justice (Burgess) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete lines 16 - 18
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Subsection (3) and paragraph (c) of subsection
6 (4) of of section 491.005, Florida Statutes, are amended to
7 read:
8 491.005 Licensure by examination.—
9 (3) MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY.—Upon verification of
10 documentation and payment of a fee not to exceed $200, as set by
11 board rule, plus the actual cost of the purchase of the
12 examination from the Association of Marital and Family Therapy
13 Regulatory Board, or similar national organization, the
14 department shall issue a license as a marriage and family
15 therapist to an applicant who the board certifies has met the
16 following criteria:
17 (a) Has Submitted an application and paid the appropriate
18 fee.
19 (b)1. Obtained one of the following:
20 a. A minimum of a master's degree in marriage and family
21 therapy from a program accredited by the Commission on
22 Accreditation from Marriage and Family Therapy Education.
23 b. A minimum of a master's degree with major emphasis in
24 marriage and family therapy or a closely related field from a
25 university program accredited by the Council for Accreditation
26 of Counseling and Related Educational Programs and graduate
27 courses approved by the board.
28 c. A minimum of a master's degree with an emphasis in
29 marriage and family therapy or a closely related field, with a
30 degree conferred date before July 1, 2026, from an
31 institutionally accredited college or university and graduate
32 course approved by the board.
33 Has a minimum of a master’s degree with major emphasis in
34 marriage and family therapy or a closely related field from a
35 program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for
36 Marriage and Family Therapy Education or from a Florida
37 university program accredited by the Council for Accreditation
38 of Counseling and Related Educational Programs and graduate
39 courses approved by the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage
40 and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling.
41 2. If the course title that appears on the applicant’s
42 transcript does not clearly identify the content of the
43 coursework, the applicant shall provide additional
44 documentation, including, but not limited to, a syllabus or
45 catalog description published for the course. The required
46 master’s degree must have been received in an institution of
47 higher education that, at the time the applicant graduated, was
48 fully accredited by an institutional a regional accrediting body
49 recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary
50 Accreditation or publicly recognized as a member in good
51 standing with the Association of Universities and Colleges of
52 Canada, or an institution of higher education located outside
53 the United States and Canada which, at the time the applicant
54 was enrolled and at the time the applicant graduated, maintained
55 a standard of training substantially equivalent to the standards
56 of training of those institutions in the United States which are
57 accredited by an institutional a regional accrediting body
58 recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary
59 Accreditation. Such foreign education and training must have
60 been received in an institution or program of higher education
61 officially recognized by the government of the country in which
62 it is located as an institution or program to train students to
63 practice as professional marriage and family therapists or
64 psychotherapists. The applicant has the burden of establishing
65 that the requirements of this provision have been met, and the
66 board shall require documentation, such as an evaluation by a
67 foreign equivalency determination service, as evidence that the
68 applicant’s graduate degree program and education were
69 equivalent to an accredited program in this country. An
70 applicant with a master’s degree from a program that did not
71 emphasize marriage and family therapy may complete the
72 coursework requirement in a training institution fully
73 accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and
74 Family Therapy Education recognized by the United States
75 Department of Education.
76 (c) Has Had at least 2 years of clinical experience during
77 which 50 percent of the applicant’s clients were receiving
78 marriage and family therapy services, which must have been be at
79 the post-master’s level under the supervision of a licensed
80 marriage and family therapist with at least 5 years of
81 experience, or the equivalent, who is a qualified supervisor as
82 determined by the board. An individual who intends to practice
83 in Florida to satisfy the clinical experience requirements must
84 register pursuant to s. 491.0045 before commencing practice. If
85 a graduate has a master’s degree with a major emphasis in
86 marriage and family therapy or a closely related field which did
87 not include all of the coursework required by paragraph (b),
88 credit for the post-master’s level clinical experience may not
89 commence until the applicant has completed a minimum of 10 of
90 the courses required by paragraph (b), as determined by the
91 board, and at least 6 semester hours or 9 quarter hours of the
92 course credits must have been completed in the area of marriage
93 and family systems, theories, or techniques. Within the 2 years
94 of required experience, the applicant must shall provide direct
95 individual, group, or family therapy and counseling to cases
96 including those involving unmarried dyads, married couples,
97 separating and divorcing couples, and family groups that include
98 children. A doctoral internship may be applied toward the
99 clinical experience requirement. When a registered intern is
100 providing clinical services through telehealth, a licensed
101 mental health professional must be accessible by telephone or
102 other electronic means. A licensed mental health professional
103 must be on the premises when clinical services are provided by a
104 registered intern in a private practice setting.
105 (d) Has Passed a theory and practice examination designated
106 by board rule provided by the department.
107 (e) Has Demonstrated, in a manner designated by board rule,
108 knowledge of the laws and rules governing the practice of
109 clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental
110 health counseling.
111
112 For the purposes of dual licensure, the department shall license
113 as a marriage and family therapist any person who meets the
114 requirements of s. 491.0057. Fees for dual licensure may not
115 exceed those stated in this subsection.
116
117 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
118 And the title is amended as follows:
119 Delete line 3
120 and insert:
121 amending s. 491.005, F.S.; revising the licensure
122 requirements for licensure by examination by marriage
123 and family therapists; revising education
124 requirements; for purposes of clinical experience,
125 deleting a requirement that a licensed mental health
126 professional be on the premises when a registered
127 intern is providing clinical services in a private
128 setting; requiring a licensed mental health
129 professional to be accessible by telephone or
130 electronic means when a registered intern is providing
131 services through telehealth; requiring the board to
132 designate a theory and practice examination by rule;
133 for purposes of clinical