Florida Senate - 2021 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 818
Ì840726/Î840726
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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The Committee on Criminal Justice (Burgess) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Substitute for Amendment (526946) (with title
2 amendment)
3
4 Delete lines 16 - 25
5 and insert:
6 Section 1. Subsection (3) and paragraphs (b) and (c) of
7 subsection (4) of of section 491.005, Florida Statutes, are
8 amended to read:
9 491.005 Licensure by examination.—
10 (3) MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY.—Upon verification of
11 documentation and payment of a fee not to exceed $200, as set by
12 board rule, plus the actual cost of the purchase of the
13 examination from the Association of Marital and Family Therapy
14 Regulatory Board, or similar national organization, the
15 department shall issue a license as a marriage and family
16 therapist to an applicant who the board certifies has met the
17 following criteria:
18 (a) Has Submitted an application and paid the appropriate
19 fee.
20 (b)1. Obtained one of the following:
21 a. A minimum of a master's degree in marriage and family
22 therapy from a program accredited by the Commission on
23 Accreditation from Marriage and Family Therapy Education.
24 b. A minimum of a master's degree with major emphasis in
25 marriage and family therapy or a closely related field from a
26 university program accredited by the Council for Accreditation
27 of Counseling and Related Educational Programs and graduate
28 courses approved by the board.
29 c. A minimum of a master's degree with an emphasis in
30 marriage and family therapy or a closely related field, with a
31 degree conferred date before July 1, 2026, from an
32 institutionally accredited college or university and graduate
33 course approved by the board.
34 Has a minimum of a master’s degree with major emphasis in
35 marriage and family therapy or a closely related field from a
36 program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for
37 Marriage and Family Therapy Education or from a Florida
38 university program accredited by the Council for Accreditation
39 of Counseling and Related Educational Programs and graduate
40 courses approved by the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage
41 and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling.
42 2. If the course title that appears on the applicant’s
43 transcript does not clearly identify the content of the
44 coursework, the applicant shall provide additional
45 documentation, including, but not limited to, a syllabus or
46 catalog description published for the course. The required
47 master’s degree must have been received in an institution of
48 higher education that, at the time the applicant graduated, was
49 fully accredited by an institutional a regional accrediting body
50 recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary
51 Accreditation or publicly recognized as a member in good
52 standing with the Association of Universities and Colleges of
53 Canada, or an institution of higher education located outside
54 the United States and Canada which, at the time the applicant
55 was enrolled and at the time the applicant graduated, maintained
56 a standard of training substantially equivalent to the standards
57 of training of those institutions in the United States which are
58 accredited by an institutional a regional accrediting body
59 recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary
60 Accreditation. Such foreign education and training must have
61 been received in an institution or program of higher education
62 officially recognized by the government of the country in which
63 it is located as an institution or program to train students to
64 practice as professional marriage and family therapists or
65 psychotherapists. The applicant has the burden of establishing
66 that the requirements of this provision have been met, and the
67 board shall require documentation, such as an evaluation by a
68 foreign equivalency determination service, as evidence that the
69 applicant’s graduate degree program and education were
70 equivalent to an accredited program in this country. An
71 applicant with a master’s degree from a program that did not
72 emphasize marriage and family therapy may complete the
73 coursework requirement in a training institution fully
74 accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and
75 Family Therapy Education recognized by the United States
76 Department of Education.
77 (c) Has Had at least 2 years of clinical experience during
78 which 50 percent of the applicant’s clients were receiving
79 marriage and family therapy services, which must have been be at
80 the post-master’s level under the supervision of a licensed
81 marriage and family therapist with at least 5 years of
82 experience, or the equivalent, who is a qualified supervisor as
83 determined by the board. An individual who intends to practice
84 in Florida to satisfy the clinical experience requirements must
85 register pursuant to s. 491.0045 before commencing practice. If
86 a graduate has a master’s degree with a major emphasis in
87 marriage and family therapy or a closely related field which did
88 not include all of the coursework required by paragraph (b),
89 credit for the post-master’s level clinical experience may not
90 commence until the applicant has completed a minimum of 10 of
91 the courses required by paragraph (b), as determined by the
92 board, and at least 6 semester hours or 9 quarter hours of the
93 course credits must have been completed in the area of marriage
94 and family systems, theories, or techniques. Within the 2 years
95 of required experience, the applicant must shall provide direct
96 individual, group, or family therapy and counseling to cases
97 including those involving unmarried dyads, married couples,
98 separating and divorcing couples, and family groups that include
99 children. A doctoral internship may be applied toward the
100 clinical experience requirement. When a registered intern is
101 providing clinical services through telehealth, a licensed
102 mental health professional must be accessible by telephone or
103 other electronic means. A licensed mental health professional
104 must be on the premises when clinical services are provided by a
105 registered intern in a private practice setting.
106 (d) Has Passed a theory and practice examination designated
107 by board rule provided by the department.
108 (e) Has Demonstrated, in a manner designated by board rule,
109 knowledge of the laws and rules governing the practice of
110 clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental
111 health counseling.
112
113 For the purposes of dual licensure, the department shall license
114 as a marriage and family therapist any person who meets the
115 requirements of s. 491.0057. Fees for dual licensure may not
116 exceed those stated in this subsection.
117 (4) MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING.—Upon verification of
118 documentation and payment of a fee not to exceed $200, as set by
119 board rule, plus the actual per applicant cost of purchase of
120 the examination from the National Board for Certified Counselors
121 or its successor organization, the department shall issue a
122 license as a mental health counselor to an applicant who the
123 board certifies:
124 (b) 1. Has a minimum of an earned master’s degree from a
125 mental health counseling program accredited by the Council for
126 the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
127 which consists of at least 60 semester hours or 80 quarter hours
128 of clinical and didactic instruction, including a course in
129 human sexuality and a course in substance abuse. If the master’s
130 degree is earned from a program related to the practice of
131 mental health counseling which is not accredited by the Council
132 for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational
133 Programs, then the coursework and practicum, internship, or
134 fieldwork must consist of at least 60 semester hours or 80
135 quarter hours and meet all of the following requirements:
136 a. Thirty-three semester hours or 44 quarter hours of
137 graduate coursework, which must include a minimum of 3 semester
138 hours or 4 quarter hours of graduate-level coursework in each of
139 the following 11 content areas: counseling theories and
140 practice; human growth and development; diagnosis and treatment
141 of psychopathology; human sexuality; group theories and
142 practice; individual evaluation and assessment; career and
143 lifestyle assessment; research and program evaluation; social
144 and cultural foundations; substance abuse; and legal, ethical,
145 and professional standards issues in the practice of mental
146 health counseling. Courses in research, thesis or dissertation
147 work, practicums, internships, or fieldwork may not be applied
148 toward this requirement.
149 b. A minimum of 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours of
150 graduate-level coursework addressing diagnostic processes,
151 including differential diagnosis and the use of the current
152 diagnostic tools, such as the current edition of the American
153 Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
154 Mental Disorders. The graduate program must have emphasized the
155 common core curricular experience.
156 c. The equivalent, as determined by the board, of at least
157 700 hours of university-sponsored supervised clinical practicum,
158 internship, or field experience that includes at least 280 hours
159 of direct client services, as required in the accrediting
160 standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and
161 Related Educational Programs for mental health counseling
162 programs. This experience may not be used to satisfy the post
163 master’s clinical experience requirement.
164 2. Has provided additional documentation if a course title
165 that appears on the applicant’s transcript does not clearly
166 identify the content of the coursework. The documentation must
167 include, but is not limited to, a syllabus or catalog
168 description published for the course.
169
170 Education and training in mental health counseling must have
171 been received in an institution of higher education that, at the
172 time the applicant graduated, was fully accredited by a regional
173 accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education
174 Accreditation or its successor organization or publicly
175 recognized as a member in good standing with the Association of
176 Universities and Colleges of Canada, or an institution of higher
177 education located outside the United States and Canada which, at
178 the time the applicant was enrolled and at the time the
179 applicant graduated, maintained a standard of training
180 substantially equivalent to the standards of training of those
181 institutions in the United States which are accredited by a
182 regional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher
183 Education Accreditation or its successor organization. Such
184 foreign education and training must have been received in an
185 institution or program of higher education officially recognized
186 by the government of the country in which it is located as an
187 institution or program to train students to practice as mental
188 health counselors. The applicant has the burden of establishing
189 that the requirements of this provision have been met, and the
190 board shall require documentation, such as an evaluation by a
191 foreign equivalency determination service, as evidence that the
192 applicant’s graduate degree program and education were
193 equivalent to an accredited program in this country. Beginning
194 July 1, 2025, an applicant must have a master’s degree from a
195 program that is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of
196 Counseling and Related Educational Programs, Masters in
197 Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council, or an
198 equivalent accrediting body, as determined by board rule, which
199 consists of at least 60 semester hours or 80 quarter hours to
200 apply for licensure under this paragraph.
201
202
203 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
204 And the title is amended as follows:
205 Delete line 3
206 and insert:
207 amending s. 491.005, F.S.; revising the licensure
208 requirements for licensure by examination by marriage
209 and family therapists; revising education
210 requirements; for purposes of clinical experience,
211 deleting a requirement that a licensed mental health
212 professional be on the premises when a registered
213 intern is providing clinical services in a private
214 setting; requiring a licensed mental health
215 professional to be accessible by telephone or
216 electronic means when a registered intern is providing
217 services through telehealth; requiring the board to
218 designate a theory and practice examination by rule;
219 providing additional organizations that may accredit
220 educational programs for purposes of licensure as a
221 licensed mental health counselor; for purposes of
222 clinical