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The Florida Senate

2024 Florida Statutes

Title XXXII REGULATION OF PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
Chapter 491 CLINICAL, COUNSELING, AND PSYCHOTHERAPY SERVICES Entire Chapter
SECTION 003
Definitions.
F.S. 491.003
491.003 Definitions.—As used in this chapter:
(1) “Board” means the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling.
(2) “Clinical social worker” means a person licensed under this chapter to practice clinical social work.
(3) “Clinical social work experience” is defined as a period during which the applicant provides clinical social work services, including assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation of clients; provided that at least 50 percent of the hours worked consist of providing psychotherapy and counseling services directly to clients.
(4) “Department” means the Department of Health.
(5) “Licensed professional counselor” means a clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist, or mental health counselor authorized to provide services under s. 491.017.
(6) “Marriage and family therapist” means a person licensed under this chapter to practice marriage and family therapy.
(7) “Mental health counselor” means a person licensed under this chapter to practice mental health counseling.
(8) The “practice of clinical social work” is defined as the use of scientific and applied knowledge, theories, and methods for the purpose of describing, preventing, evaluating, and treating individual, couple, marital, family, or group behavior, based on the person-in-situation perspective of psychosocial development, normal and abnormal behavior, psychopathology, unconscious motivation, interpersonal relationships, environmental stress, differential assessment, differential planning, and data gathering. The purpose of such services is the prevention and treatment of undesired behavior and enhancement of mental health. The practice of clinical social work includes methods of a psychological nature used to evaluate, assess, diagnose, treat, and prevent emotional and mental disorders and dysfunctions (whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral), sexual dysfunction, behavioral disorders, alcoholism, and substance abuse. The practice of clinical social work includes, but is not limited to, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and sex therapy. The practice of clinical social work also includes counseling, behavior modification, consultation, client-centered advocacy, crisis intervention, and the provision of needed information and education to clients, when using methods of a psychological nature to evaluate, assess, diagnose, treat, and prevent emotional and mental disorders and dysfunctions (whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral), sexual dysfunction, behavioral disorders, alcoholism, or substance abuse. The practice of clinical social work may also include clinical research into more effective psychotherapeutic modalities for the treatment and prevention of such conditions.
(a) Clinical social work may be rendered to individuals, including individuals affected by the termination of marriage, and to marriages, couples, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
(b) The use of specific methods, techniques, or modalities within the practice of clinical social work is restricted to clinical social workers appropriately trained in the use of such methods, techniques, or modalities.
(c) The terms “diagnose” and “treat,” as used in this chapter, when considered in isolation or in conjunction with the rules of the board, may not be construed to permit the performance of any act which clinical social workers are not educated and trained to perform, including, but not limited to, admitting persons to hospitals for treatment of the foregoing conditions, treating persons in hospitals without medical supervision, prescribing medicinal drugs as defined in chapter 465, authorizing clinical laboratory procedures, or radiological procedures, or use of electroconvulsive therapy. In addition, this definition may not be construed to permit any person licensed, provisionally licensed, registered, or certified pursuant to this chapter to describe or label any test, report, or procedure as “psychological,” except to relate specifically to the definition of practice authorized in this subsection.
(d) The definition of “clinical social work” contained in this subsection includes all services offered directly to the general public or through organizations, whether public or private, and applies whether payment is requested or received for services rendered.
(9) The term “practice of marriage and family therapy” means the use of scientific and applied marriage and family theories, methods, and procedures for the purpose of describing, evaluating, and modifying marital, family, and individual behavior, within the context of marital and family systems, including the context of marital formation and dissolution, and is based on marriage and family systems theory, marriage and family development, human development, normal and abnormal behavior, psychopathology, human sexuality, and psychotherapeutic and marriage and family therapy theories and techniques. The practice of marriage and family therapy includes methods of a psychological nature used to evaluate, assess, diagnose, treat, and prevent emotional and mental disorders or dysfunctions (whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral), sexual dysfunction, behavioral disorders, alcoholism, and substance abuse. The practice of marriage and family therapy includes, but is not limited to, marriage and family therapy, psychotherapy, including behavioral family therapy, hypnotherapy, and sex therapy. The practice of marriage and family therapy also includes counseling, behavior modification, consultation, client-centered advocacy, crisis intervention, and the provision of needed information and education to clients, when using methods of a psychological nature to evaluate, assess, diagnose, treat, and prevent emotional and mental disorders and dysfunctions (whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral), sexual dysfunction, behavioral disorders, alcoholism, or substance abuse. The practice of marriage and family therapy may also include clinical research into more effective psychotherapeutic modalities for the treatment and prevention of such conditions.
(a) Marriage and family therapy may be rendered to individuals, including individuals affected by termination of marriage, to couples, whether married or unmarried, to families, or to groups.
(b) The use of specific methods, techniques, or modalities within the practice of marriage and family therapy is restricted to marriage and family therapists appropriately trained in the use of such methods, techniques, or modalities.
(c) The terms “diagnose” and “treat,” as used in this chapter, when considered in isolation or in conjunction with the rules of the board, may not be construed to permit the performance of any act that marriage and family therapists are not educated and trained to perform, including, but not limited to, admitting persons to hospitals for treatment of the foregoing conditions, treating persons in hospitals without medical supervision, prescribing medicinal drugs as defined in chapter 465, authorizing clinical laboratory procedures or radiological procedures or the use of electroconvulsive therapy. In addition, this definition may not be construed to permit any person licensed, provisionally licensed, registered, or certified pursuant to this chapter to describe or label any test, report, or procedure as “psychological,” except to relate specifically to the definition of practice authorized in this subsection.
(d) The definition of “marriage and family therapy” contained in this subsection includes all services offered directly to the general public or through organizations, whether public or private, and applies whether payment is requested or received for services rendered.
(10) The term “practice of mental health counseling” means the use of scientific and applied behavioral science theories, methods, and techniques for the purpose of describing, preventing, and treating undesired behavior and enhancing mental health and human development and is based on the person-in-situation perspectives derived from research and theory in personality, family, group, and organizational dynamics and development, career planning, cultural diversity, human growth and development, human sexuality, normal and abnormal behavior, psychopathology, psychotherapy, and rehabilitation. The practice of mental health counseling includes methods of a psychological nature used to evaluate, assess, diagnose, and treat emotional and mental dysfunctions or disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, interpersonal relationships, sexual dysfunction, alcoholism, and substance abuse. The practice of mental health counseling includes, but is not limited to, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and sex therapy. The practice of mental health counseling also includes counseling, behavior modification, consultation, client-centered advocacy, crisis intervention, and the provision of needed information and education to clients, when using methods of a psychological nature to evaluate, assess, diagnose, treat, and prevent emotional and mental disorders and dysfunctions (whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral), behavioral disorders, sexual dysfunction, alcoholism, or substance abuse. The practice of mental health counseling may also include clinical research into more effective psychotherapeutic modalities for the treatment and prevention of such conditions.
(a) Mental health counseling may be rendered to individuals, including individuals affected by the termination of marriage, and to couples, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
(b) The use of specific methods, techniques, or modalities within the practice of mental health counseling is restricted to mental health counselors appropriately trained in the use of such methods, techniques, or modalities.
(c) The terms “diagnose” and “treat,” as used in this chapter, when considered in isolation or in conjunction with any provision of the rules of the board, may not be construed to permit the performance of any act that mental health counselors are not educated and trained to perform, including, but not limited to, admitting persons to hospitals for treatment of the foregoing conditions, treating persons in hospitals without medical supervision, prescribing medicinal drugs as defined in chapter 465, authorizing clinical laboratory procedures or radiological procedures, or the use of electroconvulsive therapy. In addition, this definition may not be construed to permit any person licensed, provisionally licensed, registered, or certified pursuant to this chapter to describe or label any test, report, or procedure as “psychological,” except to relate specifically to the definition of practice authorized in this subsection.
(d) The definition of “mental health counseling” contained in this subsection includes all services offered directly to the general public or through organizations, whether public or private, and applies whether payment is requested or received for services rendered.
(11) “Provisional clinical social worker licensee” means a person provisionally licensed under this chapter to provide clinical social work services under supervision.
(12) “Provisional marriage and family therapist licensee” means a person provisionally licensed under this chapter to provide marriage and family therapy services under supervision.
(13) “Provisional mental health counselor licensee” means a person provisionally licensed under this chapter to provide mental health counseling services under supervision.
(14) “Psychotherapist” means a clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist, or mental health counselor licensed pursuant to this chapter.
1(15) “Registered clinical social worker intern” means a person registered under this chapter who is completing the postgraduate clinical social work experience requirement specified in s. 491.005(1)(c).
1(16) “Registered marriage and family therapist intern” means a person registered under this chapter who is completing the post-master’s clinical experience requirement specified in s. 491.005(3)(c).
1(17) “Registered mental health counselor intern” means a person registered under this chapter who is completing the post-master’s clinical experience requirement specified in s. 491.005(4)(c).
(18) “Social worker” means a person who has a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in social work.
History.—ss. 15, 19, ch. 87-252; s. 10, ch. 89-70; ss. 5, 19, 20, ch. 90-263; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 192, ch. 94-218; s. 9, ch. 97-198; s. 201, ch. 97-264; s. 2, ch. 2008-154; s. 103, ch. 2018-24; s. 5, ch. 2022-63; s. 105, ch. 2023-8; s. 42, ch. 2024-243.
1Note.—Section 42, ch. 2024-243, amended subsections (15)-(17), effective July 1, 2025, to read:

(15) “Registered clinical social worker intern” means a person registered under this chapter who is completing the postgraduate clinical social work experience requirement specified in s. 491.005(1)(d).

(16) “Registered marriage and family therapist intern” means a person registered under this chapter who is completing the post-master’s clinical experience requirement specified in s. 491.005(3)(d).

(17) “Registered mental health counselor intern” means a person registered under this chapter who is completing the post-master’s clinical experience requirement specified in s. 491.005(4)(d).