Florida Senate - 2021                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 818
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì526946LÎ526946                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/30/2021           .                                
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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