BILL NUMBER: AB 956	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Roger Hernández

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2011

   An act to amend Sections 4980.44 and 4980.48 of the Business and
Professions Code, relating to marriage and family therapy.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 956, as introduced, Roger Hernández. Marriage and family
therapy: interns and trainees: advertisements.
   Existing law, the Marriage and Family Therapist Act, provides for
the licensure or registration and regulation of marriage and family
therapists and interns by the Board of Behavioral Sciences and makes
a violation of its provisions a crime. Existing law requires marriage
and family therapist interns, trainees, and applicants for licensure
or registration to at all times be under supervision. Existing law
requires interns and trainees to inform each client or patient prior
to performing any professional services that he or she is unlicensed
and under the supervision of a licensed marriage and family
therapist, licensed clinical social worker, licensed psychologist, or
a licensed physician and surgeon certified in psychiatry. Existing
law requires any person that advertises services performed by a
trainee to include the trainee's name, the supervisor's license
designation or abbreviation, and the supervisor's license number.
   This bill would require an intern or trainee, prior to performing
professional services, to provide each client or patient with the
name of his or her employer and indicate whether he or she is under
the supervision of a licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed
clinical social worker, licensed psychologist, or a licensed
physician and surgeon certified in psychiatry. The bill would require
any advertisement by or on behalf of an intern or trainee to include
specified information, including the name of the employer of the
intern or trainee and that the intern or trainee is supervised by a
licensed person. The bill would also require an advertisement for
interns to include the title "marriage and family therapist
registered intern" if the abbreviation MFTI is used in the
advertisement.
   Because a violation of the bill's provisions would be a crime,
this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
   This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this
act for a specified reason.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 4980.44 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
   4980.44.  An unlicensed marriage and family therapist intern
employed under this chapter shall comply with the following
requirements:
   (a) Possess, at a minimum, a master's degree as specified in
Section 4980.36 or 4980.37, as applicable.
   (b) Register with the board prior to performing any duties, except
as otherwise provided in subdivision (g) of Section 4980.43.
   (c)  Inform each client or patient prior  
Prior  to performing any professional services  ,  
inform each client or patient  that he or she is  an 
unlicensed  marriage and family therapist registered intern,
provide the name of his or her employer,  and  indicate
whether he or she is  under the supervision of a licensed
marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical social worker,
licensed psychologist, or a licensed physician and surgeon certified
in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. 

   (d) (1) Any advertisement by or on behalf of a marriage and family
therapist registered intern shall include, at a minimum, all of the
following information:  
   (A) That he or she is a marriage and family therapist registered
intern.  
   (B) The name of his or her employer.  
   (C) That he or she is supervised by a licensed person.  
   (2) The abbreviation "MFTI" shall not be used in an advertisement
unless the title "marriage and family therapist registered intern"
appears in the advertisement. 
  SEC. 2.  Section 4980.48 of the Business and Professions Code is
amended to read:
   4980.48.  (a) A trainee shall  , prior to performing any
professional services,  inform each client or patient  ,
prior to performing any professional services,  that he or
she is  an  unlicensed  marriage and family therapist
trainee, provide the name of his or her employer,  and 
indicate whether he or she is  under the supervision of a
licensed marriage and family therapist, a licensed clinical social
worker, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed physician certified in
psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
   (b) Any person that advertises services performed by a trainee
shall include the trainee's name, the supervisor's license
designation or abbreviation, and the supervisor's license number.

   (c) Any advertisement by or on behalf of a marriage and family
therapist trainee shall include, at a minimum, all of the following
information:  
   (1) That he or she is a marriage and family therapist trainee.
 
   (2) The name of his or her employer.  
   (3) That he or she is supervised by a licensed person. 
  SEC. 3.  No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the
Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the
meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.