BILL ANALYSIS Ó
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1012|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1012
Author: Wyland (R)
Amended: 4/21/14
Vote: 21
SENATE BUSINESS, PROF. & ECON. DEV.COMM. : 9-0, 4/21/14
AYES: Lieu, Wyland, Berryhill, Block, Corbett, Galgiani,
Hernandez, Hill, Padilla
SUBJECT : Marriage and family therapists: trainees
SOURCE : California Association of Marriage and Family
Therapists
DIGEST : This bill extends the number of hours, from five to
six, that an individual with a qualifying degree can count
towards their weekly supervision requirement.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1. Provides for the licensure, registration and regulation of
marriage and family therapists (MFTs) by the Board of
Behavioral Sciences (BBS).
2. Defines the following terms:
A. "Intern" as an unlicensed person who has earned
his/her master or doctoral degree qualifying him/her for
CONTINUED
SB 1012
Page
2
licensure and is registered with the BBS.
B. "Trainee" as an unlicensed person who is currently
enrolled in a master or doctoral degree program, that is
designed to qualify him/her for licensure, and who has
completed no less than 12 semester units or 18 quarter
units of coursework in any qualifying degree program.
C. "Experience" as experience in interpersonal
relationships, psychotherapy, marriage and family therapy,
and professional enrichment activities that satisfies the
requirement for licensure as an MFT.
D. "Supervisor" as an individual who meets all of the
following requirements:
(1) Has been licensed by a state regulatory agency
for at least two years as an MFT, licensed clinical
social worker, licensed professional clinical counselor
(LPCC), licensed psychologist or licensed physician
certified in psychiatry by the American Board of
Psychiatry and Neurology.
(2) If an LPCC, the individual should have completed
the additional training and education requirements
specified in Business and Professions Code Section
4999.20 (3)(a).
(3) Has not provided therapeutic services to the
trainee or intern.
(4) Has a current and valid license that is not
under suspension or probation.
(5) Complies with supervision requirements
established by the BBS via regulations.
1. Specifies that an applicant for licensure must not complete
more than 40 clinical hours in any seven consecutive days.
2. Specifies that no more than 1,300 hours of supervised
experience and 750 hours of clinical contact with clients
shall be obtained prior to completing the graduate degree.
CONTINUED
SB 1012
Page
3
3. Requires a trainee to attain supervised clinical experience
while working in clinical settings under the supervision of
licensed professionals.
4. Specifies that a trainee can receive one additional hour of
direct supervisor contact for every week in which more than
10 hours of client contact is gained in each clinical
setting.
5. Specifies that no less than 1,700 hours of supervised
experience shall be completed after obtaining the graduate
degree.
6. Specifies that no more than five hours of supervision shall
be credited, during any single week, for interns.
7. Further specifies, that during each week in which experience
is claimed, and for each work setting in which experience is
gained, an applicant shall have at least one hour of
one-on-one, individual, face-to-face supervisor contact or
two hours of face-to-face supervisor contact in a group of
not more than eight persons receiving supervision.
Additionally, no more than five hours of supervision, whether
individual or group, shall be credited during any single
week.
This bill extends the number of hours, from five to six, that an
individual with a qualifying degree can count towards their
weekly supervision requirement.
Background
MFT trainees and interns. Trainees are individuals who are
enrolled in MFT graduate programs who have completed at least 12
semester or 18 quarter units of coursework. Interns have earned
their graduate degree, are registered with BBS, but have not yet
taken the licensing examination. There are over 16,000 interns
registered with the BBS.
MFT trainee and intern supervision requirements . Existing law
requires that MFT trainees and interns complete 3,000 hours of
clinical experience in order to gain licensure. Clinical
experience includes contact with clients in clinical settings
such as mental health agencies, hospitals or doctor's offices.
CONTINUED
SB 1012
Page
4
No more than 1,000 of the required hours can be gained from
direct supervisor contact. Direct supervisor contact is defined
as one hour per week of face-to-face contact in individual
supervision or two hours per week of face-to-face contact in a
group supervision setting. Trainees must receive an average of
one hour of direct supervisor contact for every five hours of
clinical work with clients. Interns must receive at least one
additional hour of direct supervisor contact for every week in
which more than 10 hours of client counseling is gained.
Comments
According to the author, "This bill will allow MFT trainees and
interns to be able to count all the supervised hours they
actually obtain toward licensure. By modifying the hour
requirement process, the path to licensure will be improved.
MFTs will be able to complete their requirements more quickly
and be available to serve the public, particularly as the new
Affordable Care Act includes health coverage for mental health
benefits and demand for mental health providers will increase."
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local:
No
SUPPORT : (Verified 4/23/14)
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
(source)
California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The bill's sponsor, California
Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, writes, "MFT
Trainees and Registered Interns often work at multiple work
sites and obtain more than five hours of supervision a week in
order to meet the requirements for counting client counseling
hours received during that week. Removing this limitation is to
allow MFT Trainees and Registered Interns to count all the
supervisor contact hours they actually obtain, which will result
in many of these applicants being able to complete their hours
of experience in a timelier fashion?many more Californians will
have insurance coverage for mental health benefits due to the
recent passage of the Affordable Care Act. The sooner these
applicants are licensed, the sooner they are able to join the
workforce and provide the counseling services consumers
CONTINUED
SB 1012
Page
5
desperately need."
The California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies
states, "This bill would remove the five hour restriction it
(sic) thus provides more opportunity for trainees to advance
towards licensure. Since there is a shortage of licensed
therapists this bill will help address an important healthcare
need."
MW:k 4/23/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****
CONTINUED