BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2198
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2198 (Levine)
As Amended April 21, 2014
Majority vote
BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS 10-0 APPROPRIATIONS
15-1
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|Ayes:|Bonilla, Bocanegra, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bigelow, |
| |Campos, Gordon, Hagman, | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| |Holden, Maienschein, | |Calderon, Campos, Eggman, |
| |Mullin, Ting, Wilk | |Gomez, Holden, Linder, |
| | | |Pan, Quirk, |
| | | |Ridley-Thomas, Wagner, |
| | | |Weber |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
| | |Nays:|Jones |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires Psychologists, Licensed Marriage and Family
Therapists (LMFTs), Licensed Education Psychologists (LEPs),
Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs), and Licensed Professional
Clinical Counselors (LPCCs) to complete either 15 or more hours of
coursework during a degree program, or six or more hours of
continuing education (CE) coursework as part of license renewal, in
suicide assessment, management and treatment, depending on the
professional's date of graduation. Specifically, this bill :
For Psychologists:
1)Requires an applicant for licensure as a psychologist, who began
graduate study on or after January 1, 2016, to complete as a
condition of licensure, a minimum of 15 contact hours of
coursework in suicide assessment, treatment, and management and
prohibits the Board of Psychology (BOP) from issuing a license to
a psychologist applicant until the applicant has met the specified
educational requirements.
2)Requires a licensed psychologist, who began graduate study prior
to January 1, 2016, to complete a six-hour CE course in best
practices for suicide assessment, treatment, and management during
his or her first renewal period, as specified, and submit
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acceptable evidence to BOP of the person's satisfactory completion
of that course, and prohibits BOP from issuing a license to a
psychologist until the applicant has met the specified educational
requirements.
3)Permits CE courses taken in suicide assessment, treatment and
management, to be applied to the 36 hours of approved continuing
education required, as specified.
4)Delays the implementation of the CE requirement until January 1,
2016.
For Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists:
5)Requires a qualified applicant for licensure as a marriage and
family therapist, who began graduate study on or after January 1,
2016, to complete, as a condition of licensure, a minimum of 15
contact hours of coursework in suicide assessment, treatment, and
management.
6)Requires a LMFT, who began graduate study prior to January 1,
2016, to complete a six-hour CE course in best practices for
suicide assessment, treatment, and management during his or her
first renewal period, as specified, and submit acceptable evidence
to California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) of the person's
satisfactory completion of that course.
7)Permits CE courses taken in suicide assessment, treatment, and
management, to be applied to the 36 hours of approved CE required,
as specified.
8)Delays the implementation of the CE requirement until January 1,
2016.
For Licensed Educational Psychologists:
9)Requires an applicant for licensure as an educational
psychologist, who began graduate study on or after January 1,
2016, to complete as a condition of licensure, a minimum of 15
contact hours of coursework in suicide assessment, treatment, and
management and prohibits BBS from issuing a license to an
educational psychologist until the applicant has met the specified
educational requirements.
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10)Requires a LEP, who began graduate study prior to January 1,
2016, to complete a six-hour CE course in best practices for
suicide assessment, treatment, and management during his or her
first renewal period, as specified, and submit acceptable evidence
to BBS of the person's satisfactory completion of that course.
11)Permits CE courses taken in suicide assessment, treatment, and
management, to be applied to the 36 hours of approved CE required,
as specified.
12)Delays the implementation of the CE requirement until January 1,
2016.
For Licensed Clinical Social Workers:
13)Requires an applicant for licensure as a clinical social worker,
who began graduate study on or after January 1, 2016, to complete
as a condition of licensure, a minimum of 15 contact hours of
coursework in suicide assessment, treatment, and management and
prohibits BBS from issuing a license to a social worker until the
applicant has met the specified educational requirements.
14)Requires a LCSW, who began graduate study prior to January 1,
2016, to complete a six-hour CE course in best practices for
suicide assessment, treatment, and management during his or her
first renewal period, as specified, and submit acceptable evidence
to BBS of the person's satisfactory completion of that course.
15)Permits CE courses taken in suicide assessment, treatment, and
management, to be applied to the 36 hours of approved continuing
education required, as specified.
16)Delays the implementation of the CE requirement until January 1,
2016.
For Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors:
17)Requires a qualified applicant for licensure as a professional
clinical counselor, who began graduate study on or after January
1, 2016, to complete, as a condition of licensure, a minimum of 15
contact hours of coursework in suicide assessment, treatment, and
management.
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18)Requires a LPCC, who began graduate study prior to January 1,
2016, to complete a six-hour CE course in best practices for
suicide assessment, treatment, and management during his or her
first renewal period, as specified, and submit acceptable
evidence to BBS of the person's satisfactory completion of that
course.
19)Permits CE courses taken in suicide assessment, treatment, and
management, to be applied to the 36 hours of approved CE required,
as specified.
20)Delays the implementation of the CE requirement until January 1,
2016.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee,
"Minor and absorbable workload and costs to the [BBS] and the [BOP]
for verifying an applicant has completed required coursework."
COMMENTS :
1)Purpose of this bill. This bill will require psychologists,
LMFTs, LEPs, LCSWs and LPCCs to complete either 15 or more hours
of coursework, or six or more hours of continuing education,
related to suicide assessment, treatment, and management,
depending on the date in which the individual began their graduate
degree program. The aim is to ensure that mental health
professionals have adequate training to deal with potentially
suicidal individuals. This bill is author sponsored.
2)Author's statement. According to the author, "Studies estimate
that 40% of people who die by suicide have had contact with mental
health services within a year of their death. There is no
requirement on the books that mental health professionals have
training in suicide assessment, treatment and management. Most
people would assume that if [patients need] help with suicide
prevention that they should [seek] a mental health professional
who has experience with suicide assessment, treatment and
management. This bill is necessary to ensure that mental health
professionals receive the appropriate training in suicide
assessment, treatment and management, thereby protecting public
health."
3)Suicide prevention. According to information provided by the
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009 suicide ranked
as the 10th leading cause of death of person's ages 10 years and
older, accounting for over 36,000 deaths. In 2012, the National
Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention released the 2012 National
Strategy for Suicide Prevention (National Strategy). The National
Strategy outlines strategic directions with 13 goals and 60
objectives that are meant to work together in a coordinated format
to help prevent suicide. Goal number seven of the National
Strategy is to, "Provide training to community and clinical
service providers on the prevention of suicide and related
behaviors," including, but not limited to, professions such as
first responders, adult and child protective service
professionals, and health care providers, including behavioral
health care professionals. The objective of the goal is to
"provide training to mental health and substance abuse providers
on the recognition, assessment, and management of at-risk
behavior, and the delivery of effective clinical care for people
with suicide risk." The objective states that mental health and
substance abuse providers should have the essential foundations of
attitudes, knowledge and clinical prevention skills to address and
reduce suicide risk. In addition, it calls for all education and
training programs, including undergraduate, graduate and CE, to
adopt core education and training guidelines addressing the
prevention of suicide-related behaviors.
This bill aims to ensure that education for mental health
providers include coursework in suicide assessment, treatment and
management by requiring coursework in this subject area be
completed either during a degree program or through CE, depending
upon the beginning date of their graduate degree program. In
order to provide schools with an opportunity to revise their
curricula if necessary, this bill authorizes licensees who
completed graduate study before January 1, 2016, to obtain the
needed coursework through CE, as approved by BOP or BBS. For
individuals who begin graduate study after 2016, they will be
required to complete the coursework during a degree program.
4)Need for additional training. According to the report, Preventing
Suicide through Improved Training in Suicide Risk Assessment and
Care: An American Association of Suicidology Task Force Unabridged
Report Addressing Serious Gaps in Mental Health Training,
one-third of people who die from suicide have had previous contact
with a mental health services within one year of their death and
20% have had mental health contact within the last month of their
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life. The report concludes that despite the prevalence of patient
suicidal behavior and deaths from suicide, the mental health
disciplines have been, at best, inconsistent in training mental
health professionals in the evaluation and management of suicidal
patients.
5)Training standards for mental health professionals. Training and
educational standards for mental health professionals vary
depending on the profession. Psychologists, LMFTS, LCSWs, LEPs,
and LPCCs are required to meet different educational elements
which are determined by each board and are based on each
professions educational needs and standards. In addition, CE is
often required to maintain an active license, and CE requirements
may be set forth in statute and specified in more detail through
regulations issued by BOP or BBS. However, each of these
regulatory bodies has unique CE requirements and oversight.
6)Psychologists. Psychologists are regulated by BOP and are not
under the jurisdiction of BBS as are the other mental health
professions (LMFTs, LEPs, LCSWs, and LPCCs). Psychologists are
required to possess an earned doctorate degree in psychology from
an approved or accredited educational institution. In addition,
applicants must complete specified coursework in spousal or
partner abuse assessment, detection and intervention, and training
in the detection and treatment of alcohol and other chemical
substances dependency. All psychologists seeking licensure
renewal must obtain training in the subject of laws and ethics
before they apply to the practice of psychology in California.
Additionally, psychologists are required to take a specified
one-time, CE course in spousal or partner abuse assessment,
detection and intervention strategies, and a one-time three hour
CE course in aging and long-term care, or show proof to the board
of its equivalent in teaching or practicing experience. A
psychologist may request an exemption from CE requirements if they
meet specified criteria.
7)Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists. Under current law, LMFTs
are required to complete very specific coursework in numerous
subject areas in order to satisfy licensing requirements which
include: the principals of mental health recovery-oriented care;
methods of service delivery in recovery-oriented practice
environments, among others; and specific instruction in diagnosis,
assessment and prognosis and treatment of mental disorders.
However, there is no specific requirement for a course to include
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suicide assessment. The BBS indicates that this training may
already be included in several degree programs, but is currently
not mandatory. LMFTs must complete several one-time CE
requirements for a total of 36 hours of CE every license renewal
period. However, no CE requirements are currently specified in
this subject matter.
8)Licensed Education Psychologists. In order to qualify to be a
LEP, applicants must possess, at minimum, a master's degree in
psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, counseling
and guidance, or a degree deemed equivalent by BBS. Applicants
must complete three years of full time experience, or the
equivalent, working as a school psychologist. While LEPs are
required to obtain specified degrees and relevant experience
related to psychology, they are currently not required to take
coursework in specified subjects such as suicide assessment.
However, according to BBS, they may obtain coursework in suicide
assessment, treatment and management as part of an established
curriculum from an approved degree program. In addition, LEPs are
required to obtain 36 hours of CE in subject areas such as the
aspects of the discipline that are fundamental to the
understanding or the practice of educational psychology.
9)Licensed Clinical Social Workers. LCSWs typically diagnose and
treat mental and behavioral health issues. To be licensed, a
person must graduate from an accredited master's degree program,
register with the BBS as an Academy of Certified Social Workers,
and complete additional required coursework including: alcoholism
and other chemical dependency; spousal or partner abuse
assessment, detection and intervention; human sexuality and child
abuse assessment and reporting, as specified, in addition to
obtaining 3,200 hours of supervised work experience, and
successfully pass specified exams. Currently, there is no
specific course requirement for suicide assessment, treatment, and
management, as prescribed by this bill; however, some individuals
may receive it during their degree program.
10)Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors. In order to obtain
licensure as an LPCC, an applicant who began graduate study on or
after August 1, 2012, is required to obtain a master's or doctoral
degree from an accredited or approved institution, which covers
counseling or psychotherapy in context, and includes supervised
practicum in specified content areas. In addition, an applicant
must obtain a minimum of 3,000 post-degree hours of experience
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supervised by a LPCC, LMFT, LCSW, psychologist or licensed
physician and surgeon who is certified in psychiatry by the
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Of the 3,000 hours
required, not less than 1,750 hours must involve direct counseling
with individuals or groups in a clinical mental health counseling
setting and 150 hours in a hospital or community mental health
setting. In addition, an applicant must receive a passing score
on the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination and
the California Law and Ethics Exam, which are taken upon
completion of the supervised hours. Currently, there is no
specific course requirement for suicide assessment, treatment, and
management, as prescribed by this bill; however, some individuals
may receive it during their degree program.
Analysis Prepared by : Elissa Silva / B., P. & C.P. / (916)
319-3301
FN: 0003485