A5116

An Act concerning licensure in marriage and family therapy and amending P.L.1968, c.401.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. Section 14 of P.L.1968, c.401 (C.45:8B-14) is amended to read as follows:

14. A person desiring to obtain a license as a practicing marriage and family therapist or as an associate marriage and family therapist shall make application therefor to the board upon such form and in such manner as the board shall prescribe and shall furnish evidence satisfactory to the board that [he] the person:

(a) Is at least 21 years of age;

(b) Is of good moral character;

(c) Is not engaged in any practice or conduct which would be a ground for refusing to issue, suspending or revoking a license issued pursuant to this act; and

(d) Qualifies for licensing by an examination of credentials or [for admission to an assembled examination to be conducted by the board] meeting the qualifications set forth in section 18 of P.L.1968, c.401 (C.45:8B-18).

(cf: P.L.2017, c.350, s.5)

2. Section 18 of P.L.1968, c.401 (C.45:8B-18) is amended to read as follows:

18. A person applying to the board to obtain a license as a practicing marriage and family therapist [may be admitted to an examination if he meets] or an associate marriage and family therapist shall meet the qualifications set forth in subsections (a), (b) and (c) of section 14 of P.L.1968, c.401 (C.45:8B-14) and [provides] provide evidence satisfactory to the board that [he] the person has met educational [and], experiential, and examination qualifications set forth in subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this section, except that a person applying to the board to obtain a license as an associate marriage and family therapist shall only be required to meet the educational qualifications set forth in subsection (a) of this section as follows:

(a) Educational Requirement:

To meet the educational requirements, an applicant shall have a minimum of a master's degree in marriage and family therapy, a master's degree in social work, or a graduate degree in a related field and shall demonstrate that [he] the applicant has completed course work content and training substantially equivalent to a master's degree in marriage and family therapy; and the degree shall have been obtained from an accredited institution so recognized at the time of granting of the degrees.

Pursuant to regulations adopted by the board, an applicant with a graduate degree in a related field which does not provide training and course work substantially equivalent in content to a master's degree in marriage and family therapy, shall be deemed to meet the educational requirements set forth in this section upon satisfactory completion of either a post graduate degree recognized by the board, or a program of training and course work at an institute or training program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.

(b) Experience Requirements:

To meet the experience requirements, an applicant shall have [three] two years of full-time [counseling] supervised marriage and family therapy experience[, or its equivalent, of a character approved by the board, two years of which shall have been in marriage and family therapy; two of the three required years shall have been] under the supervision of a person holding a degree specified in subsection (a) of this section and who has [himself had] no less than five full-time years of professional experience or the equivalent. For those with a master's degree, [two of the three required years shall occur after the applicant has earned] up to 300 hours of client contact earned by the applicant while obtaining the master's degree may be applied towards the experience qualifications set forth in this subsection, and for those with a post-master's or doctoral degree, one of the [three] two required years shall occur after the applicant has earned the post-master's or doctoral degree.

To meet the examination requirement, an applicant shall pass an examination conducted by the board. An applicant shall be admitted to an examination conducted by the board if the applicant provides evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant has met the educational requirement set forth in subsection (a) of this section and may do so at any point prior to completing the experience requirements set forth in subsection (b) of this section.

(cf: P.L.2017, c.350, s.6)

3. Section 20 of P.L.1968, c.401 (C.45:8B-20) is amended to read as follows:

20. Any person who shall have failed an examination conducted by the board may not be admitted to a subsequent examination for a period of at least [6 months] 90 days and shall be admitted to a subsequent examination upon compliance with applicable registration requirements including payment of a fee as prescribed by the board.

(cf: P.L.1968, c.401, s.20)

4. (New section) The State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this act).

5. This act shall take effect on the 13th month next following enactment and shall apply to applications for licensure received on or after the effective date of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill modifies the requirements for licensure in marriage and family therapy.

Under current law, an applicant for licensure as a practicing marriage and family is required to complete three years of full-time counseling experience, which is to include two years of supervised marriage and family therapy experience. The bill reduces this requirement to two years of full-time supervised marriage and family therapy experience.

The bill also permits an applicant with a master’s degree to apply up to 300 hours of client contact earned by the applicant while obtaining the master’s degree towards the experience requirements for licensure as a practicing marriage and family therapist. An applicant with a post-master’s or doctoral degree is required to complete one of the two years of full-time supervised marriage and family therapy experience after the applicant obtains the post-master’s or doctoral degree.

The bill requires the board to admit an applicant for licensure to an examination conducted by the board if the applicant meets the educational requirement but has not yet met the experience requirements for licensure. Under current law, an applicant for licensure as a practicing marriage and family therapist is required to meet both the educational and experience requirements for licensure before the applicant can be admitted to an examination.

The bill clarifies that an applicant for licensure as an associate marriage and family therapist is not required to meet the experience and examination qualifications required for licensure as a practicing marriage and family therapist.

The bill also shortens, from 6 months to 90 days, the period that an applicant who fails an examination is to wait for admittance to a subsequent examination.