MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPISTS H.B. 6143: FLOOR ANALYSIS
House Bill 6143 (as reported without amendment) Sponsor: Representative Gerald Law
House Committee: Regulatory Affairs
Senate Committee: Health Policy and Senior C`itizens
The bill would amend the Public Health Code to revise the licensure provisions for marriage and family therapists, by specifying credentials for the supervisor of an applicant’s clinical experience; reducing from 2,000 to 1,000 the minimum number of supervised direct client contact hours that an applicant must complete; removing the requirement that that experience be completed within five years; and requiring a waiver of the supervised clinical experience and client hour requirements for an applicant who provided satisfactory evidence of having obtained a doctoral degree from an accredited doctoral training program in marriage and family therapy approved by the Michigan Board of Marriage and Family Therapy.
Currently, an applicant for a marriage and family therapist license must provide the Board with satisfactory evidence of having completed supervised clinical marriage and family therapy experience that meets specific requirements, including verification by the supervising licensed marriage and family therapist. The bill would require verification, instead, by a supervisor who had a master’s or higher graduate degree from an accredited college or university approved by the Board and was one of the following: a marriage and family therapist; a certified or registered social worker; a licensed professional counselor; a physician practicing in a mental health setting; a fully licensed psychologist; or an approved supervisor or supervisor-in-training through a program conducted by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and approved by the Board.
MCL 333.16909 Legislative Analyst: S. Margules
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Date Completed: 12-6-96 Fiscal Analyst: M. Tyszkiewicz
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.