The MFT National Clinical Exam

In May 2024, the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) Board voted to move towards accepting the Association of Marital and Family Therapists Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) national clinical exam for licensure in California. This is a significant first step forward for California-licensed MFTs to have better license portability and fewer hurdles to obtain federal employment.

What is the MFT National Clinical Exam?
Forty-nine (49) states as well as territories, including the District of Columbia and Guam, utilize the national MFT national clinical exam administered by the AMFTRB. California is the only state that requires MFT applicants to take and pass the BBS-administered MFT clinical exam.

The national clinical exam and the California clinical exam have several similar commonalities related to the time allotted for the examinations, passage rates, and general content areas. For more information about the MFT national clinical exam, visit the AMFTRB website.

When will the transition to the National Clinical Exam happen?
This vote does not immediately adopt the MFT national clinical exam for licensure in California and there is no timeline for when the transition could/would happen.

BBS staff will begin drafting legislative and/or regulatory language to accept the national clinical exam. In addition, the BBS will take other actions to ensure adequate access for all MFTs, quality examination, and fair testing for California MFT applicants. Once completed, the BBS Board will need approve the drafted legislative or regulatory language and go through the rulemaking process to formally accept the national clinical exam for licensure in California. This is a process that can take several years.

What impact would the transition mean for currently licensed California MFTs?
There would be no impact to currently licensed California MFTs who have already passed the California MFT clinical exam.

What impact would the transition mean for MFT licensure Applicants, Associates, or Trainees?
As noted above, it will be years before this transition could/would be implemented. So, for now, there is no impact.

Once the BBS does determine to transition to the national clinical exam, MFT exam applicants would simply take the national clinical exam in lieu of the current California MFT clinical exam. There is very little substantive difference between the national clinical exam and the current California clinical exam. Multiple steps and processes would be taken by both the BBS, as well as stakeholder groups (like CAMFT), to ensure adequate training and readiness for examination takers if this transition does move forward in the years to come.

In addition, those who take the national clinical exam in the coming years would find an easier path to licensure in many other states.

Would hours of experience gained now count towards the minimum requirement to take the National Clinical Exam?
If/when the BBS transitions to the national clinical exam, the same license requirements in California will continue to apply and the 3,000 hours of experience will count towards your eligibility to take the national clinical exam if formally adopted by the BBS.

Will the transition to the National Clinical Exam impact requirements to take the California Law and Ethics Exam?
If/when the BBS transitions to the national clinical exam, Associate Registered MFTs will continue to be required to take the California Law and Ethics exam a minimum of one time per renewal cycle until the exam has been passed.

Does a formal transition to the National Clinical Exam mean that California MFTs will become licensed nationwide and/or out-of-state MFTs will become licensed in California?
Transitioning to the national clinical exam does not equate to a national license. Each state will continue to have their own licensing laws as they do now. To become licensed in another state, you will still need to apply for licensure in that state and follow their licensing laws for MFTs. Similarly, out-of-state MFTs will still need to apply for licensure in California to practice in this state.