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The Legal Department articles are not intended to serve as legal advice and are offered for educational purposes only. The information provided should not be used as a substitute for independent legal advice and it is not intended to address every situation that could potentially arise. Please be aware that laws, regulations and technical standards change over time. As a result, it is important to verify and update any reference or information that is provided in the article.
In 2009, the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor licensure law was passed and signed here in California. This article is to assist pre-licensed MFTs with the LPCC requirements.
The Therapist March/April 2010
In 2009, the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor licensure law was passed and signed here in California. For already licensed MFTs, grandparenting is available from January 1, 2011 through June 30, 2011. For interns who expect to be licensed before June 30, 2011, they too will have the option to apply for LPCC grandparenting. However, pre-licensed members who wish to obtain their LPCC license, and who are already in the pipeline (but will not be licensed by June 30, 2011) will need to adhere to specific education and experience requirements, as well as take the required licensing examinations.
(NOTE: This article is to assist pre-licensed MFTs with the LPCC requirements. For more information on the grandparenting of licensed MFTs specifically, please see “(Requirements for Licensure as Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCCs)” by Mary Riemersma, Executive Director.
For those who are outside of the grandparenting timeframe, the required education and experience is reviewed below. However, the specific regulations still need to be drafted by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. For example, can you count any and all supervised hours of experience towards both LPCC and MFT licensure? Will the BBS require national or state-developed examinations? Will the BBS allow more than one course to satisfy a particular required core course content area? These types of questions still need to be addressed. We will share that information as the process evolves. As to the general education and experience required, please see the summary below:i
Education Requirements:
For more specific information or required education content see the next article that quotes the law.
Experience Requirements:
For additional information or questions, please call the CAMFT Attorneys or Executive Director at 888-892-2638.
Catherine L. Atkins, JD, is the Deputy Executive Director at CAMFT. Cathy is available to answer members’ questions regarding business, legal, and ethical issues.
Endnotes
i This section shall apply to applicants for examination eligibility or registration who begin graduate study before August 1, 2012, and complete that study on or before December 31, 2018. ii For specificity as to the content of the nine (9) core courses, please see “Requirements for Licensure as Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCCs)” by Mary Riemersma on the CAMFT website at www.camft.org. iiiL For specificity as to the content of the practicum, please see “Requirements for Licensure as Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCCs)” by Mary Riemersma on the CAMFT website at www.camft.org.