CS/HB 343 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0343-01-c1
Page 1 of 10
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to mental health professional 2
licensure; amending s. 491.005, F.S.; revising 3
licensing requirements for marriage and family 4
therapists and mental health counselors; providing an 5
effective date. 6
7
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 8
9
Section 1. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 491.005, 10
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 11
491.005 Licensure by examination. — 12
(3) MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY. —Upon verification of 13
documentation and payment of a fee not to exceed $200, as set by 14
board rule, plus the actual cost of the purchase of the 15
examination from the Association of Marital and Family Therapy 16
Regulatory Board, or sim ilar national organization, the 17
department shall issue a license as a marriage and family 18
therapist to an applicant who the board certifies has met all of 19
the following criteria : 20
(a) Has Submitted an application and paid the appropriate 21
fee. 22
(b)1. Attained one of the following: 23
a. A minimum of a master's degree in marriage and family 24
therapy from a program accredited by the Commission on 25
CS/HB 343 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0343-01-c1
Page 2 of 10
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education; 26
b. A minimum of a master's degree with a major emphasis in 27
marriage and family therapy or a closely related field from a 28
university program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of 29
Counseling and Related Educational Programs and graduate courses 30
approved by the board; or 31
c. Has A minimum of a master's de gree with an major 32
emphasis in marriage and family therapy or a closely related 33
field, with a degree conferred before September 1, 2027, from an 34
institutionally accredited college or university from a program 35
accredited by the Commission on Accreditation f or Marriage and 36
Family Therapy Education or from a Florida university program 37
accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and 38
Related Educational Programs and graduate courses approved by 39
the board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, 40
and Mental Health Counseling . 41
2. If the course title that appears on the applicant's 42
transcript does not clearly identify the content of the 43
coursework, the applicant must shall provide additional 44
documentation, including, but not limited to, a syllabus or 45
catalog description published for the course. The required 46
master's degree must have been received in an institution of 47
higher education that, at the time the applicant graduated, was 48
fully accredited by an institutional a regional accrediting body 49
recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or 50
CS/HB 343 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0343-01-c1
Page 3 of 10
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
its successor organization Commission on Recognition of 51
Postsecondary Accreditation or publicly recognized as a member 52
in good standing with the Association of Universities and 53
Colleges of Canada, or an institution of higher education 54
located outside the United States and Canada which, at the time 55
the applicant was enrolled and at the time the applicant 56
graduated, maintained a standard of training substantially 57
equivalent to the standards of training of those institutions in 58
the United States which are accredited by an institutional a 59
regional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher 60
Education Accreditation or its successor organization Commission 61
on Recognition of Postseconda ry Accreditation. Such foreign 62
education and training must have been received in an institution 63
or program of higher education officially recognized by the 64
government of the country in which it is located as an 65
institution or program to train students to p ractice as 66
professional marriage and family therapists or psychotherapists. 67
The applicant has the burden of establishing that the 68
requirements of this provision have been met, and the board 69
shall require documentation, such as an evaluation by a foreign 70
equivalency determination service, as evidence that the 71
applicant's graduate degree program and education were 72
equivalent to an accredited program in this country. An 73
applicant with a master's degree from a program that did not 74
emphasize marriage and family therapy may complete the 75
CS/HB 343 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0343-01-c1
Page 4 of 10
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
coursework requirement in a training institution fully 76
accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and 77
Family Therapy Education recognized by the United States 78
Department of Education. 79
(c) Completed Has had at least 2 years of clinical 80
experience during which 50 percent of the applicant's clients 81
were receiving marriage and family therapy services, which must 82
be at the post-master's level under the supervision of a 83
licensed marriage and family therapist with at least 5 years of 84
experience, or the equivalent, who is a qualified supervisor as 85
determined by the board. An individual who intends to practice 86
in Florida to satisfy the clinical experience requirements must 87
register pursuant to s. 491.0045 before comm encing practice. If 88
a graduate has a master's degree with a major emphasis in 89
marriage and family therapy or a closely related field which did 90
not include all of the coursework required by paragraph (b), 91
credit for the post-master's level clinical experien ce may not 92
commence until the applicant has completed a minimum of 10 of 93
the courses required by paragraph (b), as determined by the 94
board, and at least 6 semester hours or 9 quarter hours of the 95
course credits must have been completed in the area of marri age 96
and family systems, theories, or techniques. Within the 2 years 97
of required experience, the applicant shall provide direct 98
individual, group, or family therapy and counseling to cases 99
including those involving unmarried dyads, married couples, 100
CS/HB 343 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0343-01-c1
Page 5 of 10
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
separating and divorcing couples, and family groups that include 101
children. A doctoral internship may be applied toward the 102
clinical experience requirement. A licensed mental health 103
professional must be on the premises when clinical services are 104
provided by a registered intern in a private practice setting. 105
(d) Has Passed a theory and practice examination 106
designated provided by board rule the department. 107
(e) Has Demonstrated, in a manner designated by board 108
rule, knowledge of the laws and rules governing the practice of 109
clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental 110
health counseling. 111
112
For the purposes of dual licensure, the department shall licens e 113
as a marriage and family therapist any person who meets the 114
requirements of s. 491.0057. Fees for dual licensure may not 115
exceed those stated in this subsection. 116
(4) MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING. —Upon verification of 117
documentation and payment of a fee not t o exceed $200, as set by 118
board rule, plus the actual per applicant cost of purchase of 119
the examination from the National Board for Certified Counselors 120
or its successor organization, the department shall issue a 121
license as a mental health counselor to an a pplicant who the 122
board certifies has met all of the following criteria : 123
(a) Has Submitted an application and paid the appropriate 124
fee. 125
CS/HB 343 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0343-01-c1
Page 6 of 10
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(b)1. Attained Has a minimum of an earned master's degree 126
from a mental health counseling program accredited by the 127
Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related 128
Educational Programs which consists of at least 60 semester 129
hours or 80 quarter hours of clinical and didactic instruction, 130
including a course in human sexuality and a course in substance 131
abuse. If the master's degree is earned from a program related 132
to the practice of mental health counseling which is not 133
accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling 134
and Related Educational Programs, then the coursework and 135
practicum, internship, or fie ldwork must consist of at least 60 136
semester hours or 80 quarter hours and meet all of the following 137
requirements: 138
a. Thirty-three semester hours or 44 quarter hours of 139
graduate coursework, which must include a minimum of 3 semester 140
hours or 4 quarter hou rs of graduate-level coursework in each of 141
the following 11 content areas: counseling theories and 142
practice; human growth and development; diagnosis and treatment 143
of psychopathology; human sexuality; group theories and 144
practice; individual evaluation and a ssessment; career and 145
lifestyle assessment; research and program evaluation; social 146
and cultural foundations; substance abuse; and legal, ethical, 147
and professional standards issues in the practice of mental 148
health counseling. Courses in research, thesis or dissertation 149
work, practicums, internships, or fieldwork may not be applied 150
CS/HB 343 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0343-01-c1
Page 7 of 10
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
toward this requirement. 151
b. A minimum of 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours of 152
graduate-level coursework addressing diagnostic processes, 153
including differential diagnosis and t he use of the current 154
diagnostic tools, such as the current edition of the American 155
Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of 156
Mental Disorders. The graduate program must have emphasized the 157
common core curricular experience. 158
c. The equivalent, as determined by the board, of at least 159
700 hours of university -sponsored supervised clinical practicum, 160
internship, or field experience that includes at least 280 hours 161
of direct client services, as required in the accrediting 162
standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and 163
Related Educational Programs for mental health counseling 164
programs. This experience may not be used to satisfy the post -165
master's clinical experience requirement. 166
2. Has Provided additional documentation if a co urse title 167
that appears on the applicant's transcript does not clearly 168
identify the content of the coursework. The documentation must 169
include, but is not limited to, a syllabus or catalog 170
description published for the course. 171
172
Education and training in men tal health counseling must have 173
been received in an institution of higher education that, at the 174
time the applicant graduated, was fully accredited by an 175
CS/HB 343 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0343-01-c1
Page 8 of 10
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
institutional a regional accrediting body recognized by the 176
Council for Higher Education Accreditation or its successor 177
organization or publicly recognized as a member in good standing 178
with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, or 179
an institution of higher education located outside the United 180
States and Canada which, at the time the applic ant was enrolled 181
and at the time the applicant graduated, maintained a standard 182
of training substantially equivalent to the standards of 183
training of those institutions in the United States which are 184
accredited by an institutional a regional accrediting body 185
recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or 186
its successor organization. Such foreign education and training 187
must have been received in an institution or program of higher 188
education officially recognized by the government of the countr y 189
in which it is located as an institution or program to train 190
students to practice as mental health counselors. The applicant 191
has the burden of establishing that the requirements of this 192
provision have been met, and the board shall require 193
documentation, such as an evaluation by a foreign equivalency 194
determination service, as evidence that the applicant's graduate 195
degree program and education were equivalent to an accredited 196
program in this country. Beginning July 1, 2025, an applicant 197
must have a master's degree from a program that is accredited by 198
the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related 199
Educational Programs , the Masters in Psychology and Counseling 200
CS/HB 343 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0343-01-c1
Page 9 of 10
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Accreditation Council, or an equivalent accrediting body which 201
consists of at least 60 semes ter hours or 80 quarter hours to 202
apply for licensure under this paragraph. 203
(c) Completed Has had at least 2 years of clinical 204
experience in mental health counseling, which must be at the 205
post-master's level under the supervision of a licensed mental 206
health counselor or the equivalent who is a qualified supervisor 207
as determined by the board. An individual who intends to 208
practice in Florida to satisfy the clinical experience 209
requirements must register pursuant to s. 491.0045 before 210
commencing practice. If a graduate has a master's degree with a 211
major related to the practice of mental health counseling which 212
did not include all the coursework required under sub -213
subparagraphs (b)1.a. and b., credit for the post -master's level 214
clinical experience may not commen ce until the applicant has 215
completed a minimum of seven of the courses required under sub -216
subparagraphs (b)1.a. and b., as determined by the board, one of 217
which must be a course in psychopathology or abnormal 218
psychology. A doctoral internship may be applie d toward the 219
clinical experience requirement. A licensed mental health 220
professional must be on the premises when clinical services are 221
provided by a registered intern in a private practice setting. 222
(d) Has Passed a theory and practice examination 223
designated provided by board rule the department for this 224
purpose. 225
CS/HB 343 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0343-01-c1
Page 10 of 10
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(e) Has Demonstrated, in a manner designated by board 226
rule, knowledge of the laws and rules governing the practice of 227
clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental 228
health counseling. 229
Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. 230