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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 clinical social workers, 4
marriage and family therapists, and mental health 5
counselors; providing an effective date. 6
7
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 8
9
Section 1. Subsections (1), (3), and (4) of section 10
491.005, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 11
491.005 Licensure by examination. — 12
(1) CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK. —Upon verification of 13
documentation and payment of a fee not to exceed $200, as set by 14
board rule, plus the actual per applicant cost to the department 15
for purchase of the examination from the American Association of 16
State Social Worker's Boards or a similar national organization, 17
the department shall issue a license as a clinical social worker 18
to an applicant whom who the board certifies has met all of the 19
following criteria: 20
(a) Has Submitted an application and paid the appropriate 21
fee. 22
(b)1. Has Received a doctoral degree in social work from a 23
graduate school of social work which at the time the applicant 24
graduated was accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by 25
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the United States Department o f Education or has received a 26
master's degree in social work from a graduate school of social 27
work which at the time the applicant graduated: 28
a. Was accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; 29
b. Was accredited by the Canadian Association of Sc hools 30
of Social Work; or 31
c. Has been determined to have been a program equivalent 32
to programs approved by the Council on Social Work Education by 33
the Foreign Equivalency Determination Service of the Council on 34
Social Work Education. An applicant who grad uated from a program 35
at a university or college outside of the United States or 36
Canada must present documentation of the equivalency 37
determination from the council in order to qualify. 38
2. The applicant's graduate program must have emphasized 39
direct clinical patient or client health care services, 40
including, but not limited to, coursework in clinical social 41
work, psychiatric social work, medical social work, social 42
casework, psychotherapy, or group therapy. The applicant's 43
graduate program must have includ ed all of the following 44
coursework: 45
a. A supervised field placement which was part of the 46
applicant's advanced concentration in direct practice, during 47
which the applicant provided clinical services directly to 48
clients. 49
b. Completion of 24 semester hours or 32 quarter hours in 50
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theory of human behavior and practice methods as courses in 51
clinically oriented services, including a minimum of one course 52
in psychopathology, and no more than one course in research, 53
taken in a school of social work accredited or approved pursuant 54
to subparagraph 1. 55
3. If the course title which appears on the applicant's 56
transcript does not clearly identify the content of the 57
coursework, the applicant shall be required to provide 58
additional documentation, including, but not limited to, a 59
syllabus or catalog description published for the course. 60
(c) Has Had at least 2 years of clinical social work 61
experience, which took place subsequent to completion of a 62
graduate degree in social work at an ins titution meeting the 63
accreditation requirements of this section, under the 64
supervision of a licensed clinical social worker or the 65
equivalent who is a qualified supervisor as determined by the 66
board. An individual who intends to practice in Florida to 67
satisfy clinical experience requirements must register pursuant 68
to s. 491.0045 before commencing practice. If the applicant's 69
graduate program was not a program which emphasized direct 70
clinical patient or client health care services as described in 71
subparagraph (b)2., the supervised experience requirement must 72
take place after the applicant has completed a minimum of 15 73
semester hours or 22 quarter hours of the coursework required. A 74
doctoral internship may be applied toward the clinical social 75
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work experience requirement. A licensed mental health 76
professional must be on the premises when clinical services are 77
provided by a registered intern in a private practice setting. 78
(d) Has Passed a theory and practice examination 79
designated by the board provided by the department for this 80
purpose. 81
(e) Has Demonstrated, in a manner designated by board rule 82
of the board, knowledge of the laws and rules governing the 83
practice of clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, 84
and mental health counseling. 85
(3) MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY. —Upon verification of 86
documentation and payment of a fee not to exceed $200, as set by 87
board rule, plus the actual cost of the purchase of the 88
examination from the Association of Marital and Family Therapy 89
Regulatory Board, or similar national organization, the 90
department shall issue a license as a marriage and family 91
therapist to an applicant who the board certifies has met all of 92
the following criteria : 93
(a) Has Submitted an application and paid the appropriate 94
fee. 95
(b)1. Attained one of the following: 96
a. A minimum of a master's degree in marriage and family 97
therapy from a program accredited by the Commission on 98
Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education; 99
b. A minimum of a master's degree with a major emphasis in 100
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marriage and family therapy or a closely related field from a 101
university program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of 102
Counseling and Related Educational Programs and graduate courses 103
approved by the board; or 104
c. Has A minimum of a master's degree with an major 105
emphasis in marriage and family therapy or a closely related 106
field, with a degree conferred before September 1, 2027, from an 107
institutionally accredited college or university from a program 108
accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and 109
Family Therapy Education or from a Florida university program 110
accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and 111
Related Educational Programs and graduate courses approved by 112
the board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Th erapy, 113
and Mental Health Counseling . 114
2. If the course title that appears on the applicant's 115
transcript does not clearly identify the content of the 116
coursework, the applicant must shall provide additional 117
documentation, including, but not limited to, a sy llabus or 118
catalog description published for the course. The required 119
master's degree must have been received in an institution of 120
higher education that, at the time the applicant graduated, was 121
fully accredited by an institutional a regional accrediting body 122
recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or 123
its successor organization Commission on Recognition of 124
Postsecondary Accreditation or publicly recognized as a member 125
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in good standing with the Association of Universities and 126
Colleges of Canada, or an institution of higher education 127
located outside the United States and Canada which, at the time 128
the applicant was enrolled and at the time the applicant 129
graduated, maintained a standard of training substantially 130
equivalent to the standards of training of those institutions in 131
the United States which are accredited by an institutional a 132
regional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher 133
Education Accreditation or its successor organization Commission 134
on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation. Such foreign 135
education and training must have been received in an institution 136
or program of higher education officially recognized by the 137
government of the country in which it is located as an 138
institution or program to train students to prac tice as 139
professional marriage and family therapists or psychotherapists. 140
The applicant has the burden of establishing that the 141
requirements of this provision have been met, and the board 142
shall require documentation, such as an evaluation by a foreign 143
equivalency determination service, as evidence that the 144
applicant's graduate degree program and education were 145
equivalent to an accredited program in this country. An 146
applicant with a master's degree from a program that did not 147
emphasize marriage and family the rapy may complete the 148
coursework requirement in a training institution fully 149
accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and 150
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Family Therapy Education recognized by the United States 151
Department of Education. 152
(c) Completed Has had at least 2 years of clinical 153
experience during which 50 percent of the applicant's clients 154
were receiving marriage and family therapy services, which must 155
be at the post-master's level under the supervision of a 156
licensed marriage and family therapist with at least 5 years of 157
experience, or the equivalent, who is a qualified supervisor as 158
determined by the board. An individual who intends to practice 159
in Florida to satisfy the clinical experience requirements must 160
register pursuant to s. 491.0045 before commencing prac tice. If 161
a graduate has a master's degree with a major emphasis in 162
marriage and family therapy or a closely related field which did 163
not include all of the coursework required by paragraph (b), 164
credit for the post-master's level clinical experience may not 165
commence until the applicant has completed a minimum of 10 of 166
the courses required by paragraph (b), as determined by the 167
board, and at least 6 semester hours or 9 quarter hours of the 168
course credits must have been completed in the area of marriage 169
and family systems, theories, or techniques. Within the 2 years 170
of required experience, the applicant shall provide direct 171
individual, group, or family therapy and counseling to cases 172
including those involving unmarried dyads, married couples, 173
separating and divorcing couples, and family groups that include 174
children. A doctoral internship may be applied toward the 175
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clinical experience requirement. A licensed mental health 176
professional must be on the premises when clinical services are 177
provided by a registered inter n in a private practice setting. 178
(d) Has Passed a theory and practice examination 179
designated provided by board rule the department. 180
(e) Has Demonstrated, in a manner designated by board 181
rule, knowledge of the laws and rules governing the practice of 182
clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental 183
health counseling. 184
185
For the purposes of dual licensure, the department shall license 186
as a marriage and family therapist any person who meets the 187
requirements of s. 491.0057. Fees for dual licensur e may not 188
exceed those stated in this subsection. 189
(4) MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING. —Upon verification of 190
documentation and payment of a fee not to exceed $200, as set by 191
board rule, plus the actual per applicant cost of purchase of 192
the examination from the N ational Board for Certified Counselors 193
or its successor organization, the department shall issue a 194
license as a mental health counselor to an applicant who the 195
board certifies has met all of the following criteria : 196
(a) Has Submitted an application and pa id the appropriate 197
fee. 198
(b)1. Attained Has a minimum of an earned master's degree 199
from a mental health counseling program accredited by the 200
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Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related 201
Educational Programs which consists of at least 60 semeste r 202
hours or 80 quarter hours of clinical and didactic instruction, 203
including a course in human sexuality and a course in substance 204
abuse. If the master's degree is earned from a program related 205
to the practice of mental health counseling which is not 206
accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling 207
and Related Educational Programs, then the coursework and 208
practicum, internship, or fieldwork must consist of at least 60 209
semester hours or 80 quarter hours and meet all of the following 210
requirements: 211
a. Thirty-three semester hours or 44 quarter hours of 212
graduate coursework, which must include a minimum of 3 semester 213
hours or 4 quarter hours of graduate -level coursework in each of 214
the following 11 content areas: counseling theories and 215
practice; human growth and development; diagnosis and treatment 216
of psychopathology; human sexuality; group theories and 217
practice; individual evaluation and assessment; career and 218
lifestyle assessment; research and program evaluation; social 219
and cultural foundations; sub stance abuse; and legal, ethical, 220
and professional standards issues in the practice of mental 221
health counseling. Courses in research, thesis or dissertation 222
work, practicums, internships, or fieldwork may not be applied 223
toward this requirement. 224
b. A minimum of 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours of 225
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graduate-level coursework addressing diagnostic processes, 226
including differential diagnosis and the use of the current 227
diagnostic tools, such as the current edition of the American 228
Psychiatric Association's Dia gnostic and Statistical Manual of 229
Mental Disorders. The graduate program must have emphasized the 230
common core curricular experience. 231
c. The equivalent, as determined by the board, of at least 232
700 hours of university -sponsored supervised clinical practicu m, 233
internship, or field experience that includes at least 280 hours 234
of direct client services, as required in the accrediting 235
standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and 236
Related Educational Programs for mental health counseling 237
programs. This experience may not be used to satisfy the post -238
master's clinical experience requirement. 239
2. Has Provided additional documentation if a course title 240
that appears on the applicant's transcript does not clearly 241
identify the content of the coursework. Th e documentation must 242
include, but is not limited to, a syllabus or catalog 243
description published for the course. 244
245
Education and training in mental health counseling must have 246
been received in an institution of higher education that, at the 247
time the applicant graduated, was fully accredited by an 248
institutional a regional accrediting body recognized by the 249
Council for Higher Education Accreditation or its successor 250
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organization or publicly recognized as a member in good standing 251
with the Association of Univer sities and Colleges of Canada, or 252
an institution of higher education located outside the United 253
States and Canada which, at the time the applicant was enrolled 254
and at the time the applicant graduated, maintained a standard 255
of training substantially equival ent to the standards of 256
training of those institutions in the United States which are 257
accredited by an institutional a regional accrediting body 258
recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or 259
its successor organization. Such foreign education and training 260
must have been received in an institution or program of higher 261
education officially recognized by the governme nt of the country 262
in which it is located as an institution or program to train 263
students to practice as mental health counselors. The applicant 264
has the burden of establishing that the requirements of this 265
provision have been met, and the board shall require 266
documentation, such as an evaluation by a foreign equivalency 267
determination service, as evidence that the applicant's graduate 268
degree program and education were equivalent to an accredited 269
program in this country. Beginning July 1, 2025, an applicant 270
must have a master's degree from a program that is accredited by 271
the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related 272
Educational Programs , the Masters in Psychology and Counseling 273
Accreditation Council, or an equivalent accrediting body which 274
consists of at least 60 semester hours or 80 quarter hours to 275
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apply for licensure under this paragraph. 276
(c) Completed Has had at least 2 years of clinical 277
experience in mental health counseling, which must be at the 278
post-master's level under the supervision of a lice nsed mental 279
health counselor or the equivalent who is a qualified supervisor 280
as determined by the board. An individual who intends to 281
practice in Florida to satisfy the clinical experience 282
requirements must register pursuant to s. 491.0045 before 283
commencing practice. If a graduate has a master's degree with a 284
major related to the practice of mental health counseling which 285
did not include all the coursework required under sub -286
subparagraphs (b)1.a. and b., credit for the post -master's level 287
clinical experience may not commence until the applicant has 288
completed a minimum of seven of the courses required under sub -289
subparagraphs (b)1.a. and b., as determined by the board, one of 290
which must be a course in psychopathology or abnormal 291
psychology. A doctoral internsh ip may be applied toward the 292
clinical experience requirement. A licensed mental health 293
professional must be on the premises when clinical services are 294
provided by a registered intern in a private practice setting. 295
(d) Has Passed a theory and practice exa mination 296
designated provided by board rule the department for this 297
purpose. 298
(e) Has Demonstrated, in a manner designated by board 299
rule, knowledge of the laws and rules governing the practice of 300
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clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental 301
health counseling. 302
Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. 303