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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 876 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 210
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Pavel M. Payano
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act expanding licensure opportunity for school counselors.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Pavel M. PayanoFirst Essex 1 of 2
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 876 FILED ON: 1/18/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 210
By Mr. Payano, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 210) of Pavel M. Payano for
legislation to expand licensure opportunity for school counselors. Consumer Protection and
Professional Licensure.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act expanding licensure opportunity for school counselors.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. The first paragraph of section 165 of chapter 112 of the General Laws, as
2appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out clause (3) and inserting
3in place thereof the following clause:-
4 (3) demonstrates to the board, the successful completion of a masters degree in a relevant
5field from an educational institution licensed by the state in which it is located and meets
6national standards for granting of a masters degree with a subspecialization in marriage and
7family therapy, rehabilitation counseling, counseling, or a relevant subspecialization approved by
8the board; provided, however, that all relevant graduate coursework credits, as determined by the
9board, that an individual earns that count towards the credit requirement for professional
10licensure as a school counselor by the department of elementary and secondary education shall
11be applied towards this educational requirement for applicants seeking licensure as a mental
12health counselor, including credits earned in a graduate program that is less than 60 credits. To 2 of 2
13be eligible for licensure, an applicant must have 2 additional years of supervised clinical
14experience in the relevant field in: (i) either a clinic or hospital licensed by the department of
15mental health or accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals or in an
16equivalent center or institute; (ii) in a school setting as a school counselor licensed by the
17department of elementary and secondary education; or (iii) under the direction of a supervisor
18approved by the board. For purposes of this clause, “Supervision” shall be defined as no less than
19200 hours of supervised clinical experience, including experience as a school counselor licensed
20by the department of elementary and secondary education, at least 100 hours of which shall
21consist of individual supervision with a clinician who has expertise in marriage and family
22therapy, rehabilitation counseling, school counseling, educational psychology, or counseling and
23who holds a masters degree in social work, marriage and family therapy, rehabilitation
24counseling, educational psychology, counseling or an equivalent field or holds a doctorate degree
25in psychology, or a medical degree with a subspecialization in psychiatry; provided, however,
26that experience as a school counselor shall only apply towards the supervised experience
27requirement for applicants who are seeking licensure as a mental health counselor;
28 SECTION 2. Said section 165 of said chapter 112, as so appearing, is hereby further
29amended by inserting after the word “section”, in line 30, the following words:- provided,
30however, that a school counselor shall be qualified to sit for the written or oral examination for
31licensure as a mental health counselor.