1 of 1
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2900 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 383
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Ryan M. Hamilton and Andres X. Vargas
_________________
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.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Ryan M. Hamilton15th Essex1/16/2025Andres X. Vargas3rd Essex1/16/2025 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2900 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 383
By Representatives Hamilton of Methuen and Vargas of Haverhill, a petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 383) of Ryan M. Hamilton and Andres X. Vargas relative to expanding licensure
opportunities for school counselors. Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3915 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________
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 2022 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 specialized instructional support personnel, which is inclusive of school counselors, 2 of 3
11school social workers, adjustment counselors, and school psychologists, by the department of
12elementary and secondary education shall be applied towards this educational requirement for
13 applicants seeking licensure as a mental health counselor, including credits earned in a
14graduate program that is less than 60 credits. To be eligible for licensure, an applicant must have
152 additional years of supervised clinical experience in the relevant field in: (i) either a clinic or
16hospital licensed by the department of mental health or accredited by the Joint Commission on
17Accreditation of Hospitals or in an equivalent center or institute; (ii) in a school setting as a
18specialized instructional support personnel licensed by the department of elementary and
19secondary education; or (iii) under the direction of a supervisor approved by the board. For
20purposes of this clause, “Supervision” shall be defined as no less than 200 hours of supervised
21clinical experience, including experience as a specialized instructional support personnel
22licensed by the department of elementary and secondary education, at least 100 hours of which
23shall consist of individual supervision with a clinician who has expertise in marriage and family
24therapy, rehabilitation counseling, school counseling, educational psychology, social work, or
25counseling and who holds a masters degree in social work, marriage and family therapy,
26rehabilitation counseling, educational psychology, counseling or an equivalent field or holds a
27doctorate degree in psychology, or a medical degree with a subspecialization in psychiatry;
28provided, however, that experience as specialized instructional support personnel shall only
29apply towards the supervised experience requirement for applicants who are seeking licensure as
30a mental health counselor;
31 SECTION 2. Said section 165 of said chapter 112, as so appearing, is hereby further
32amended by inserting after the word “section”, in line 30, the following words:- provided, 3 of 3
33however, that a school counselor shall be qualified to sit for the written or oral examination for
34licensure as a mental health counselor.