California Business and Professions Code 4980.54 – (a) The Legislature recognizes that the education and experience …
(a) The Legislature recognizes that the education and experience requirements in this chapter constitute only minimal requirements to ensure that an applicant is prepared and qualified to take the licensure examinations as specified in subdivision (d) of Section 4980.40 and, if an applicant passes those examinations, to begin practice.
(b) In order to continuously improve the competence of licensed and registered marriage and family therapists and as a model for all psychotherapeutic professions, the Legislature encourages all licensees and registrants to regularly engage in continuing education related to the profession or scope of practice as defined in this chapter.
Terms Used In California Business and Professions Code 4980.54
- Accredited: as used in this chapter , means a school, college, or university accredited by either the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education or a regional or national institutional accrediting agency that is recognized by the United States Department of Education. See California Business and Professions Code 4980.03
- Approved: as used in this chapter , means a school, college, or university that possessed unconditional approval by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education at the time of the applicant's graduation from the school, college, or university. See California Business and Professions Code 4980.03
- Board: as used in this chapter , means the Board of Behavioral Sciences. See California Business and Professions Code 4980.03
- Experience: as used in this chapter , means experience in interpersonal relationships, psychotherapy, marriage and family therapy, direct clinical counseling, and nonclinical practice that satisfies the requirements for licensure as a marriage and family therapist. See California Business and Professions Code 4980.03
- license: means license, certificate, registration, or other means to engage in a business or profession regulated by this code or referred to in Section 1000 or 3600. See California Business and Professions Code 23.7
- Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs, unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Business and Professions Code 15
(c) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (e), the board shall not renew any license pursuant to this chapter unless the applicant certifies to the board, on a form prescribed by the board, that the applicant has completed not less than 36 hours of approved continuing education in or relevant to the field of marriage and family therapy in the preceding two years, as determined by the board.
(2) The board shall not renew any registration pursuant to this chapter unless the registrant certifies under penalty of perjury to the board, and on a form prescribed by the board, that they have completed not less than three hours of continuing education on the subject of California law and ethics during the preceding year.
(d) The board shall have the right to audit the records of any applicant to verify the completion of the continuing education requirement. Applicants shall maintain records of completion of required continuing education coursework for a minimum of two years and shall make these records available to the board for auditing purposes upon request.
(e) The board may establish exceptions from the continuing education requirements of this section for good cause, as defined by the board.
(f) The continuing education shall be obtained from one of the following sources:
(1) An accredited school or state-approved school that meets the requirements set forth in Section 4980.36 or 4980.37. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as requiring coursework to be offered as part of a regular degree program.
(2) Other continuing education providers, as specified by the board by regulation.
(g) The board shall establish, by regulation, a procedure for identifying acceptable providers of continuing education courses, and all providers of continuing education, as described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (f), shall adhere to procedures established by the board. The board may revoke or deny the right of a provider to offer continuing education coursework pursuant to this section for failure to comply with this section or any regulation adopted pursuant to this section.
(h) Training, education, and coursework by approved providers shall incorporate one or more of the following:
(1) Aspects of the discipline that are fundamental to the understanding or the practice of marriage and family therapy.
(2) Aspects of the discipline of marriage and family therapy in which significant recent developments have occurred.
(3) Aspects of other disciplines that enhance the understanding or the practice of marriage and family therapy.
(i) A system of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists shall include courses directly related to the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of the client population being served.
(j) The continuing education requirements of this section shall comply fully with the guidelines for mandatory continuing education established by the Department of Consumer Affairs pursuant to Section 166.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 520, Sec. 4. (AB 1759) Effective January 1, 2023.)