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California debuts its new exams for MFT licensure this week, reorganizing its exam process into an MFT Law and Ethics Exam and an MFT Clinical Exam.
Board of Behavioral Sciences
Preparing for California’s new MFT Law & Ethics exam
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California’s licensing exam restructure for marriage and family therapists (MFTs) takes effect January 1, 2016. Here’s how the new exam process will affect you.
Changes to California MFT intern hours: An (updated) explainer
In September 2015, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 620, a Board of Behavioral Sciences-sponsored bill that will change how MFT intern hours are counted toward licensure. What is the new law, and why is it happening? This explainer is meant to answer the most common questions about the changes. (Ed. note: This was originally posted in November 2014 when the changes were just a proposal. It’s been updated in October 2015 to reflect the law as adopted.)
California exam restructure takes effect January 1
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Interns and associates in the master’s level mental health professions in California will take a law and ethics exam in their first year of registration, under an exam restructure taking effect in January 2016.
Updated: BBS legal opinion improves, doesn’t fix, child abuse reporting issue
California mandated child abuse reporters would no longer need to discriminate against gay or lesbian youth. But the legal opinion is just that: An opinion.
A legal opinion announced on Thursday by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences appears to go partway to resolving the problem of discriminatory reporting of child abuse. The opinion, prepared at BBS request by legal counsel for the Department of Consumer Affairs, essentially says that oral sex, anal sex, and object penetration should be treated the same as vaginal intercourse when considering abuse reporting. If two minors of similar ages (as defined by the law; see the age combination descriptions in this earlier post) engage in consensual acts without evidence of coercion or other signs of abuse, those acts are not reportable. BBS Executive Director Kim Madsen announced at Thursday’s Policy and Advocacy Committee meeting that she would make the full legal opinion public. While the opinion does not carry the weight of law, it should be helpful for therapists seeking to understand when the BBS expects child abuse reports to be made, and when the therapist can rely on their own judgment as to what is abusive. # # # Your comments are welcomed. You can post them in the comments below, by email to ben[at]bencaldwell[dot]com, or on my Twitter feed.