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An Act To Amend the Licensing Requirements for Marriage and Family Therapists
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §13858, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2003, c. 542, §2, is further amended to read:
 
3. Licensed marriage and family therapist. To be qualified as a licensed marriage and family therapist, an applicant must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the board adherence to the ethics of the counseling profession, successfully complete the examination prescribed by the board and have:
 
A.  A master's degree or a doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy or its equivalent from an accredited institution or a program approved by the board. Such schooling must include a minimum core curriculum to include a one-year clinical practicum and total credit hours adopted by the board; and
 
B.  Two years of experience after obtainment of a master's degree or a doctoral degree comprised of at least 1,000 hours of direct clinical contact with couples and families and 200 hours of supervision, at least 100 of which must be individual supervision.
 
Notwithstanding this subsection, the board may grant a provisional license for a period not to exceed 6 months to an applicant who meets the requirements of this subsection except for the successful completion of the examination prescribed by the board.
 
SUMMARY
This bill allows the Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure to grant a provisional license as a marriage and family therapist for a period not to exceed 6 months to an applicant who meets the requirements for licensure except for the successful completion of the examination prescribed by the board.