HOUSE BILL NO. 5997

September 26, 2024, Introduced by Reps. Brabec, Hope, McFall, Byrnes, Rheingans, Coffia, Conlin, Edwards, O'Neal, Breen, Young, Morgan and Glanville and referred to the Committee on Health Policy.

A bill to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled

"Public health code,"

by amending section 16909 (MCL 333.16909), as amended by 1997 PA 188, and by adding section 16914.

the people of the state of michigan enact:

Sec. 16909. (1) The board shall grant a license as a marriage and family therapist to Subject to this section, to be granted a license as a marriage and family therapist, an individual who meets must meet all of the following requirements:

(a) Provides The individual provides satisfactory evidence to the board of meeting either of the following educational qualifications:

(i) Has department that the individual holds a master's or higher graduate degree from an accredited training program in marriage and family therapy approved by the board or a degree that is substantially equivalent to a degree described in this subdivision. The department, in consultation with the board, shall promulgate rules establishing standards to approve programs under this subdivision.

(ii) Has a master's or higher graduate degree from an accredited college or university approved by the board and has completed all of the following graduate-level courses at an accredited college or university approved by the board:

(A) Three courses in family studies that total at least 6 semester or 9 quarter hours.

(B) Three courses in family therapy methodology that total at least 6 semester or 9 quarter hours.

(C) Three courses in human development, personality theory, or psychopathology that total at least 6 semester or 9 quarter hours.

(D) At least 2 semester or 3 quarter hours in ethics, law, and standards of professional practice.

(E) At least 2 semester or 3 quarter hours in research.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2), provides The individual provides satisfactory evidence to the board department of having completed supervised clinical marriage and family therapy experience in conjunction with the applicant's educational program. The clinical marriage and family therapy experience described in this subdivision shall meet all of the following requirements:

(i) Be obtained either in a clinical practicum during graduate education or in a postgraduate marriage and family institute training program acceptable to the board.

(ii) Be obtained must include not less than 300 direct client contact hours completed over not less than 8 12 consecutive months of which 150 hours must be with couples, families, or subsystems of families, and must be supervised by 1 of the following individuals who is fully licensed under this article or who holds an equivalent license in another state or province of Canada:

(i) A marriage and family therapist.

(ii) A licensed master's social worker as that term is defined in section 18501.

(iii) A licensed professional counselor as that term is defined in section 18101.

(iv) A physician as that term is defined in section 17001 or 17501.

(v) A psychologist as that term is defined in section 18201.

(iii) Be verified by a supervisor who has a master's or higher graduate degree from an accredited college or university approved by the board and meets 1 of the following:

(A) Is a marriage and family therapist.

(B) Is a certified social worker or a social worker registered under article 16 of the occupational code, 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.1601 to 339.1610.

(C) Is a licensed professional counselor as defined in section 18101.

(D) Is a physician as defined in section 17001 or 17501 and practicing in a mental health setting.

(E) Is a fully licensed psychologist as defined in section 18201.

(F) Is an approved supervisor or supervisor-in-training through a program conducted by the American association for marriage and family therapy and approved by the board.

(iv) Include not less than 300 direct client contact hours in supervised clinical marriage and family therapy experience, at least 1/2 of which were completed in a setting in which families, couples, or subsystems of families were physically present in the therapy room.

(v) Be supervised in a ratio of at least 1 hour of supervision for each 5 hours of direct client contact, for a total of not less than 60 hours of supervision concurrent with the 300 hours of supervised direct client contact.

(c) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2), provides The individual provides satisfactory evidence to the board department of having completed a minimum of 1,000 direct client contact hours in supervised marriage and family therapy 3,000 hours of supervised postdegree clinical marriage and family therapy experience in not less than 24 months, at least 1/2 500 hours of which was were completed with in a setting in which families, couples, or subsystems of families physically were present in the therapy room, that meets all of the following conditions:same location or a setting in which families, couples, or subsystems of families met by way of 2-way real-time secure technology that allowed direct, contemporaneous interaction by sight or sound. The department, in consultation with the board, may promulgate rules to revise the number of supervised clinical hours required under this subdivision if the department considers it necessary or appropriate.

(i) Is verified by the supervising licensed marriage and family therapist.

(ii) Is obtained following the completion of the degree required by subdivision (a)(i), is obtained following the completion of the degree required by subdivision (a)(ii) and concurrent with or following the course work specified in subdivision (a)(ii)(A), (B), (C), (D), and (E), or is obtained as part of a doctoral program in marriage and family therapy from an accredited college or university approved by the board, which experience may include experience obtained under subdivision (b)(i).

(iii) Is supervised in a ratio of at least 1 hour of supervision for each 5 hours of experience, for a total of not less than 200 hours of supervision concurrent with the 1,000 hours of supervised experience. Not less than 100 hours of supervision under this subparagraph shall be individual supervision with no more than 1 other supervisee present. The supervision required under this subdivision must include not less than 100 hours of supervision by a fully licensed marriage and family therapist with not less than 50 of the 100 hours consisting of either individual supervision or dyadic supervision with no more than 1 other supervisee present. The remaining supervision under this subparagraph subdivision may be group supervision involving no more than 6 supervisees with 1 supervisor. The supervision shall be given in must consist of not less than 50% of face-to-face contact with the individual obtaining marriage and family therapy the supervised clinical marriage and family therapy experience and use not more than 50% of 2-way real-time secure technology with the individual obtaining the supervised clinical marriage and family therapy experience.

(2) The board shall waive the requirements of subsection (1)(b) and (c) for an applicant who provides satisfactory evidence to the board of having obtained a doctoral degree from an accredited doctoral training program in marriage and family therapy approved by the board.

(2) Beginning on the effective date of the amendatory act that added this subsection, the department, in consultation with the board, shall promulgate rules to supplement the requirements for licensure under this part as a marriage and family therapist as the department determines is necessary or appropriate. The rules may adopt the standards of the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education or a similar accreditation organization, and any updates or amendments to the standards described in this subsection.

(3) The department, in consultation with the board, shall promulgate rules for requirements to be a supervisor under subsection (1)(c).

Sec. 16914. (1) Notwithstanding the requirements of part 161, the department, in consultation with the board, shall promulgate rules requiring a licensee seeking renewal of a license to furnish the department with satisfactory evidence that, during the license cycle immediately preceding the application for renewal, the licensee has attended continuing education courses or programs approved by the board in subjects related to the practice of marriage and family therapy and designed to further educate licensees.

(2) As required under section 16204, the department, in consultation with the board, shall promulgate rules requiring each applicant for license renewal to complete as part of the educational courses or programs required under subsection (1) an appropriate number of hours or courses in pain and symptom management.