2023 California Code › Business and Professions Code - BPC › DIVISION 2 - HEALING ARTS › CHAPTER 13 - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists › ARTICLE 1 - Regulation › Section 4980.81.

4980.81. This section applies to persons subject to Section 4980.78 who apply for licensure or registration.
(a) For purposes of Section 4980.78, an applicant shall meet all of the following educational requirements:
(1) A minimum of two semester units of instruction in the diagnosis, assessment, prognosis, treatment planning, and treatment of mental disorders, including severe mental disorders, evidence-based practices, and promising mental health practices that are evaluated in peer-reviewed literature.
(2) At least one semester unit or 15 hours of instruction in psychological testing and at least one semester unit or 15 hours of instruction in psychopharmacology.
(3) (A) Developmental issues from infancy to old age, including demonstration of at least one semester unit, or 15 hours, of instruction that includes all of the following subjects:
(i) The effects of developmental issues on individuals, couples, and family relationships.
(ii) The psychological, psychotherapeutic, and health implications of developmental issues and their effects.
(iii) The understanding of the impact that personal and social insecurity, social stress, low educational levels, inadequate housing, and malnutrition have on human development.
(B) An applicant who is deficient in any of these subjects may remediate the coursework by completing three hours of instruction in each deficient subject.
(4) (A) The broad range of matters and life events that may arise within marriage and family relationships and within a variety of California cultures, including instruction in all of the following:
(i) A minimum of seven contact hours of training or coursework in child abuse assessment and reporting as specified in Section 28 and any regulations promulgated under that section.
(ii) A minimum of 10 contact hours of coursework that includes all of the following:
(I) The assessment and reporting of, as well as treatment related to, elder and dependent adult abuse and neglect.
(II) Aging and its biological, social, cognitive, and psychological aspects.
(III) Long-term care.
(IV) End-of-life and grief.
(iii) A minimum of 15 contact hours of coursework in spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, intervention strategies, and same-gender abuse dynamics.
(iv) Cultural factors relevant to abuse of partners and family members.
(v) Childbirth, child rearing, parenting, and stepparenting.
(vi) Marriage, divorce, and blended families.
(vii) Poverty and deprivation.
(viii) Financial and social stress.
(ix) Effects of trauma.
(x) The psychological, psychotherapeutic, community, and health implications of the matters and life events described in clauses (i) to (ix), inclusive.
(5) At least one semester unit, or 15 hours, of instruction in multicultural development and cross-cultural interaction, including experiences of race, ethnicity, class, spirituality, sexual orientation, gender, and disability, and their incorporation into the psychotherapeutic process.
(6) A minimum of 10 contact hours of training or coursework in human sexuality, as specified in Section 25 and any regulations promulgated under that section, including the study of physiological, psychological, and social cultural variables associated with sexual behavior and gender identity, and the assessment and treatment of psychosexual dysfunction.
(7) A minimum of 15 contact hours of coursework in substance use disorders, and a minimum of 15 contact hours of coursework in co-occurring disorders and addiction. The following subjects shall be included in this coursework:
(A) The definition of substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, and addiction. For purposes of this subparagraph, “co-occurring disorders” means a mental illness and substance abuse diagnosis occurring simultaneously in an individual.
(B) Medical aspects of substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders.
(C) The effects of psychoactive drug use.
(D) Current theories of the etiology of substance abuse and addiction.
(E) The role of persons and systems that support or compound substance abuse and addiction.
(F) Major approaches to identification, evaluation, and treatment of substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, and addiction, including, but not limited to, best practices.
(G) Legal aspects of substance abuse.
(H) Populations at risk with regard to substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders.
(I) Community resources offering screening, assessment, treatment, and followup for the affected person and family.
(J) Recognition of substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, and addiction, and appropriate referral.
(K) The prevention of substance use disorders and addiction.
(8) A minimum of a two semester or three quarter unit course in law and professional ethics for marriage and family therapists, including instruction in all of the following subjects:
(A) Contemporary professional ethics and statutory, regulatory, and decisional laws that delineate the scope of practice of marriage and family therapy.
(B) The therapeutic, clinical, and practical considerations involved in the legal and ethical practice of marriage and family therapy, including, but not limited to, family law.
(C) The current legal patterns and trends in the mental health professions.
(D) The psychotherapist-patient privilege, confidentiality, the patient dangerous to self or others, and the treatment of minors with and without parental consent.
(E) A recognition and exploration of the relationship between a practitioner’s sense of self and human values and their professional behavior and ethics.
(F) The application of legal and ethical standards in different types of work settings.
(G) Licensing law and licensing process.
(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 647, Sec. 29. (SB 801) Effective January 1, 2022.)