Existing law provides the licensure requirements for professional personnel in governmental health facilities must not be less than the licensure requirements for professional personnel in health facilities under private ownership. Professional personnel includes psychologists, marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, and professional clinical counselors.
Existing law authorizes the State Department of Public Health to temporarily waive that requirement for persons in the professions of psychology, marriage and family therapy, clinical social work, or professional clinical counseling that are gaining qualifying experience for licensure in that profession in California.
Additionally, existing law authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to waive the licensure requirement for persons employed or under contract to provide diagnostic, treatment, or other mental health services in the professions of psychology or social work that are gaining qualifying experience for licensure.
The Bronzan-McCorquodale Act requires persons employed or under contract to provide mental health services to meet applicable licensure requirements. It also prohibits a person from providing services without a valid license. The Act requires the State Department of Health Care Services to waive these requirements for persons who are gaining the qualifying experience required for licensure.
This law clarifies that “qualifying experience” is determined by reference to the act regulating the profession. Specifically, “qualifying experience” means one of the following:
Two years of supervised professional experience under the direction of a licensed psychologist;
A minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised experience related to the practice of marriage and family therapy;
A minimum of 3,000 hours of postmaster’s degree supervised experience related to the practice of clinical social work.
A minimum of 3,000 hours of post-degree hours related to the practice of professional clinical counseling.
(AB 2253 amends Section 1277 of the Health and Safety Code, Section 5068.5 of the Penal Code, and Section 5751.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.)