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Q: Is A License or Credential Necessary To Practice Psychotherapy In California? ( Answered 4 out of 5 stars,   5 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Is A License or Credential Necessary To Practice Psychotherapy In California?
Category: Business and Money > eCommerce
Asked by: kitlandis-ga
List Price: $10.00
Posted: 18 Feb 2006 13:21 PST
Expires: 20 Mar 2006 13:21 PST
Question ID: 447384
My daughter is 30 years old and is one of the wisest people I have
ever known. She has an extraordinary ability to effectively help other
people with their most difficult emotional or psychological problems.
Up until now she has been providing her counseling "services" to
friends and relatives on a gratuitous basis. I am suggesting that she
start providing counseling or psychotherapy services to residents of
her small California town on a fee basis. She seems interested in the
idea but is concerned that it might not be legal for her to provide
such services for money since she lacks any formal degrees,
credentials, licenses or certificates. (She would, of course,
scrupulouly avoid stating or implying that she holds a license or
certificate.) I am aware that many types of businesses in California
require a license but many others do not. For example a hair stylist
needs to get a cosmetology license but a person can be a landscaper or
an ordinary accountant (not a CPA) without a formal degree,
credential, certificate or license. Please inform me as to whether or
not my daughter could provide counseling or psychotherapy services in
California without obtaining any formal degrees, licenses,
credentials, or certificates.
Answer  
Subject: Re: Is A License or Credential Necessary To Practice Psychotherapy In California?
Answered By: cynthia-ga on 18 Feb 2006 14:29 PST
Rated:4 out of 5 stars
 
Hi kitlandis,

I found the CA regulations in regards to all types of family
counseling services. After my comment below, I searched CA regulations
for you and found that the term Consultant won't work. That term is
specifically mentioned in the "Board of Behavioral Science Examiners"
--the governing board, rules and regs.

Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling
http://www.westmont.edu/_current_students/pages/career_planning/career_plan/mfc_counsel.html

At the bottom is this lead:

Board of Behavioral Science Examiners
http://www.bbs.ca.gov/
..."The BBS is responsible for consumer protection through the
regulation of Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT); Licensed Clinical
Social Workers (LCSW); Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEP); MFT
Interns; and Associate Clinical Social Workers (ASW) in the State of
California. It is one of the boards within the California Department
of Consumer Affairs..."

Statutes and Regulations
HTML entry page: http://www.bbs.ca.gov/law-reg.htm


This is the meat and potatoes, 144 pages of rules and regulations,
however the important part is here:

STATUTES AND REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE PRACTICE OF: 
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY
LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK 
LICENSED EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
PDF Document: http://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/lawsregs.pdf  (JAN 2006)

..."§4980. NECESSITY OF LICENSE
(a) Many California families and many individual Californians are
experiencing difficulty and distress, and are in need of wise,
competent, caring, compassionate, and effective counseling in order to
enable them to improve and maintain healthy family relationships.

Healthy individuals and healthy families and healthy relationships are
inherently beneficial and crucial to a healthy society, and are our
most precious and valuable natural resource. Marriage and family
therapists provide a crucial support for the well-being of the people
and the State of California.

(b) No person may engage in the practice of marriage and family
therapy as defined by Section 4980.02, unless he or she holds a valid
license as a marriage and family therapist, or unless he or she is
specifically exempted from that requirement, nor may any person
advertise himself or herself as performing the services of a marriage,
family, child, domestic, or marital consultant, or in any way use
these or any similar titles, including the letters ?M.F.T.? or
?M.F.C.C.,? or other name, word initial, or symbol in connection with
or following his or her name to imply that he or she performs these
services without a license as provided by this chapter. Persons
licensed under Article 4 (commencing with Section 4996) of Chapter 14
of Division 2, or under Chapter 6.6 (commencing with Section 2900) may
engage in such practice or advertise that they practice marriage and
family therapy but may not advertise that they hold the marriage and
family therapist?s license..."

..."§4980.02. PRACTICE OF MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND CHILD COUNSELING;
APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES AND METHODS
For the purposes of this chapter, the practice of marriage and family
therapy shall mean that service performed with individuals, couples,
or groups wherein interpersonal relationships are examined for the
purpose of achieving more adequate, satisfying, and productive
marriage and family adjustments. This practice includes relationship
and premarriage counseling.

The application of marriage and family therapy principles and methods
includes, but is not limited to, the use of applied pyschotherapeutic
techniques, to enable individuals to mature and grow within marriage
and the family, the provision of explanations and interpretations of
the psychosexual and psychosocial aspects of relationships, and the
use, application, and integration of the coursework and training
required by Sections 4980.37, 4980.40, and 4980.41..."

More CA Code here:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html


If I can clarify or find related CA code sections for you, please let me know..


~~Cynthia


Search terms used at Google:
california counseling license requirements
kitlandis-ga rated this answer:4 out of 5 stars and gave an additional tip of: $4.00

Comments  
Subject: Re: Is A License or Credential Necessary To Practice Psychotherapy In California?
From: cynthia-ga on 18 Feb 2006 13:37 PST
 
Up front, I don't know the "legal" answer, however I suspect it is not
legal for her to use the standard medical terms "therapist" or
"psychotherapist" --or anything that licensed professionals call
themselves.

I have a friend in Oregon that is much like your daughter, she got
around the same issue by calling herself a "Family Consultant."
Subject: Re: Is A License or Credential Necessary To Practice Psychotherapy In California?
From: nelson-ga on 19 Feb 2006 10:42 PST
 
I don't think Cali has gotten around to regulating the term "life coach" yet.
Subject: Re: Is A License or Credential Necessary To Practice Psychotherapy In California
From: clint34-ga on 19 Feb 2006 16:17 PST
 
Delilah, the DJ provides the same service....
Subject: Re: Is A License or Credential Necessary To Practice Psychotherapy In California?
From: czh-ga on 21 Feb 2006 14:02 PST
 
California and Nevada are the only two states that don't license
"counselors" so your friend could start an advising business as a
mental health counselor or coach.

http://www.counseling.org/Counselors/StateLicensureChart.aspx
State Licensure Chart

http://www.amhca.org/practice/
American Mental Health Counselors Association
CALIFORNIA
The state of California does not require counselors to be licensed to
practice mental health counseling.

http://www.guidetopsychology.com/cln_cns.htm
Psychology: Clinical or Counseling or...?
Subject: Re: Is A License or Credential Necessary To Practice Psychotherapy In California
From: canadianhelper-ga on 21 Feb 2006 17:06 PST
 
PLEASE GET A LICENCE!!!

Good luck to your daughter if she gets sued on her 'advice' and
doesn't have the backing of insurance and a professional organization.
 One upset 'patient' good ruin the rest of your daughter's life!

My advice to your daughter would to not even go there until she can
protect herself and her family's assets from being sued.

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