Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate bill to limit unlicensed mental-health practice moves out of House committee after stakeholder talks
Summary
SB 48 passed the committee with broad support from licensed mental-health groups and with concerns from life-coach advocates; the bill narrows the definition of mental-health therapy and targets unlicensed providers who diagnose or offer treatments designed to treat interpersonal dysfunction.
The House Business, Labor and Commerce Standing Committee recommended SB 48 (Behavioral Health Amendments) favorably after OPLER and bill sponsors described the measure as a narrow set of guardrails to prevent unlicensed or formerly licensed practitioners from offering mental-health treatment under the label of "life coaching."
Senator McHale (sponsor) said the bill comes from an OPLER occupational review and is "really basic" in purpose: to define the practice of mental-health therapy and prohibit unlicensed persons from providing treatments aimed at diagnosing or treating interpersonal dysfunction or emotional…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
