Board backs legislative proposal to restructure licensure pathway in three phases; approves phase 1 changes

The California Board of Behavioral Sciences agreed Aug. 22 to seek legislative changes aimed at reducing barriers to licensure for LMFTs, LCSWs and LPCCs. The board endorsed a three-phase plan and authorized staff to pursue phase 1 as a statutory proposal in the next legislative cycle.

Phase 1 changes

Phase 1 focuses on immediate legislative fixes that staff and committees judged implementable without broad structural overhaul. The package includes:

- Allowing associates to choose when to take the California law-and-ethics exam rather than forcing an annual attempt for renewal; the exam still must be passed before issuance of a subsequent registration number or licensure. - Establishing a seven-year age limit on passing scores for the law-and-ethics exam (with a three-year grace period for applicants already in process) to align with the clinical exam's age limit. - Extending the validity window for registration numbers and supervised-experience hours from six to seven years to align timelines across exams and hours. - Creating a narrow, one-time two-consecutive-year hardship exception to permit an associate with a subsequent registration number to work in a single private practice or professional corporation while completing required supervised experience; the exception requires a joint application from associate and supervisor showing good cause (for example, extended medical leave or other hardships).

Board…