Board votes to begin rulemaking to adopt AMFTRB national exam as California MFT clinical test

The California Board of Behavioral Sciences on Aug. 22 authorized staff to begin the regulatory process to designate the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) national exam as the state—s clinical exam for licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs).

The board framed the action as the first formal step in a transition the board has discussed since 2022; staff described it as a start to a process that could take 12–18 months to implement if regulatory language is approved and statutory changes take effect. Steve Sodergren, executive officer for the board, said the national exam would "increase license portability for California MFTs" and could reduce administrative barriers for licensees and staff while preserving consumer protections.

Board members and a range of stakeholders urged caution and asked staff to secure additional information before full implementation. Justin Huff, a board member, and others pressed for data on pass rates, demographic breakdowns, and how AMFTRB would expand test delivery to meet California demand. Several board members requested a fuller briefing and opportunities for closed-session review of some confidential examination materials before the rulemaking proceeds.

Stakeholder speakers at the meeting supported adoption but stressed conditions. Ben Caldwell, MFT and exam critic in public comment, said, "It is a fundamental principle of fairness in testing. The exam needs have a right to know what they're gonna be tested on and how they're going to be tested." Kathy Atkins of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and other organizational representatives offered support for the transition and volunteered to help gather data and disseminate information to practitioners.

Lois Bergen, executive director of AMFTRB, joined by phone and told the board she and the organization were prepared to collaborate on content alignment and accessibility. "Everything that Steve has already said to you is true," Bergen said, noting AMFTRB had completed a recent job task analysis and was working with its test administrator to explore expanded testing availability.

The rulemaking action does not change law immediately. Staff told the board that statutory language authorizing acceptance of a national exam is pending in the Legislature and would be needed before a full transition. The regulatory package presented to the board would allow the board-administered LMFT clinical exam to continue through Dec. 31, 2026, and set Jan. 1, 2027, as the target effective date for the AMFTRB exam if the rulemaking and statutory changes both move forward.

Vote and next steps

The board approved a motion to submit the proposed regulatory text and begin the formal rulemaking and review process. The motion directed staff to submit the packet to the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency for review and, if no adverse comment is received, to initiate the 45-day public comment period and other required steps. The motion provided for non-substantive edits by staff and authorization for the executive officer to complete the rulemaking if no adverse comments are received.

The board voted 11–0 to initiate the rulemaking. Staff said they would continue discussions with AMFTRB, the test administrator, the Office of Professional Examination Services and stakeholders; they also acknowledged additional closed-session opportunities or future meetings to review confidential pass-rate and exam-equating materials before a final regulatory adoption.

Why it matters

If implemented, the change would align California with most other U.S. jurisdictions that use a national MFT exam and could increase license portability for Californians who move or seek work with federal agencies. Board members emphasized that adoption would require careful attention to exam content alignment with California practice, test delivery and capacity, disaggregated pass-rate reporting, and a public outreach plan to explain the transition to programs and candidates.

Provenance

- topicintro: transcript block starting at 2977.96, evidence_excerpt: "...item 17, a discussion and possible action to initiate a rulemaking to accept the Association of Marital and Family Therapy regulatory boards, marital and family therapy national examination as the clinical exam for the California licensure as a marriage and family therapist..." (s:2977.96)

- topfinish: transcript block starting at 5377.9697, evidence_excerpt: "Motion carries." (s:5377.9697)

Speakers

- Wendy Strack, Chair, Board of Behavioral Sciences (public member). first_reference: {"timecode":"5211.59"} - Steve Sodergren, Executive Officer, Board of Behavioral Sciences (staff). first_reference: {"timecode":"494.495"} - Lois Bergen, Executive Director, AMFTRB (outside organization). first_reference: {"timecode":"3574.81"} - Ben Caldwell, MFT (public commenter/exam critic). first_reference: {"timecode":"2154.11"} - Kathy Atkins, Deputy Director, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT). first_reference: {"timecode":"348.705"} - Justin Huff, Board Member (LMFT). first_reference: {"timecode":"212.655"} - John Souvik, LMFT (public commenter). first_reference: {"timecode":"4174.525"}

Authorities

- statute: "Pending statutory amendment to authorize acceptance of a national clinical exam (referenced in meeting; citation not specified)." referenced_by: ["amftrb-national-exam-rulemaking"]

Actions

- kind: "rulemaking_initiation" motion: "Approve the proposed regulatory text as presented in attachment A and submit the approved text to the director of the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency for review; if no adverse comments are received, authorize the executive officer to take all steps necessary to initiate the rulemaking process, make non-substantive changes, and set the matter for hearing if requested; if no adverse comments and no public hearing requested, authorize the executive officer to complete the rulemaking and adopt the proposed regulations." mover: "Wendy Strack (mover identified in transcript)" second: "Justin Huff (second identified in transcript)" vote_record: [{"member":"Wendy Strack","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Nicholas Boyd","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Lares Bailey","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Susan Friedman","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Justin Huff","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Christopher Jones","vote":"yes"},{"member":"John Sobek","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Rebecca Theiss","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Eleanor Uribe","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Annette Walker","vote":"yes"}] tally: {"yes":11,"no":0,"abstain":0,"absent":1} outcome: "approved" notes: "Motion starts formal regulatory process; statutory amendment required before full implementation. Board requested further data and future briefings."

Topics

- {"name":"professional-licensure-exams","justification":"Main subject: designation of a national clinical exam for LMFT licensure","scoring":{"topic_relevance":0.98,"depth_score":0.88,"opinionatedness":0.10,"controversy":0.64,"civic_salience":0.92,"impactfulness":0.86,"geo_relevance":1.00}}

Searchable_tags: ["AMFTRB","LMFT","national exam","rulemaking","licensure","exam access","pass rates"]

Community_relevance: {"geographies":["CA"],"impact_groups":["LMFT candidates","licensed MFTs","supervisors"]}