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Workforce committee outlines phased plan to restructure licensure pathway for LMFTs, LPCCs and LCSWs
Summary
The Board’s Workforce Development Committee recommended a phased approach (primarily a Phase 1 package) to lower barriers in clinical licensure pathways, including aligning exam timelines, extending validity of experience hours from six to seven years, and preparing draft legislative language for January 2026.
The Board of Behavioral Sciences’ Workforce Development Committee reported on April 4 and presented a staff‑recommended phased plan to restructure licensure pathways for associate clinicians seeking LMFT, LPCC and LCSW licensure. Board staff said Phase 1 changes are the immediate priority and would be packaged for a legislative proposal by January 2026.
Key Phase 1 items staff recommended include setting a seven‑year limit for exam scores, moving the timeline for taking the clinical and law/ethics exams, extending registration/experience‑hours validity from six to seven years, adding exceptions to the prohibition on working in private practice with a subsequent registration number, removing obsolete statutory language, and clarifying the acceptance of out‑of‑state clinical exam scores.
Committee action and next steps The committee passed a motion directing staff to finalize Phase 1 draft language and to apply the changes to LCSW and LPCC statutes after initial work on the LMFT language. Staff was also directed to update licensing manuals and to return draft language to the Policy and Advocacy Committee in July 2025. The committee urged staff to accelerate work on Phase 3 measures, which would address reductions in supervised‑hours requirements for eligibility to sit for the clinical exam.
Education surveys and outreach Committee members reviewed two draft surveys — one for educators (program approvals, practicum access, education requirements) and one for students/registrants (preparation for licensure, practicum access). The committee directed staff to finalize and distribute the surveys in May 2025 and to report results in July.
Why it matters Committee members framed the changes as steps to reduce barriers to licensure and to address workforce shortages in mental‑health professions. Extending the validity of experience hours and clarifying exam timelines are intended to help associates who need additional time to accrue required supervised practice.
Implementation timeline Staff will prepare statutory language and regulation edits where needed, circulate the educator and student surveys in May 2025, and return draft amendments to the Policy and Advocacy Committee in July 2025 for further action toward a January 2026 legislative submission.
Ending note Committee members praised the pace of work and asked staff to maintain outreach to educational programs and licensure stakeholders as draft language is refined.
