Workforce committee unveils phased plan to ease licensure pathway for LMFTs, LCSWs and LPCCs

The Board of Behavioral Sciences’ Workforce Development Committee discussed a three‑phase proposal to streamline the licensure pathway for licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs), licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) and licensed professional clinical counselors (LPCCs) at its 2025 Workforce Development Committee meeting held by WebEx and at DCA Headquarters.

Legislative Manager Roseanne Helms presented the proposal as a phased approach intended to reduce obstacles that delay final licensure while preserving public protection. “This is going to be an ongoing draft, and we're kind of throwing out some ideas and to see what people think of them,” Helms said.

Why it matters: Committee members and stakeholders said the changes aim to reduce interruptions to employment and remove technical barriers that can keep applicants from completing licensure while maintaining consumer protection duties the Board oversees.

What the phases would do

- Phase 1 (near‑term): Change requirements not tightly tied to exam restructuring, including (a) allowing associates to choose when to take the California law and ethics exam rather than forcing annual attempts, while still requiring it to be passed before clinical exam eligibility or issuance of a subsequent registration number; (b) adopting a seven‑year age limit for accepted law-and‑ethics scores and supervised experience hours (current rules use six years); (c) extending the term a registration number can be renewed so the effective window for supervised hours and registrations aligns with seven years; and (d) adding a limited, one‑time, two‑year hardship extension permitting an associate with a subsequent registration number to finish supervised experience in a single private practice or professional corporation when the supervisor and employer submit specified information.

- Phase 2 (concurrent/next steps): Transition the LMFT clinical exam to the AMFTRB national exam. Staff said they are pursuing statutory and regulatory steps and working with AMFTRB on logistics.

- Phase 3 (later): If adopted, allow registrants to attempt the clinical exam earlier in the supervised experience period (staff discussed permitting the clinical exam after approximately 875 hours of supervised experience, roughly half of the 1,750 clinical hours currently required for licensure), but noted major administrative and regulatory changes would be needed before implementation.

Implementation concerns and timeline

Staff and committee members emphasized the proposal’s complexity. Helms and Executive Officer Steve Sutterdun said implementing early exam eligibility (phase 3) would require significant changes to the Board’s Breeze licensing system, evaluator workflows and possibly staffing. Helms said fears of confusing applicants if multiple major changes happen simultaneously motivated the phased approach.

Board members pressed staff for a clearer timetable and suggested visual project timelines to show estimated legislative and regulatory steps. Helms agreed to produce diagrams showing phases, estimated years and key triggers and to continue coordination with legal counsel, licensing and AMFTRB.

Public and stakeholder reaction

Multiple stakeholder groups and individual commenters expressed support for the overall effort while urging attention to equity and the workload on Board staff. Shanti Ejren of a stakeholder organization said the group “supports the changes to the licensing process as proposed in concept,” while Ben Caldwell, an LMFT and educator, urged that earlier clinical exam access be prioritized because it is more likely to increase licensed clinicians and improve equity in the pipeline.

What the committee decided

No final regulatory or statutory changes were adopted at the meeting. The committee asked staff to refine the draft language, consult with legal and licensing units, continue work with AMFTRB, and return with a visual timeline and any clarifying edits at a future meeting.

Ending note: Committee members and stakeholders agreed the phase‑1 items are the most readily implementable near term, and staff said it would continue working on phases 2 and 3 while seeking to minimize confusion for applicants.