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Board advances plan to transition to AMFTRB national MFT exam; May review set as decision point
Summary
Staff briefed the California Board of Behavioral Sciences on a phased plan to adopt the AMFTRB national marriage and family therapy exam, outlining rulemaking, system development, outreach and an expected transition window that may require a short pause in testing; board members asked for a detailed February update and identified May as the likely point to decide.
The California Board of Behavioral Sciences on Nov. 21 received a staff update on plans to adopt the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) national exam for marriage and family therapist licensure.
Executive Officer Steve Sodergren told the board staff are organizing four work streams — rulemaking, system development (including Prometric and psychometric coordination), outreach and education, and an examination transition plan — with a target implementation window that staff preliminarily expect could start Jan. 1, 2027. On the practical mechanics, Sodergren warned: “I can almost guarantee there will be a period of no testing whatsoever as we transition over.”
Why it matters: switching to a national exam affects candidate processing, portability and vendor integrations. Staff said they will need automated eligibility transfers and score reporting from Prometric and AMFTRB, and that the rulemaking process will include a public comment period. Board members repeatedly pressed for clarity about the length of any testing pause and downstream processing impacts.
Board response and next steps Board members asked staff to return with a focused update at the February meeting and designated May as the approximate decision point after the 45‑day public comment cycle. Several members emphasized stakeholder transparency and technical validation. Board member John Sobek pushed back on any suggestion the board was hesitating, saying the panel is “just trying to look at all the facets” to ensure California’s needs are met.
Stakeholder views Major professional groups testified in favor of the transition. Shanti Ezra of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) said the group supports switching for reasons including license portability and access to care. Roger Smith of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy told the board that the AMFTRB exam is already used by other states and promotes portability.
Concerns raised at the meeting included test validity, racial‑bias analyses and the risk of backlogs during any pause in testing. Several board members and commenters urged the staff to press AMFTRB on exam content and equity checks as part of the implementation work.
What happens next Staff will continue the rulemaking work stream and prepare a detailed project plan for December–January, present a fuller update to the board at its February meeting, and use the May meeting as the primary review point for public comments and a decision about final implementation. The board also signaled willingness to involve members in technical discussions with AMFTRB and vendors.
