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Board outlines plan to transition MFT clinical exam to AMFTRB; May 2026 set as key decision point
Summary
Board staff presented an implementation plan to adopt the AMFTRB national marriage-and-family-therapy clinical exam, describing regulatory, systems, outreach and transition steps and a tentative 01/01/2027 implementation target; stakeholders urged equity and content safeguards and the Board plans a detailed February update.
The California Board of Behavioral Sciences on Nov. 21 received a staff briefing on plans to adopt the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) national clinical exam for marriage and family therapists and began mapping the regulatory and technical steps required for a transition.
Executive Officer Steve Sodergren said staff are looking at a January 1, 2027 target for implementation while describing four ‘‘work streams’’ the Board must complete: rulemaking, system development, outreach and education, and examination transition. ‘‘What I'm presenting here is kind of a draft version of what we're looking at for the possible implementation, looking at a 01/01/2027 date,’’ Sodergren told the Board.
Sodergren warned the migration will include operational pauses. He said the Board expects periods when testing must stop to allow transfer of exam content and eligibility data, and that outreach will aim to guide candidates on whether to take the outgoing California exam or wait for the national exam.
Board members pressed staff on equity and test validity. Public member Dr. Annette Walker urged the Board to approach the change with urgency for consumers and to ensure exam fairness, saying the topic ‘‘is imperative’’ for people blocked by current test outcomes. Board member John Sobek pushed back on characterizations that the Board has ‘‘waffled’’ on the issue, saying the Board is instead ‘‘examining it’’ carefully.
Stakeholder groups including the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) urged adoption for portability and workforce benefits, while also asking for California-specific content and bias mitigation. Roger Smith of AAMFT noted that the AMFTRB exam is used in other states and argued adoption would support license portability and telehealth practice across state lines.
Staff outlined a regulatory timeline: draft proposed regulations, a 45-day public comment period, and an expected point of final decision around May 2026. Sodergren said May is the ‘‘drop-dead’’ point for a final commitment, after which implementation steps will accelerate.
The Board directed staff to return with a detailed February update to show progress on content coordination with AMFTRB and to continue stakeholder outreach. Staff and the Board discussed forming ad hoc consultations so Board members can review content and equity safeguards before final action.
Next steps: staff will refine the rulemaking schedule, firm up system-change dates with vendors, begin targeted outreach to candidates and education providers, and return to the Board in February 2026 with a fuller implementation plan.
