Committee agrees to consult experts on Alzheimer's/dementia coursework for future MFT degrees; stakeholders press for inclusion

The Board of Behavioral Sciences Workforce Development Committee voted June 16 to task staff with consulting subject‑matter experts and to invite stakeholder groups back to the September Workforce Committee meeting to recommend content and estimated hours for Alzheimer's, dementia, and caregiving coursework.

Barbara McClendon, Associate Vice President for Public Policy at Alzheimer's Los Angeles, presented slides arguing for dementia‑specific training for marriage and family therapists and other licensed clinicians. "As of 2026, 7.4 million people in the United States are living with a dementia," McClendon told the committee, and she emphasized the scale and duration of caregiver burden in California. She described clinical topics she said warrant formal instruction — for example, grief and ambiguous loss, changing family roles, and sexual/intimacy issues that can emerge as dementia progresses — and urged the board to ensure clinicians are prepared to meet families’ needs.

Stakeholders and clinicians who spoke during public comment supported the proposal. Elise Springer of Postpartum Support International asked that perinatal mental health remain part of the broader education and workforce review, citing California data that "approximately one in three birthing people experience symptoms of perinatal mental health." Kristin Romey of Alzheimer's San Diego and several practicing clinicians described graduates arriving to internships without the foundational dementia knowledge supervisors expect.

Committee members expressed sympathy and interest but asked for practical implementation detail and evidence to support making topic‑specific requirements mandatory. Justin Huff and other members noted potential curricular burden on degree programs and the cost/time implications for students. One board member pointed out that only one state (Illinois) was known to require a single hour of CE specific to dementia; the committee asked staff and stakeholders to prepare evidence and suggested content and hours for the September session.

The motion approved by the committee (moved by Dr. Annette Walker and seconded by Justin Huff, as stated by staff) directed staff to consult with SMEs and invite the Alzheimer's and perinatal stakeholder groups to return in September with recommended course content and CE hours for degrees begun on or after Jan. 1, 2030. The committee discussed using either graduate coursework incorporated into new degrees or allowing the content to be completed as continuing education for associate registration when degrees do not include the material.

Ending: Staff will coordinate with SMEs and stakeholder groups and bring proposed content and estimated hours to the September Workforce Committee meeting for further deliberation.