Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 383
Marital and Family Therpists 

Sec. 20-195a. Definitions. For purposes of this chapter:

(1) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Public Health;

(2) “Department” means the Department of Public Health;

(3) “Marital and family therapy” means the evaluation, assessment, diagnosis, counseling, management and treatment of emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems, through the professional application of individual psychotherapeutic and family-systems theories and techniques in the delivery of services to individuals, couples and families;

(4) "Licensed marital and family therapy associate" means a person who has been licensed by the department as a marital and family therapy associate pursuant to this chapter and whose license permits the person to engage in the practice of marital and family therapy under the clinical supervision of a licensed marital and family therapist; and

(5) "Licensed marital and family therapist" means a person who has been licensed by the department as a marital and family therapist pursuant to this chapter.

Sec. 20-195b. Practice restricted to licensed persons. Title protection. (a) Except as provided in section 20-195f, no person shall practice marital and family therapy unless licensed in accordance with section 20-195c.

(b) No person shall use the title “licensed marital and family therapist” or licensed marital and family therapist associate unless licensed in accordance with the provisions of section 20-195c.

Sec. 20-195c. Qualification for licensure. Fees. (a) Each applicant for licensure as a marital and family therapist shall present to the department satisfactory evidence that such applicant has: (1) Completed a graduate degree program specializing in marital and family therapy offered by a regionally accredited college or university or an accredited postgraduate clinical training program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education; (2) completed a supervised practicum or internship with emphasis in marital and family therapy supervised by the program granting the requisite degree or by an accredited postgraduate clinical training program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education and offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education in which the student received a minimum of five hundred direct clinical hours that included one hundred hours of clinical supervision; (3) completed twenty-four months of relevant postgraduate experience, including (A) a minimum of one thousand hours of direct client contact offering marital and family therapy services subsequent to being awarded a master's degree or doctorate or subsequent to the training year specified in subdivision (2) of this subsection, and (B) one hundred hours of postgraduate clinical supervision provided by a licensed marital and family therapist; and (4) passed an examination prescribed by the department. The fee shall be three hundred fifteen dollars for each initial application.

(b) Each applicant for licensure as a marital and family therapist associate shall present to the department (1) satisfactory evidence that such applicant has completed a graduate degree program specializing in marital and family therapy offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education or an accredited postgraduate clinical training program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education and offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education, and (2) verification from a supervising licensed marital and family therapist that the applicant is working toward completing the postgraduate experience required for licensure as a marital and family therapist under subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of this section. The fee shall be one hundred twenty-five dollars for each initial application.

(c) The department may grant licensure without examination, subject to payment of fees with respect to the initial application, to any applicant who is currently licensed or certified as a marital or marriage and family therapist in another state, territory or commonwealth of the United States, provided such state, territory or commonwealth maintains licensure or certification standards which, in the opinion of the department, are equivalent to or higher than the standards of this state. No license shall be issued under this section to any applicant against whom professional disciplinary action is pending or who is the subject of an unresolved complaint.

(d) (1) A license issued under this section may be renewed annually in accordance with the provisions of section 19a-88. The fee for such renewal shall be three hundred twenty dollars. Each licensed marital and family therapist applying for license renewal shall furnish evidence satisfactory to the commissioner of having participated in continuing education programs. The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to (A) define basic requirements for continuing education programs, which shall include not less than one contact hour of training or education each registration period on the topic of cultural competency and, on and after January 1, 2016, not less than two contact hours of training or education during the first renewal period in which continuing education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter on the topic of mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans, including (i) determining whether a patient is a veteran or family member of a veteran, (ii) screening for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, risk of suicide, depression and grief, and (iii) suicide prevention training, (B) delineate qualifying programs, (C) establish a system of control and reporting, and (D) provide for waiver of the continuing education requirement for good cause.

(2) A license issued to a marital and family therapist associate shall expire on or before twenty-four months after the date on which such license was issued and may be renewed for twenty-four months in accordance with the provisions of section 19a-88. The fee for such renewal shall be two hundred twenty dollars. Each licensed marital and family therapist associate applying for license renewal shall furnish evidence satisfactory to the commissioner of having satisfied the continuing education requirements prescribed in subdivision (1) of this subsection.

(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, an applicant who is currently licensed or certified as a marital or marriage and family therapist in another state, territory or commonwealth of the United States that does not maintain standards for licensure or certification that are equivalent to or higher than the standards in this state may substitute three years of licensed or certified work experience in the practice of marital and family therapy, as defined in section 20-195a, in lieu of the requirements of subdivisions (2) and (3) of subsection (a) of this section.

Sec. 20-195d. Disciplinary action. Grounds. The department is authorized to conduct investigations and take disciplinary actions as set forth in section 19a-17 for any of the following reasons: (1) Fraud or material deception in procuring or attempting to procure licensure; (2) illegal conduct, incompetence or negligence in carrying out professional functions; (3) any occupationally disabling emotional disorder or mental illness; (4) physical illness including, but not limited to, deterioration through the aging process; (5) abuse or excessive use of drugs, including alcohol, narcotics or chemicals; (6) fraud or material deception in the course of professional activities; (7) wilful and significant falsification of entries in any hospital, patient or other record; and (8) violation of any provision of this chapter, any regulation adopted pursuant to this chapter, or any provisions of subdivision (6) of subsection (a) of section 19a-14. The commissioner may order a license holder to submit to a reasonable physical or mental examination if his physical or mental capacity to practice safely is the subject of an investigation. The commissioner may petition the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford to enforce such order or any action taken pursuant to section 19a-17.

Sec. 20-195e. Persons deemed qualified for certification. Section 20-195e is repealed.

Sec. 20-195f. When license as marital and family therapist not required. Advertising. (a) No license as a marital and family therapist shall be required of: (1) A student pursuing a course of study in an educational institution meeting the requirements of section 20-195c if such activities constitute a part of his or her supervised course of study; (2) a faculty member within an institution of higher learning performing duties consistent with his or her position; (3) a person holding a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy; provided (A) the activities performed or services provided by the person constitute part of the supervised work experience required for licensure under subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 20-195c, and (B) not later than two years after completion of such supervised work experience, the exemption to the licensure requirement shall cease if the person did not successfully complete the licensing examination, as required under subdivision (4) of subsection (a) of said section; or (4) a person licensed or certified in this state in a field other than marital and family therapy practicing within the scope of such license or certification.

(b) A person practicing marriage and family therapy pursuant to subdivision (4) of subsection (a) of this section may advertise or present himself as practicing marriage and family therapy provided he clearly sets forth, in his advertisement or presentation, the type of license pursuant to which he is practicing.

Secs. 20-195g to 20-195l. Reserved for future use.