Bill Sponsors
Shallcross Smith, Bennett, Fogarty, McNamara, Perez, Carson, Casimiro, Azzinaro, Donovan, and Fellela
Committee
House Corporations
Summary
Select
This legislation updates the licensing requirements for marriage and family therapists (MFTs) and MFT associates in Rhode Island. For associates, it replaces specific semester-hour requirements with a mandate for 300 hours of direct client contact during an internship. For full licensure, the bill reduces the required postgraduate clinical contact hours from 2,000 to 1,500 for master's degree holders and establishes specific criteria for doctoral graduates. Furthermore, it simplifies the process for therapists already licensed in other states to practice in Rhode Island, allowing for licensure by endorsement if they have held a license elsewhere for at least one year.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Expands access to mental health services for the community by lowering unnecessary barriers to entry for qualified therapists, potentially reducing wait times for patients.
- Facilitates a more diverse workforce by allowing therapists licensed in other states to easily transfer their credentials to Rhode Island without repeating examinations.
- Modernizes educational mandates to focus on practical, direct client contact rather than rigid semester hours, potentially allowing students to enter the workforce and start helping people sooner.
Cons for Progressives
- Reduces the total number of supervised clinical hours required for licensure, which some might argue could slightly lower the depth of training required before independent practice.
- Focuses on deregulation of the profession rather than providing direct funding or support to expand public mental health clinics or services for the poor.
- Does not include specific mandates or incentives for these newly licensed therapists to serve Medicaid patients or marginalized communities.
Pros for Conservatives
- Reduces government red tape and occupational licensing burdens, allowing individuals to enter the workforce and earn a living more quickly.
- Promotes free market competition by making it easier for qualified professionals from other states to move to Rhode Island and practice without unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.
- Lowers the barrier to entry for small business owners in the mental health field by rationalizing training hours, reducing the time and cost required to start a private practice.
Cons for Conservatives
- Allows therapists licensed in other states to practice in Rhode Island without examination, potentially importing practitioners with values or training that differ from local community standards.
- Dilutes the rigorous standards previously required for licensure by reducing the number of clinical hours needed, potentially compromising the quality of professional services.
- Expands the mental health industry, which some social conservatives may view as encroaching on the traditional roles of family and religious institutions in resolving personal conflicts.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- Marriage and family therapists
- Therapy students
- Mental health patients
- Universities and colleges
- Out-of-state therapists
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
None
Revenue Generated
Amount unknown
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Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 01/14/2026 Introduced, referred to House Corporations
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Sections 5-63.2-10 and 5-63.2-15 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-63.2 entitled "Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists" are hereby amended to read as follows:
5-63.2-10. Qualifications of licensed marriage and family therapist associates and licensed marriage and family therapists.
(a) The department shall issue the appropriate license to applicants who meet the qualifications of this section.
(1) Prerequisites for licensure of a marriage and family therapist associate. A license as a “marriage and family therapist associate” shall be issued to an applicant who meets the following qualifications:
(i) Is of good character;
(ii) Has completed a graduate degree program specializing in marital and family therapy from a college or university accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, or an equivalent regional accreditation agency;
(iii) Has completed sixty (60) semester hours or ninety (90) quarter hours within his or her graduate degree program specializing in marital and family therapy; and
(iv)Has completed a minimum of twelve (12) semester hours or eighteen (18) quarter hours of supervised practicum and a one-calendar year of supervised internship consisting of twenty (20) hours per week, or its equivalent, with emphasis in marriage and family therapy supervised by the department within the college or university granting the requisite degree or by an accredited postgraduate clinical training program, approved by the commission on accreditation for marriage and family therapy education recognized by the United States Department of Education, or education and/or experience that is deemed equivalent by the board. Has completed a supervised internship or practicum in marriage and family therapy as part of the master's or doctoral program of study. The internship or practicum shall include a minimum of three hundred (300) hours of direct client contact with individuals, family groups, couples, groups, public organizations, or private organizations under the direction of an approved supervisor.
(2) Prerequisites for licensure of a marriage and family therapist. A license as a “marriage and family therapist” shall be issued to an applicant who meets the following qualifications:
(i) Has been awarded a master's degree and has had a minimum of two (2) years of relevant postgraduate experience, including at leasttwo one thousand five hundred (2,000) (1,500) hours (the "total required hours") of direct client contact offering clinical or counseling or therapy services with emphasis in marriage and family therapy, with at least one thousand four hundred (1,400) of the total required hours earned by the applicant after the applicant has been subsequent to being awarded a master’s degree or doctorate. A maximum of one hundred (100) hours of the total required hours may be earned during a graduate degree program provided in § 5-63.2- 10(a)(1)(ii). A minimum of three hundred (300) hours of the total required hours must be spent with couples, families, or groups of two (2) or more individuals; or
(ii) Has been awarded a doctoral degree and has had a minimum of two (2) years of relevant postgraduate experience, including at least one thousand (1,000) hours of direct client contact offering clinical or counseling or therapy services with emphasis in marriage and family therapy and has completed a marriage and family therapy doctoral program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education; and
(ii)(iii) Has had a minimum of one hundred (100) hours of post-degree supervised case work spread over two (2) years; provided, that the supervision was provided by a person who, at the time of rendering the supervision, was recognized by the board as an approved supervisor; and
(iii)(iv) Has passed to the satisfaction of the board an examination conducted by it to determine the applicant’s qualifications for licensure as a marriage and family therapist or is applying for licensure under the provisions of § 5-63.2-15.
(b) A candidate shall be qualified for licensure as a marriage and family therapist associate, or a marriage and family therapist upon the affirmative vote of at least four (4) members of the board, two (2) of whom must be marriage and family therapists on the board. LC003825 - Page 2 of 4
5-63.2-15. Licensure by endorsement.
(a) A license as a clinical mental health counseloror marriage and family therapist may be issued, in the discretion of the board, without examination, to an applicant who is a clinical mental health counselor where the applicant is licensed or certified in another state whose requirements are equivalent to or exceed the requirements established pursuant to this chapter.
(b) A license as a marriage and family therapist may be issued, without examination, to an applicant who is a marriage and family therapist where the applicant is licensed in another state as a marriage and family therapist and has been licensed as a marriage and family therapist in another state for at least one year.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
5-63.2-10. Qualifications of licensed marriage and family therapist associates and licensed marriage and family therapists.
(a) The department shall issue the appropriate license to applicants who meet the qualifications of this section.
(1) Prerequisites for licensure of a marriage and family therapist associate. A license as a “marriage and family therapist associate” shall be issued to an applicant who meets the following qualifications:
(i) Is of good character;
(ii) Has completed a graduate degree program specializing in marital and family therapy from a college or university accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, or an equivalent regional accreditation agency;
(iii) Has completed sixty (60) semester hours or ninety (90) quarter hours within his or her graduate degree program specializing in marital and family therapy; and
(iv)
(2) Prerequisites for licensure of a marriage and family therapist. A license as a “marriage and family therapist” shall be issued to an applicant who meets the following qualifications:
(i) Has been awarded a master's degree and has had a minimum of two (2) years of relevant postgraduate experience, including at least
(ii) Has been awarded a doctoral degree and has had a minimum of two (2) years of relevant postgraduate experience, including at least one thousand (1,000) hours of direct client contact offering clinical or counseling or therapy services with emphasis in marriage and family therapy and has completed a marriage and family therapy doctoral program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education; and
(b) A candidate shall be qualified for licensure as a marriage and family therapist associate, or a marriage and family therapist upon the affirmative vote of at least four (4) members of the board, two (2) of whom must be marriage and family therapists on the board. LC003825 - Page 2 of 4
5-63.2-15. Licensure by endorsement.
(a) A license as a clinical mental health counselor
(b) A license as a marriage and family therapist may be issued, without examination, to an applicant who is a marriage and family therapist where the applicant is licensed in another state as a marriage and family therapist and has been licensed as a marriage and family therapist in another state for at least one year.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.