Md. Code Regs. 10.58.08.04

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 22, November 1, 2024

Section 10.58.08.04 - Licensed Graduate Marriage and Family Therapists

A. To qualify for licensure as a graduate marriage and family therapist, an applicant shall have:

(1) One of the following from an accredited educational institution approved by the Board:

(a) For an applicant holding a master's degree in marriage and family therapy, or a substantially equivalent program, completed a minimum of 60 semester credit hours or 90 graduate quarter credit hours; or

(b) For an applicant holding a doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy, or a substantially equivalent program, completed a minimum of 90 graduate semester credit hours or 135 graduate quarter credit hours;

(2) Completed a minimum of 45 graduate semester credit hours or 68 graduate quarter credit hours as required by Regulation .05B of this chapter;

(3) Of the graduate credit hours required by §A(1) and (2) of this regulation, completed a minimum of 45 credit hours in each of the following areas:

(a) A supervised clinical internship or practicum that includes at least 60 hours completed under the supervision of a Board-approved supervisor and 300 hours of direct client contact with couples, families, and individuals, at least 100 hours of which are relational therapy;

(b) Normal and abnormal personality development which includes individual development across the life span and the family life cycle;

(c) Psychopathology with emphasis on standard diagnostic manuals, as well as family systems models;

(d) Diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders in family systems;

(e) A comprehensive survey of the extant major models of family therapy;

(f) At least two courses which focus on a minimum of three marriage and family therapy models;

(g) A comprehensive survey of the extant, major models of couples therapy;

(h) An intensive study of at least three different models of couples therapy:

(i) One course covering gender and ethnicity as they relate to marriage and family theory and practice, or two separate courses with one focusing on gender issues and the other one on ethnicity as they relate to marriage and family therapy;

(j) Sexual issues in marriage and family therapy, including:

(i) Sexual normality;

(ii) Sexual dysfunction;

(iii) Sexual orientation; and

(iv) Sexual identity; and

(k) Ethical, legal, and professional issues in marriage and family therapy;

(4) Met all of the requirements set forth under Regulation .03 of this chapter;

(5) Achieved a passing score on:

(a) A national certification exam approved by the Board; and

(b) An examination of:

(i) Health Occupations Article, Title 17, Annotated Code of Maryland; and

(ii) This subtitle; and

(6) Complied with:

(a) Health Occupations Article, Title 17, Annotated Code of Maryland; and

(b) The code of ethics as set forth in COMAR 10.58.03.

B. An applicant who fails an examination for licensure:

(1) May retake the exam if:

(a) It is within the time frame set by the applicable testing authority; or

(b) A waiver is approved by the Board to extend the testing deadline upon proof of exceptional circumstances; or

(2) Shall be required to:

(a) Submit a new application; and

(b) Pay the nonrefundable fee set forth in COMAR 10.58.02.

C. The Board shall act upon applications as set forth under Regulation .03B of this chapter.

D. A licensed graduate marriage and family therapist shall practice clinical marriage and family therapy under the supervision of a Board-approved marriage and family therapy supervisor.

E. A licensed graduate marriage and family therapist may not:

(1) Practice independent of supervision; or

(2) Provide supervision.

F. Expiration and Extension.

(1) The graduate marriage and family therapist license expires 2 years after the date issued.

(2) If a licensed graduate marriage and family therapist is unable to accumulate the required clinical hours for licensure as a clinical marriage and family therapist within 2 years, the licensed graduate marriage and family therapist may apply on a Board-approved form for a 2-year extension before the current license expires, up to a maximum of 6 years, except as provided in §F(4) of this regulation.

(3) For a licensed graduate marriage and family therapist who has been granted a 2-year extension, CEUs are not required for the first 2-year extension. Subsequent extensions approved by the Board shall be subject to the continuing education requirements in COMAR 10.58.05.

(4) If a licensed graduate marriage and family therapist notifies the Board in writing, the Board may grant, in certain circumstances, a license extension beyond the 6-year maximum as set forth in §F(2) of this regulation.

G. Reinstatement.

(1) Within 5 calendar years after the license renewal date, the Board may reinstate the license of a licensed graduate marriage and family therapist otherwise entitled to reinstatement under Health Occupations Article, §17-505(b), Annotated Code of Maryland, whose license was not renewed for any reason, if the licensee:

(a) Completes within that 5-year period the minimum of 20 CEUs required for each year; and

(b) Pays the reinstatement fee set by the Board in COMAR 10.58.02.

(2) CEUs which are acquired in order to reinstate under COMAR 10.58.05.05 and .06 may be credited only once and may not be credited for any future renewals.

(3) For any licensed graduate marriage and family therapist whose license has expired more than 5 calendar years before the request for reinstatement, a new application for licensure shall be completed and the current licensure requirements shall be met.

(4) An individual who fails to reinstate licensure is not authorized to and may not practice graduate marriage and family therapy.

Md. Code Regs. 10.58.08.04

Regulations .04 adopted as an emergency provision effective October 1, 2001 (28:22 Md. R. 1932); adopted permanently effective January 21, 2002 (29:1 Md. R. 24); amended effective 49:7 Md. R.467, eff. 4/4/2022