Legislative Update — Ariel Cohen, MA, LMFT

CAMFT Facebook Page Legislative Updates
October and November 2019

11/8/19

Peter Cellarius, Pre-Licensed Director-at-Large on the CAMFT Board, attending a fundraiser for CA State Assemblyman Evan Low, advocating for MFTs and mental health issues 🙏👍💪 #mentalhealthadvocacy#mentalhealthmatters #mft #lmft.

11/7/19

A Win for License Portability! SB679 creates a pathway for LMFTs, LCSWs, and LPCCS who have been actively licensed in another state for at least 2 years to become licensed in California. Check out the full legislation here http://bit.ly/31Zi1TK #MFT#LMFT #mentalhealthmatters.

11/1/19

California’s Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris calls the health risks associated with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) “the biggest public health crisis facing California today.” Read this important interview with Burke Harris here: http://bit.ly/3593cQP #LMFT #MFT.

10/30/19

New Law Regarding Sexual Harassment Training
SB 1343, a bill passed in 2018 that mandates employers with 5 or more employees must provide at least 2 hours of sexual harassment training to all supervisory employees and at least one hour of training to all non-supervisory employees, goes into effect January 1,2020. Click here for more information on this bill: http://bit.ly/2AKGbpm.

10/23/19

AB5 in Effect as of January 1,2020 — LMFTs, LCSWs and others lose independent contractor status.
Governor Newsom signed AB 5 in late September. This bill codifies the decision in the Dynamex case and creates a presumption that workers who perform services for a hiring entity are “employees” unless they meet certain criteria, or have an exemption, to qualify as “independent contractors.” With the exception of licensed psychologists, most other mental health professionals including LMFTs, LCSWs, and LPCCs are not exempted. This means that MFTs in many cases will lose their ability to work as independent contractors.

To continue our advocacy efforts on this issue, CAMFT is already working with other stakeholders on next steps. We are also assessing the bill’s impact on LMFTs who contract with private practices and/or agencies.

10/16/19

Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEPs) Can Soon Qualify as MFT Supervisors
Effective January 1, 2020, associate marriage and family therapists, marriage and family therapist trainees, associate clinical social workers, and associate professional clinical counselors will be able to gain up to 1,200 hours of supervised experience under the supervision of a licensed educational psychologist (LEP) if certain conditions are met.

Additional information about this new legislation can be found here: http://bit.ly/2Mi5Rig and will disseminate information to our membership in the near future.

Ariel Cohen, MA, LMFT, maintains a full-time practice at Teen Therapy Center in Woodland Hills, CA. He works with children, teens, and families, with an emphasis on supporting the special needs community. He can be contacted at 818.674.9834 or ariel@teentherapycenter.com.