37-37-201. License requirements -- exemptions -- temporary permit. (1) An applicant for a license shall pay an application fee set by the board by rule. The board may provide a separate, combined fee for persons licensed by the board holding dual licenses. An applicant for a license under this section shall also complete an application on a form provided by the department and provide documentation to the board that the applicant:
     (a) (i) has a master's degree or a doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a recognized educational institution or a degree from a program accredited by the commission on accreditation for marriage and family therapy education; or
     (ii) has a graduate degree in an allied field from a recognized educational institution and graduate level work that the board determines to be the equivalent of a master's degree in marriage and family therapy or marriage and family counseling;
     (b) has successfully passed an examination prescribed by the board;
     (c) has worked under the direct supervision of a qualified supervisor for at least 3,000 hours, including 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact in the practice of marriage and family therapy, of which up to 500 hours may be accumulated while achieving the educational credentials listed in subsection (1)(a); and
     (d) is of good moral character. Being of good moral character includes in its meaning that the applicant has not been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of a crime described by board rule as being of a nature that renders the applicant unfit to practice marriage and family therapy.
     (2) An applicant is exempt from the examination requirement in subsection (1)(b) if the board is satisfied that:
     (a) the applicant is licensed, certified, or registered under the laws of a state or territory of the United States that imposes substantially the same requirements as this chapter and has passed an examination similar to that required by the board;
     (b) for applications received before July 1, 2011, the applicant is a clinical member of the American association for marriage and family therapy and is a current resident of this state; or
     (c) the applicant is licensed as a clinical social worker under Title 37, chapter 22, or as a clinical professional counselor under Title 37, chapter 23, and has practiced marriage and family therapy within the state for a period prescribed by the board.
     (3) A person is exempt from licensure as a marriage and family therapist if the person practices marriage and family therapy:
     (a) under qualified supervision in a training institution or facility or other supervisory arrangements approved by the board and uses the title of intern;
     (b) as part of the person's duties as a member of the clergy or priesthood; or
     (c) under a temporary permit that the board may issue under rules adopted to allow a 1-year temporary permit to an applicant for licensure pending examination for a license or processing of the application for a license. An applicant with a temporary permit under this subsection shall use the title of "licensed marriage and family therapy candidate".

     History: En. Sec. 3, Ch. 403, L. 2009.