In recent weeks, MFT licensure portability bills have been signed into law in Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Iowa, Arizona, and Georgia. Similar bills continue to move through the legislative process in other states.
Licensure portability is the ability to take an individual’s qualifications for a license in one state and apply them for licensure in another state. There can be many barriers that cause difficulty in this process, some of which are outlined in this Family Therapy Magazine article. The Access MFTs strategic portability effort works to identify those barriers and mitigate them as much as possible to create a much easier portability process for those within the profession.
As we celebrate the legislative successes in these six states, we also want to inform MFTs about what this means practically for those seeking licensure in these states. The Access MFTs model is a true licensure by endorsement model, meaning that verification of your current license is the key requirement to obtaining secondary licensure.
This will simplify and streamline the process of obtaining a license by endorsement in the Access MFTs states significantly. Prior to the passage of the Access MFTs bills, some states had lengthy active years of practice requirements before an MFT could even apply for an endorsement license, or required primary verification of all education, exams, and supervised experience to establish “substantial equivalency.” These unnecessary and duplicative requirements have now been removed.
Now, all an MFT must do is provide evidence of their unrestricted license to practice in another state or territory and complete an application for licensure by endorsement.
While we are not always able to achieve the model law exactly, our goal is to ease the portability process as much as possible in states across the country. For example, some states might have additional state-specific requirements, such as passing a background check or a state jurisprudence exam. Ultimately, this model requires significantly less work and documentation from the MFT to obtain licensure by endorsement.
For the most up-to-date news on Access MFTs, click here. The effective dates for the Access MFTs bills signed so far vary from state to state, with most going into effect this summer or fall. If you need information about a specific state, please visit accessmfts.org or contact us at [email protected].