HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4357        FILED ON: 5/23/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3915

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Andres X. Vargas and Ryan M. Hamilton

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act expanding licensure opportunity for school counselors.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4357        FILED ON: 5/23/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3915

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

An Act expanding licensure opportunity for school counselors.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  The first paragraph of section 165 of chapter 112 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out clause (3) and inserting in place thereof the following clause:-

(3) demonstrates to the board, the successful completion of a masters degree in a relevant field from an educational institution licensed by the state in which it is located and meets national standards for granting of a masters degree with a subspecialization in marriage and family therapy, rehabilitation counseling, counseling, or a relevant subspecialization approved by the board; provided, however, that all relevant graduate coursework credits, as determined by the board, that an individual earns that count towards the credit requirement for professional licensure as a school counselor by the department of elementary and secondary education shall be applied towards this educational requirement for applicants seeking licensure as a mental health counselor, including credits earned in a graduate program that is less than 60 credits. To be eligible for licensure, an applicant must have 2 additional years of supervised clinical experience in the relevant field in: (i) either a clinic or hospital licensed by the department of mental health or accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals or in an equivalent center or institute; (ii) in a school setting as a school counselor licensed by the department of elementary and secondary education; or (iii) under the direction of a supervisor approved by the board. For purposes of this clause, “Supervision” shall be defined as no less than 200 hours of supervised clinical experience, including experience as a school counselor licensed by the department of elementary and secondary education, at least 100 hours of which shall consist of individual supervision with a clinician who has expertise in marriage and family therapy, rehabilitation counseling,  school counseling, educational psychology, or counseling and who holds a masters degree in social work, marriage and family therapy, rehabilitation counseling, educational psychology, counseling or an equivalent field or holds a doctorate degree in psychology, or a medical degree with a subspecialization in psychiatry; provided, however, that experience as a school counselor shall only apply towards the supervised experience requirement for applicants who are seeking licensure as a mental health counselor;

SECTION 2. Said section 165 of said chapter 112, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “section”, in line 30, the following words:- provided, however, that a school counselor shall be qualified to sit for the written or oral examination for licensure as a mental health counselor.