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Sponsored byVeronica Klinefelt+2 co-sponsors
Last updated Jun 17, 2026 · MI · Source: LegiScan ↗
This bill amends Michigan's Public Health Code to update licensing, supervision, title use, and continuing education requirements for marriage and family therapists. It revises educational and clinical experience standards, adds a new post-2028 licensure pathway with updated hour requirements and telehealth options, and aligns supervisor qualifications with Medicare enrollment needs.
substitute for Senate BILL NO. 707 A bill to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled "Public health code," by amending sections 16903 and 16909 (MCL 333.16903 and 333.16909), section 16903 as amended by 2006 PA 388 and section 16909 as amended by 1997 PA 188, and by adding sections 16909a and 16914. the peoplE of the state of michigan enact: Sec. 16903. (1) An individual licensed under this part as a marriage and family therapist shall use only the title "licensed marriage and family therapist" or "licensed marriage counselor" or the abbreviation "l.m.f.t." in representing his or her the individual's services in the practice of marriage and family therapy to the public. (2) Unless exempt under section 16905(3), only an individual licensed under this part may advertise that he or she the individual offers marriage any of the following: (a) Marriage and family therapy . ; marriage (b) Marriage or family counseling service or advice . ; marriage (c) Marriage or family guidance service or advice . ; marriage (d) Marriage or family relations service or advice . ; marriage (e) Marriage or family problems service or advice . ; marriage (f) Marriage or family relations advice or assistance . ; service (g) Service in the alleviation of a marital or family problem . ; or service (h) Service of similar import or effect that is included in the practice of marriage and family therapy. (3) The board may grant a limited license to an individual who has met the requirements of section 16909(a) and (b) 16909(1)(a) and (b) or 16909a(1)(a) and (b) in order to permit that individual to obtain the experience required under section 16909(c). 16909(1)(c) or 16909a(1)(c). The board shall not renew a limited license for more than 6 years. A limited licensee shall do all of the following: (a) Use only the title "limited licensed marriage and family therapist" or "limited licensed marriage counselor". (b) Not represent that he or she the limited licensee is engaged in the independent practice of marriage and family therapy. (c) Practice only under the supervision of a fully licensed marriage and family therapist. (d) Confine his or her the limited licensee's practice to an organized health care setting or other arrangement approved by the board. (4) An individual engaged in obtaining experience required under section 16909(b) 16909(1)(b) or 16909a(1)(b) may use the title "marriage and family therapist intern" or "marriage and family therapist trainee" during the training period. The board shall not require an individual obtaining experience required under section 16909(b) 16909(1)(b) or 16909a(1)(b) to hold a limited license. (5) The following words, titles, or letters or a combination thereof, with or without qualifying words or phrases, are restricted in use only to those individuals authorized under this part to use the terms and in a way prescribed by this part: "marriage advisor" or "marriage consultant"; "family counselor", "family advisor", "family therapist", or "family consultant"; "family guidance counselor", "family guidance advisor", or "family guidance consultant"; "marriage guidance counselor", "marriage guidance advisor", or "marriage guidance consultant"; "family relations counselor"; "couples counselor"; "couples therapist"; "marriage relations counselor", "marriage relations advisor", or "marriage relations consultant"; or "marital counselor" or "marital therapist". Sec. 16909. (1) The board shall grant a license as a marriage and family therapist to an individual who meets all of the following requirements: (a) Provides satisfactory evidence to the board of meeting either of the following educational qualifications: ( i ) Has a master's or higher graduate degree from an accredited training program in marriage and family therapy approved by the board. ( ii ) Has a master's or higher graduate degree from an accredited college or university approved by the board and has completed all of the following graduate-level courses at an accredited college or university approved by the board: (A) Three courses in family studies that total at least 6 semester or 9 quarter hours. (B) Three courses in family therapy methodology that total at least 6 semester or 9 quarter hours. (C) Three courses in human development, personality theory, or psychopathology that total at least 6 semester or 9 quarter hours. (D) At least 2 semester or 3 quarter hours in ethics, law, and standards of professional practice. (E) At least 2 semester or 3 quarter hours in research. (b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2), provides satisfactory evidence to the board of having completed supervised clinical marriage and family therapy experience in conjunction with the applicant's educational program. The clinical marriage and family therapy experience described in this subdivision shall must meet all of the following requirements: ( i ) Be obtained either in a clinical practicum during graduate education or in a postgraduate marriage and family institute training program acceptable to the board. ( ii ) Be obtained over not less than 8 consecutive months. ( iii ) Be verified by a supervisor who has a master's or higher graduate degree from an accredited college or university approved by the board and meets 1 of the following: (A) Is a marriage and family therapist. (B) Is a certified licensed master's social worker or a social worker registered under article 16 of the occupational code, 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.1601 to 339.1610. as that term is defined in section 18501. (C) Is a licensed professional counselor as that term is defined in section 18101. (D) Is a physician as that term is defined in section 17001 or 17501 and practicing in a mental health setting. (E) Is a fully licensed psychologist as that term is defined in section 18201 and is fully licensed . (F) Is an approved supervisor or supervisor-in-training through a program conducted by the American association Association for marriage and family therapy Marriage and Family Therapy and approved by the board. ( iv ) Include not less than 300 direct client contact hours in supervised clinical marriage and family therapy experience, at least 1/2 of which were completed in a setting in which families, couples, or subsystems of families were physically present in the therapy room. ( v ) Be supervised in a ratio of at least 1 hour of supervision for each 5 hours of direct client contact, for a total of not less than 60 hours of supervision concurrent with the 300 hours of supervised direct client contact. (c) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2), provides satisfactory evidence to the board of having completed a minimum of 1,000 direct client contact hours in supervised marriage and family therapy experience, at least 1/2 of which was completed with families, couples, or subsystems of families physically present in the therapy room, that meets all of the following conditions: ( i ) Is verified by the supervising licensed marriage and family therapist. ( ii ) Is obtained following the completion of the degree required by subdivision (a)( i ), is obtained following the completion of the degree required by subdivision (a)( ii ) and concurrent with or following the course work specified in subdivision (a)( ii )(A), (B), (C), (D), and (E), or is obtained as part of a doctoral program in marriage and family therapy from an accredited college or university approved by the board, which experience may include experience obtained under subdivision (b)( i ). ( iii ) Is supervised in a ratio of at least 1 hour of supervision for each 5 hours of experience, for a total of not less than 200 hours of supervision concurrent with the 1,000 hours of supervised experience. Not less than 100 hours of supervision under this subparagraph shall must be individual supervision with no more than 1 other supervisee present. The remaining supervision under this subparagraph may be group supervision involving no more than 6 supervisees with 1 supervisor. The supervision shall must be given in face-to-face contact with the individual obtaining marriage and family therapy experience. (2) The board shall waive the requirements of subsection (1)(b) and (c) for an applicant who provides satisfactory evidence to the board of having obtained a doctoral degree from an accredited doctoral training program in marriage and family therapy approved by the board. (3) This section is repealed effective January 1, 2028. Sec. 16909a. (1) Beginning January 1, 2028, subject to this section, to be granted a license as a marriage and family therapist, an individual must meet all of the following requirements: (a) The individual provides satisfactory evidence to the department that the individual holds a master's or higher graduate degree from an accredited training program in marriage and family therapy approved by the board, the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, or a regionally accredited body. The department, in consultation with the board, shall promulgate rules establishing standards to approve programs under this subdivision. (b) The individual provides satisfactory evidence to the department of having completed supervised clinical marriage and family therapy experience in conjunction with the individual's educational program. (c) The individual provides satisfactory evidence to the department of having completed 3,000 hours of supervised postdegree clinical marriage and family therapy experience in not less than 24 months, at least 500 hours of which were completed in a setting in which families, couples, or subsystems of families were present in the same location or a setting in which families, couples, or subsystems of families met by way of 2-way real-time secure technology that allowed direct, contemporaneous interaction by sight or sound. The supervision required under this subdivision must include not less than 100 hours of supervision by a supervisor with not less than 50 of those 100 hours consisting of either individual supervision or dyadic supervision with no more than 1 other supervisee present. The remaining 50 of the 100 hours of supervision required under this subdivision may be group supervision involving no more than 6 supervisees with 1 supervisor. The 100 hours of supervision described in this subdivision must be in person or use 2-way real-time secure technology with the individual obtaining the supervised clinical marriage and family therapy experience. To qualify as a supervisor under this subdivision, an individual must meet the requirements described in subsection (4). The department, in consultation with the board, may promulgate rules to do the following: ( i ) Revise the number of supervised clinical hours required under this subdivision if necessary to ensure a marriage and family therapist's eligibility to enroll as a provider with Medicare. ( ii ) Supplement the requirements for supervisors under this subdivision, including, but not limited to, by requiring additional professional experience or the completion of continuing education. (2) The board shall waive the requirements of subsection (1)(b) and (c) for an applicant who provides satisfactory evidence to the board of having obtained a doctoral degree from an accredited doctoral training program in marriage and family therapy approved by the board. (3) The department, in consultation with the board, may promulgate rules to supplement the requirements for licensure under this part as a marriage and family therapist as the department determines is necessary to adapt to changes in federal law or national industry standards for marriage and family therapists. (4) To qualify as a supervisor under subsection (1)(c), an individual must be 1 of the following: (a) A marriage and family therapist. (b) An individual who meets both of the following requirements: ( i ) The individual is 1 of the following: (A) A licensed master's social worker as that term is defined in section 18501. (B) A licensed professional counselor as that term is defined in section 18101. (C) A psychologist as that term is defined in section 18201 who is fully licensed. ( ii ) The individual is an approved supervisor through a program conducted by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and approved by the board. (5) As used in this section, "Medicare" means that term as defined in section 2701. Sec. 16914. (1) Notwithstanding the requirements of part 161, the department, in consultation with the board, shall promulgate rules requiring a licensee seeking renewal of a license to furnish the department with satisfactory evidence that, during the license cycle immediately preceding the application for renewal, the licensee has attended continuing education courses or programs approved by the board in subjects related to the practice of marriage and family therapy and designed to further educate licensees. (2) As required under section 16204, the department, in consultation with the board, shall promulgate rules requiring each applicant for license renewal to complete as part of the educational courses or programs required under subsection (1) an appropriate number of hours or courses in pain and symptom management. (3) The continuing education requirements of this section apply beginning with the first renewal cycle after January 1, 2028.
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