Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) of this section or §§ 10–14A–03 and 10–14B–03 of the State Government Article, an individual may not practice, attempt to practice, or offer to practice clinical alcohol and drug counseling, clinical marriage and family therapy, clinical professional art therapy, or clinical professional counseling in the State unless licensed by the Board.
Subject to the regulations of the Board, subsection (a) of this section does not apply to:
A student working under the supervision of a licensed mental health care provider while pursuing a supervised course of study in counseling that the Board approves as qualifying training and experience under this title;
An individual who, in accordance with § 17–406 of this title, is working as a trainee under the supervision of a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor or another health care provider licensed or certified under this article and approved by the Board while fulfilling the experiential or course of study requirements under § 17–302 of this subtitle or § 17–403 or § 17–404 of this title; or
An individual who:
Is licensed and in good standing in another state;
Established a client–counselor relationship with a client outside the State;
Is no longer able to provide in–person counseling to the client because the client is located in the State; and
Provides the counseling through telehealth, as defined in § 1–1001 of this article, for the purpose of providing continuity of care to the client for not more than 6 months after:
The client relocated to the State; or
The client returned to the State following a continuous and nonincidental period of relocation outside the State.
This subtitle may not be construed to limit the scope of practice of any individual who is duly licensed under this article.
To qualify for a license to practice clinical alcohol and drug counseling, an applicant shall be an individual who meets the requirements of this section.
The applicant shall be of good moral character.
The applicant shall be at least 18 years old.
Except as provided in § 17–305 of this subtitle, the applicant shall:
Hold a master’s or doctoral degree in a professional counseling field from an accredited educational institution that is approved by the Board; and
Have completed any additional educational requirements established by the Board in regulation.
The applicant shall:
Have completed not less than 2 years with a minimum of 2,000 hours of supervised experience in alcohol and drug counseling, which shall have been completed after the award of the master’s or doctoral degree; and
Provide documentation as required by the Board evidencing the completion of the postgraduate experience required under item (1) of this subsection.
The applicant shall provide documentation to the Board evidencing the completion of any educational requirements established by the Board in regulation, completed at an accredited educational institution approved by the Board.
Except as otherwise provided in this title, the applicant shall pass:
An examination approved by the Board; and
The law examination on this title administered by the Board.
To qualify for a license to practice clinical marriage and family therapy, an applicant shall be an individual who meets the requirements of this section.
The applicant shall be of good moral character.
The applicant shall be at least 18 years old.
Except as provided in § 17–306 of this subtitle, the applicant shall hold a master’s or doctoral degree in a marriage and family field from an accredited educational institution that is approved by the Board or have completed a program of studies judged by the Board to be substantially equivalent in subject matter and extent of training as may be required by the Board in regulation.
The applicant shall have completed any additional educational requirements established by the Board in regulation.
The applicant shall have completed not less than 2 years with a minimum of 2,000 hours of supervised experience in marriage and family therapy approved by the Board, 2 years of which shall have been completed after the award of the master’s or doctoral degree or its substantial equivalent.
The applicant shall provide documentation to the Board evidencing the completion of any educational requirements established by the Board in regulation, completed at an accredited college or university approved by the Board.
The applicant shall provide documentation evidencing the completion of 2 years of postgraduate supervised clinical experience as required by the Board.
Except as otherwise provided in this title, the applicant shall pass an examination approved by the Board.
Except as provided in § 17–307 of this subtitle, to qualify for a license to practice clinical professional counseling, an applicant shall be an individual who meets the requirements of this section.
The applicant shall be of good moral character.
The applicant shall be at least 18 years old.
The applicant shall hold a master’s or doctoral degree in a professional counseling field from an accredited educational institution that is approved by the Board.
The applicant shall have completed any additional educational requirements established by the Board in regulation.
The applicant shall provide documentation to the Board evidencing the completion of any educational requirements established by the Board in regulation, in the applicant’s respective area of practice from an accredited college or university program approved by the Board.
The applicant shall provide documentation evidencing the completion of 2 years of postgraduate supervised experience as required by the Board.
Except as otherwise provided in this title, the applicant shall pass an examination approved by the Board.
Except as provided in § 17–307.1 of this subtitle, to qualify for a license to practice clinical professional art therapy, an applicant shall be an individual who meets the requirements of this section.
The applicant shall be of good moral character.
The applicant shall be at least 18 years old.
The applicant shall hold a master’s or doctoral degree in art therapy from an accredited educational institution that is approved by the Board.
In the case of an applicant holding a doctoral degree, the applicant shall have completed:
A minimum of 90 graduate credit hours in an art therapy program approved by the Board; and
Not less than 2 years of supervised experience in art therapy approved by the Board, 1 year of which shall have been completed after the award of the doctoral degree.
In the case of an applicant holding only a master’s degree, the applicant shall have completed:
A minimum of 60 graduate credit hours in an art therapy program approved by the Board; and
Not less than 3 years, with a minimum of 3,000 hours, of supervised experience in art therapy approved by the Board, 2 years of which shall have been completed after the award of the master’s degree.
The applicant shall provide documentation to the Board evidencing the completion of any educational requirements established by the Board in regulation, from an accredited college or university program that is approved by the Board.
The applicant shall provide documentation evidencing the completion of 2 years of postgraduate supervised experience as required by the Board.
Except as otherwise provided in this title, the applicant shall pass an examination approved by the Board.
The Board shall waive the requirements for licensure for an applicant to practice clinical alcohol and drug counseling if the applicant:
Holds a license as a clinical alcohol and drug counselor in another state, territory, or jurisdiction that is equivalent to the license the applicant is applying for under this subtitle;
Submits an application to the Board on a form that the Board requires;
Pays to the Board an application fee set by the Board; and
Satisfies any other educational and experience requirements established by the Board.
The Board may waive educational and experience requirements established under subsection (a)(4) of this section:
Under circumstances determined by the Board; and
For applicants who petition the Board for waiver.
The Board shall adopt regulations to implement this section.
Subject to subsection (b) of this section, the Board shall waive the requirements for licensure under § 17–303(d), (e), (f), and (h) of this subtitle for an applicant to practice clinical marriage and family therapy if the applicant:
Is licensed or certified as a clinical marriage and family therapist in another state, territory, or jurisdiction;
Has no history of disciplinary action, past or pending, in a state, territory, or jurisdiction in which the applicant holds a license or certification to practice clinical marriage and family therapy;
Has not committed any act or omission that would be grounds for discipline or denial of licensure under § 17–509 of this title;
Submits to the Board a copy of a current license from each state, territory, or jurisdiction in which the applicant has been licensed, registered, or otherwise authorized to practice clinical marriage and family therapy;
Submits an application on the form that the Board requires; and
Pays to the Board the application fee set by the Board.
The Board:
May not require an applicant to pass a national certification exam; but
May require an applicant to pass an examination of the requirements of this title.
The Board shall adopt regulations to implement this section.
The Board shall waive the requirements for licensure for an applicant to practice clinical professional counseling if the applicant:
Is licensed or certified as a clinical professional counselor in another state, territory, or jurisdiction that has requirements that are equivalent to or exceed the requirements of § 17–304 of this subtitle;
Submits an application to the Board on a form that the Board requires; and
Pays to the Board an application fee set by the Board.
The Board shall adopt regulations to implement this section.
The Board shall waive the requirements for licensure for an applicant to practice clinical professional art therapy if the applicant:
Is licensed as a clinical professional art therapist in another state, territory, or jurisdiction that has requirements that are equivalent to or exceed the requirements of § 17–304.1 of this subtitle;
Submits an application to the Board on a form that the Board requires; and
Pays to the Board an application fee set by the Board.
The Board shall adopt regulations to implement this section.
A license authorizes the licensee to practice clinical alcohol and drug counseling, clinical marriage and family therapy, clinical professional counseling, or clinical professional art therapy while the license is effective.
An individual licensed under this subtitle may provide services involving the application of counseling principles and methods in the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and amelioration of psychological problems, emotional conditions, or mental conditions of individuals or groups.
The Board may adopt regulations to allow an individual to practice under clinical supervision as a licensed graduate alcohol and drug counselor, a licensed graduate marriage and family therapist, a licensed graduate professional counselor, or a licensed graduate professional art therapist.
To qualify to practice as a licensed graduate alcohol and drug counselor, a licensed graduate marriage and family therapist, a licensed graduate professional counselor, or a licensed graduate professional art therapist, an individual shall be:
Of good moral character; and
At least 18 years old.
An individual may practice graduate alcohol and drug counseling under supervision for a limited period of time if the individual has:
A master’s or doctoral degree in a professional counseling field from an accredited educational institution that meets the educational requirements of § 17–302 of this subtitle; and
Passed:
A national alcohol and drug counselor examination approved by the Board; and
The law examination on this title administered by the Board.
An individual may practice graduate marriage and family therapy under supervision for a limited period of time if the individual has:
A master’s or doctoral degree in a marriage and family field that meets the educational requirements of § 17–303 of this subtitle; and
Passed the National Marriage and Family Therapy Examination approved by the Board.
An individual may practice graduate professional counseling under supervision for a limited period of time if the individual has:
A master’s or doctoral degree in a professional counseling field that meets the educational requirements of § 17–304 of this subtitle; and
Passed the National Professional Counselor Examination approved by the Board.
An individual may practice graduate professional art therapy under supervision for a limited period of time if the individual has a master’s or doctoral degree in art therapy that meets the educational requirements of § 17–304.1 of this subtitle.
An individual may not practice without approval by the Board.
In this section “advanced assessment activities” means the use of appraisal instruments that require specialized psychological training for administration and interpretation.
A licensed counselor or therapist may engage in advanced assessment activities if the licensed counselor or therapist has completed training that includes:
Possession of a doctoral or master’s degree in counseling or a related field that includes a minimum of nine graduate courses of at least 3 semester hours in each of the following courses:
Psychopathology;
Biological bases of behavior;
Research methods;
Advanced statistics;
Tests and measures;
Intellectual assessment;
Personality assessment;
Ethics; and
Practicum in advanced assessment;
Completion of 500 hours of supervised, direct, client–related, advanced assessment testing that is completed not less than 2 years following the completion of the master’s degree, of which a minimum of 100 hours shall include face–to–face supervision by a supervisor who is:
A licensed mental health professional;
Proficient in the use of advanced assessment tests; and
Approved by the Board; and
Passage of a national examination that includes items on advanced assessment that evaluate knowledge of advanced assessment procedures.