Fact Sheet

House Bill 374 established licensure for Marriage and Family Therapists and Independent Marriage and Family Therapists in April 2003. Copies of the Law and Rules are available on the web site under th elink laws and regulations on the left side of this web page.

MFT bill signed into law January 7, 2009

Governor Strickland signed House Bill 427 into law on January 7, 2009, which makes the bill effective April 7, 2009. The bill gives MFTs the right to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders. The bill also makes changes that give the Marriage and Family Therapist Professional Standards Committee of the CSWMFT Board equal rights with the counselor and social worker committees. The Board has rules to implement this change see Laws and Rules page of this web site. Here is a link to the bill: Link.

The Department of Mental Health is working on rule changes to add MFTs to the authorization rules for reimbursement by the state. Once those rules are in place and the FEDs approve the change, MFTs will be eligible to work at mental health agencies reimbursed by the state.