HB 26-1228

House Bill 26-1228 changes the requirements for becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in Colorado. Currently, individuals need an internship or practicum as part of their degree program and must complete at least 1,500 supervised clinical hours to be licensed. The bill now allows those without an internship or practicum to also become LMFT candidates but requires them to do an additional 700 supervised clinical hours. This affects therapists who completed their degrees before the requirement for internships was in place or through programs that didn't include one. Since the bill has been signed, these new rules are now law and will impact future licensing processes for marriage and family therapists.

Official Summary

Under current law, an individual who has completed a master's or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy, or its equivalent, from a degree program that included an internship or practicum in the principles and practice of marriage and family therapy may be registered as a candidate for licensure and must complete at least 1,500 supervised clinical hours to be licensed as a marriage and family therapist (LMFT).     The bill allows an applicant whose master's or doctoral degree program did not include an internship or practicum to also be registered as an LMFT candidate, but requires these candidates to complete an additional 700 supervised clinical hours to become an LMFT.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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