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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20130&cosponId=14177
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House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: February 25, 2014 03:14 PM
From: Representative Seth M. Grove
To: All House members
Subject: Marriage & Family Therapy Practice Protection Legislation
 

Pennsylvania’s Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) work in private practice, courts, private schools, health institutions, child protective services, mental health treatment centers, research centers, businesses and other organizations to assess and improve mental and emotional disorders within the context of families or larger social systems. They are licensed to assess and treat mental and emotional disorders within the context of marriage, couples and family systems and are the only mental health professionals required to receive training in family therapy and family systems, a functionality (family-based interventions) that is highly effective in treating a wide range of emotional and behavioral health problems. MFTs are licensed by the State of Pennsylvania and must undergo extensive education, training, clinical fieldwork and pass rigorous exams to demonstrate professional competency to meet the highest ethical standards of the profession. However, current state statute is silent with regards to protecting the practice of marriage and family therapy in the Commonwealth.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly recognized the importance of protecting Commonwealth citizens in the delivery and receipt of MFT services when it enacted licensing legislation (Act 39 of 1987) and title protection legislation (Act 136 of 1998), which provides Commonwealth consumers with the assurance that anyone who calls her/himself a licensed MFT, family therapist, or any other logical derivative of that title, actually has the training to practice marriage and family therapy. I believe it is equally important that this General Assembly affirm to consumers that anyone who holds himself out as a Marriage and Family Therapist has actually gone through the state mandated competency standards to be licensed and perform MFT services in this Commonwealth as is the case in over 30 other states. Therefore, I will be introducing legislation to ensure that only those with a professional MFT license be permitted to practice marriage and family therapy in Pennsylvania.
Through the enactment of practice protection legislation for licensed marriage and family therapists, I believe Pennsylvania will increase the quality and delivery of MFT services that will result in better outcomes in the lives of Commonwealth consumers being treated.

Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation by clicking on the link below.

If you have any questions, please contact Susan Klock by phone at (717) 783-2655 or by email at sklock@pahousegop.com

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Introduced as HB2114