License reciprocity for mental health workers would allow them to transfer licenses to another state.
License reciprocity for mental health workers would allow them to transfer licenses to another state.
State Rep. Tommy Gregory (R-Sarasota) is the sponsor of a bill that would create license reciprocity for mental health professionals, licensed clinical social workers. and marriage and family therapists.
The bill would also expand the scope of practice for Master of Social Work students. He is supported by the National Association of Social Workers.
License reciprocity would allow counselors to more easily transfer their licenses to practice to another state.
According to Counseling Today, a publication of the American Counseling Association, there are several factors that complicate this process. One is the variety of licensure titles, scopes of practice and education requirements. There are more than 45 titles used by state counseling boards and the requirements for graduate credit hours and years of experience varies from state to state. An article by David Kaplan says, "In a nutshell if you read any 20 state counseling board scopes of practice, you will see 20 different skill sets."
These changes would help to eliminate the shortage of mental health counselors, especially in rural areas, and help meet the needs of underserved populations.
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