Updates

CTAMFT's Advocacy Chair is Jaime Rodriguez, LMFT. For more information on how you can be a part of our advocacy committee, please contact Jaime at advocacy@ctamft.org.

Current Connecticut Legislative Session Efforts:

The 2022 Connecticut Legislative session has concluded. This was a great session for mental health providers and MFTs with many wins! If you would like to thank your representative for their efforts in passing critical mental health policies, feel free to use the template below.

CTAMFT_Members-_Legislator_Thank_You.docx

CTAMFT's Advocacy Team is currently working on our off-season grassroots efforts. These efforts work towards educating and engaging legislative representatives on MFTs. If you are interested in making sure MFTs are included in future legislation and want to help with these efforts, please reach out at advocacy@ctamft.org.

Federal Advocacy Efforts

MFTs in Medicare
CTAMFT continues to support AAMFT efforts in pushing for MFT recognition as Medicare providers. This is a federal effort, and therefore must be pushed through at a federal level. For updates and ways in which you can be involved in asking your representatives to support this action, we encourage you to become part of the AAMFT FamilyTEAM and to follow their blog, which can be found here.

Previous Advocacy Successes:

Telehealth
As part of the 2021 legislative session, Several telehealth bills were successfully passed. These bills have secured telehealth parity for mental health services through 2023. CTAMFT's advocacy team will continue to monitor legislation for opportunities to extend this date/make this change permanent in upcoming sessions.

COAMFTE Standards
As part of the 2021 legislative session, CTAMFT worked to adjust language related to licensure and COMAFTE standards. Language was modified to adapt to current COAMFTE standards, rather than a set number of hours for program internship hours to allow for continuity of license eligibility despite potential COAMFTE changes.

Associate License
The much awaited Associate License is here! CTAMFT worked hard in 2019 (after nearly 8 years of advocacy work) to pass the Associate License. At the end of our legislative session in May, Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists joined the Social Work profession and were granted access to an Associate designation by the Connecticut State Legislature. This Associate designation is a registration between graduation and full MFT licensure. The purpose of this change is to move license-eligible candidates from graduation to full licensure in a coordinated and documented manner in order to support the MFT profession and ensure client care. Effective October 1, 2019 all practicing Counselors & Marriage and Family Therapists must possess either an MFT License or Associate designation to legally practice.
For more information regarding obtaining your associate license, please visit the DPH website here.