The Access MFTs Portability Effort continues to gain momentum. Staff has met with leaders, regulatory board representatives, and lobbyists in 25 states in the process of finalizing the selections for phase 1 states (action in 2024) and those for phase 2 (future action).
Access MFTs is pleased to welcome the Georgia Association of Marriage and Family Therapy as a partner for efforts in 2024. As GAMFT President Kara McDaniel remarked in their recent letter of support, “Our state is uniquely positioned to share borders with five other states. Many of our clients have families that live in those states and greatly desire a joint therapeutic relationship that necessitates working with a clinician who is licensed in multiple states. Georgia is blessed to be home to many different types of communities: rural, suburban, and urban. Many of these communities are experiencing shortages of available care options.”
We also want to thank the Minnesota Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) for their letter of support for the Access MFTs effort. In partnership with MAMFT, AAMFT staff representing Access MFTs met with staff from the Minnesota Marriage and Family Therapy Board, the state’s regulatory board, to learn more about their proposed changes to the portability process. Through these proposed rule changes, anticipated to take effect in 2024, easements to the licensure portability process would occur, including automatic reciprocity for out-of-state MFTs with two years of licensure experience. LMFTs with two years of licensure experience would also not need to demonstrate they have passed the national exam, easing barriers for those from states which may have only taken their state-required exams. Review the summary of proposed rule changes here.