January 25, 2007, Introduced by Senators McMANUS, ALLEN, GARCIA, HARDIMAN, RICHARDVILLE and CROPSEY and referred to the Committee on Families and Human Services.
A bill to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled
"Public health code,"
by amending sections 16901, 16903, and 16905 (MCL 333.16901,
333.16903, and 333.16905), section 16901 as added by 1995 PA 126
and sections 16903 and 16905 as amended by 2006 PA 388.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 16901. (1) As used in this part:
(a) "Advertise" means issuing or ordering the printing or
distribution of a card, sign, or device or causing, permitting, or
allowing a sign or marking on or in a building or structure, or
placing material in a newspaper, magazine, or directory, or on
radio or television. Advertise does not include unpaid public
awareness campaigns or educational or promotional materials by
individuals exempted from this part by section 16905.
(b) "Marriage and family therapist" means an individual
licensed under this article to engage in the practice of marriage
and family therapy.
(c) "Practice of marriage and family therapy" means the
providing of guidance, testing, discussions, therapy, instruction,
or advice that is intended to avoid, eliminate, relieve, manage, or
resolve individual, marital, or family conflict or discord, to
create, improve, or restore individual, marital, or family harmony,
or to prepare couples for marriage. Practice of marriage and family
therapy does not include the administration and interpretation of
psychological tests except for those tests that are consistent with
the individual's education and training and with the code of ethics
for licensed marriage and family therapists.
(2) In addition to the definitions of this part, article 1
contains general definitions and principles of construction
applicable to all articles in this code and part 161 contains
definitions applicable to this part.
Sec. 16903. (1) An individual licensed under this part as a
marriage and family therapist shall use only the title "licensed
marriage and family therapist" or "licensed marriage counselor" or
the abbreviation "l.m.f.t." in representing his or her services in
the practice of marriage and family therapy to the public.
(2)
Unless exempt under section 16905(3) 16905(4), only an
individual licensed under this part may advertise that he or she
offers marriage and family therapy; marriage or family counseling
service or advice; marriage or family guidance service or advice;
marriage or family relations service or advice; marriage or family
problems service or advice; marriage or family relations advice or
assistance; service in the alleviation of a marital or family
problem; or service of similar import or effect that is included in
the practice of marriage and family therapy. This part does not
prohibit an individual exempted by section 16905 from issuing
unpaid public awareness campaigns or educational or promotional
materials.
(3) The board may grant a limited license to an individual who
has
met the requirements of section 16909(a) and (b) 16909(1)(a)
and (b) in order to permit that individual to obtain the experience
required
under section 16909(c) 16909(1)(c). The board shall not
renew a limited license for more than 6 years. A limited licensee
shall do all of the following:
(a) Use only the title "limited licensed marriage and family
therapist" or "limited licensed marriage counselor".
(b) Not represent that he or she is engaged in the independent
practice of marriage and family therapy.
(c) Practice only under the supervision of a fully licensed
marriage and family therapist.
(d) Confine his or her practice to an organized health care
setting or other arrangement approved by the board.
(4) An individual engaged in obtaining experience required
under
section 16909(b) 16909(1)(b)
may use the title "marriage and
family therapist intern" or "marriage and family therapist trainee"
during the training period. The board shall not require an
individual
obtaining experience required under section 16909(b)
16909(1)(b) to hold a limited license.
(5) The following words, titles, or letters or a combination
thereof, with or without qualifying words or phrases, are
restricted in use only to those individuals authorized under this
part to use the terms and in a way prescribed by this part:
"marriage advisor" or "marriage consultant"; "family counselor",
"family advisor", "family therapist", or "family consultant";
"family guidance counselor", "family guidance advisor", or "family
guidance consultant"; "marriage guidance counselor", "marriage
guidance advisor", or "marriage guidance consultant"; "family
relations counselor"; "marriage relations counselor", "marriage
relations advisor", or "marriage relations consultant"; or "marital
counselor" or "marital therapist".
Sec. 16905. (1) This part does not apply to an individual
engaged in the practice of social work as defined in part 185, in
the course of employment with a governmental agency or a reputable
social service agency regularly providing social work services as
an agency.
(2) This part does not apply to an ordained cleric or other
religious
practitioner who is employed by or working under the
authority
of an organization exempt from taxation under section
501(c)(3)
of the internal revenue code of 1986, 26 USC 501, if the
advice
or counsel given by the cleric or other religious
practitioner
is incidental to his or her duties as a cleric or
other
religious practitioner, and provides
advice, guidance, or
teaching based on his or her religious beliefs, creeds, or
doctrines if the cleric or other religious practitioner does not
hold himself or herself out to the public as a marriage and family
therapist licensed under this article or use 1 or more of the
titles listed in section 16903 and if no fee or donation is exacted
for the service. This part does not prohibit an ordained cleric or
other religious practitioner from accepting a voluntary
contribution.
(3) This part does not apply to an ordained cleric or other
religious practitioner who has been authorized by law to officiate
at a marriage if that person provides, in writing, an affidavit
clearly stating that he or she is a member of the clergy or a
religious practitioner, is not a marriage and family therapist
licensed under this article, and does not use 1 or more of the
titles listed in section 16903, and that the advice, guidance, or
teaching is based on that individual's religious beliefs, creeds,
or doctrines.
(4) (3)
This part does not apply to a physician licensed under
this article who has completed an accredited psychiatric residency
program approved by the Michigan board of medicine or to a
psychologist fully licensed under this article, if both of the
following circumstances exist:
(a) The individual is practicing his or her profession in a
manner consistent with his or her education and training and is
practicing in a manner consistent with the code of ethics of that
profession.
(b) The individual does not hold himself or herself out to the
public as a marriage and family therapist licensed under this
article or use any of the titles listed in section 16903 for
advertising
purposes. However, this This
subdivision does not
prohibit the individual from advertising under a telephone or other
business directory listing that uses those titles if the individual
discloses in the listing, in an unabbreviated fashion, the
profession in which he or she is licensed.
(5) (4)
This part does not limit an individual in, or prevent
an individual from, the practice of a statutorily regulated
profession or occupation if services to families, couples, or
subsystems of families are part of the services provided by that
profession or occupation, and if the individual does not hold
himself or herself out to the public as a marriage and family
therapist licensed under this article or use 1 or more of the
titles listed in section 16903. As used in this subsection,
"statutorily regulated profession or occupation" means an
occupation or profession regulated by statute that includes, but is
not limited to, all of the following: a physician, attorney, social
worker, social service technician, fully licensed psychologist,
limited licensed psychologist, temporary limited licensed
psychologist, licensed professional counselor, limited licensed
counselor, or school counselor.