S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8183
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                May 5, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. BRONSON -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education  law,  in  relation  to  requirements  for
   certain mental health practitioners to be issued privilege to diagnose
   and develop assessment-based treatment plans

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraphs (d) and (e) of subdivision 1 of  section  8401-a
 of  the  education law, as added by chapter 230 of the laws of 2022, are
 amended and a new paragraph (f) is added to read as follows:
   (d) Experience: [(i)] Have completed at least two  thousand  hours  of
 supervised, direct client contact that shall include, but not be limited
 to,  diagnosis,  psychotherapy  and  the development of assessment-based
 treatment plans, as defined in section eighty-four hundred one  of  this
 article, satisfactory to the department.
   [(ii)  Subparagraph  (i) of this paragraph shall not apply to a mental
 health counselor, marriage and family therapist,  or  psychoanalyst  who
 was  licensed prior to June twenty-fourth, two thousand twenty-four, and
 who provides attestation, on a form prescribed by the department, from a
 supervisor in a facility setting or other supervised setting approved by
 the department under supervision in accordance with  the  commissioner's
 regulations,  that  such licensee has at least three years of experience
 engaged in direct client contact that shall include diagnosis, psychoth-
 erapy and the development of assessment-based  treatment  plans.    Such
 licensee  shall  submit  an  application  to the department within three
 years of the effective date of this section.]
   (e) Fee: Pay a fee of one hundred [seventy-five] dollars for  issuance
 of a privilege to diagnose and develop assessment-based treatment plans.
   (F)  ALTERNATE REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN PRACTITIONERS. NOTWITHSTANDING
 PARAGRAPHS (C) AND (D) OF THIS SUBDIVISION, A MENTAL  HEALTH  COUNSELOR,
 MARRIAGE  AND  FAMILY THERAPIST, OR PSYCHOANALYST LICENSED PRIOR TO JUNE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11683-01-5
              

 A. 8183                             2
 
 TWENTY-FOURTH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN, SHALL BE GRANTED THE PRIVILEGE
 TO DIAGNOSE AND DEVELOP ASSESSMENT-BASED TREATMENT PLANS IF SUCH  MENTAL
 HEALTH COUNSELOR, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST, OR PSYCHOANALYST:
   (I) FILES AN APPLICATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT;
   (II) IS LICENSED AND REGISTERED AS A MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR, MARRIAGE
 AND FAMILY THERAPIST, OR PSYCHOANALYST, AND:
   (1)  PROVIDES  VERIFICATION OF TWELVE CREDIT HOURS OF CLINICAL COURSE-
 WORK AS DEFINED BY THE DEPARTMENT FROM A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY  ACCEPTA-
 BLE TO THE DEPARTMENT;
   (2) PROVIDES VERIFICATION OF A MINIMUM OF TWO YEARS OF EMPLOYMENT AS A
 LICENSED  MENTAL  HEALTH  COUNSELOR,  MARRIAGE  AND FAMILY THERAPIST, OR
 PSYCHOANALYST BY A LICENSED SUPERVISOR OR COLLEAGUE ON FORMS  ACCEPTABLE
 TO  THE DEPARTMENT, IN A PROGRAM OR SERVICE OPERATED, REGULATED, FUNDED,
 OR APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HYGIENE, THE OFFICE OF  CHILDREN
 AND  FAMILY SERVICES, THE OFFICE OF TEMPORARY AND DISABILITY ASSISTANCE,
 THE DEPARTMENT OF  CORRECTIONS  AND  COMMUNITY  SUPERVISION,  THE  STATE
 OFFICE  FOR THE AGING, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, OR A LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL
 UNIT AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED BY SECTION 41.03 OF THE MENTAL HYGIENE LAW,
 OR A SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT AS DEFINED BY  SECTION  SIXTY-ONE  OF  THE
 SOCIAL SERVICES LAW; OR
   (3) PROVIDES VERIFICATION OF BEING LICENSED AS A MENTAL HEALTH COUNSE-
 LOR,  MARRIAGE  AND  FAMILY THERAPIST, OR PSYCHOANALYST FOR A MINIMUM OF
 TWO YEARS, AND:
   (A) PROVIDES DOCUMENTATION OF AT LEAST SIX CREDIT  HOURS  OF  CLINICAL
 COURSEWORK  AS  DEFINED  BY  THE DEPARTMENT FROM A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY
 ACCEPTABLE TO THE DEPARTMENT; OR
   (B) PROVIDES DOCUMENTATION OF AT  LEAST  TWELVE  HOURS  OF  CONTINUING
 EDUCATION  IN CLINICAL COURSEWORK SUBJECT TO SECTION EIGHTY-FOUR HUNDRED
 TWELVE-A OF THIS ARTICLE; AND
   (III) PAYS THE FEE AS REQUIRED UNDER PARAGRAPH (E)  OF  THIS  SUBDIVI-
 SION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.