Senator Brouk and Assemblymember Bronson’s Bill to Expand Mental Health Services Signed into Law to Address the Workforce Shortage

June 19, 2025 (ALBANY, NY):  Senator Samra G. Brouk (SD-55) and Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson (AD-138) have announced that Governor Kathy Hochul has signed Senate Bill S7622/ Assembly Bill A8045, the Diagnostic Extender Bill, into law, extending the window for  licensed mental health counselors, qualified therapists, and psychoanalysts to continue to have the authority to diagnose and offer treatment plans to patients.  

This legislation amends the bill Senator Brouk and Assemblymember Bronson passed in 2022 by extending the period for licensed mental health counselors (LMHC), marriage and family therapists (LMFT), and psychoanalysts (LP) to file an application with the State Education Department (SED) to obtain the new licensure to provide diagnostic privilege and authority. New York employs over 24,000 licensed mental health counselors, the second highest number of employed professionals in the United States.

The Diagnostic Extender Bill, now signed by the Governor, establishes requirements for these professionals to obtain a diagnostic privilege to address the critical workforce shortages in mental health professions across New York State to help our statewide mental health crisis. This bill will prevent the loss of practitioners with diagnostic authority– keeping thousands of professionals in the field, increasing access to care for essential services or patients with substance use and mental health needs, and cutting down patient wait time. 

Senator Samra Brouk (SD-55), Chair of the Senate Mental Health Committee: “For years, and in the midst of a statewide mental health crisis, I have partnered with my colleague Assemblymember Bronson to ensure that qualified mental health practitioners can diagnose patients who need essential care. By signing S7622 into law, we are ensuring that thousands of professionals have the time they need to obtain a new license to provide diagnostic authority. With this extension, New York State can continue addressing the mental health workforce shortage while increasing access for individuals with substance abuse and mental health needs. As the federal government cuts funding for critical resources, I remain committed to protecting essential mental health services that our New Yorkers deserve.”

Assemblymember Harry Bronson (AD-138): “Addressing the mental health challenges in our communities, requires drastically increasing the number of qualified practitioners who can diagnose and develop treatment plans, thus ensuring those seeking care have access to the support they need. By signing the Diagnostic Extender Bill I worked on with Senator Brouk into law, New York will expand our mental health workforce in a way that meets the needs of today’s landscape. With this law, licensed mental health counselors will now have much-needed additional time to secure additional licensure requirements while continuing their treatment and support of patients.” 

Maria Cristalli, President and CEO, Hillside: "Providing an additional two years for licensed mental health practitioners to engage in diagnosis and the development of assessment based treatment plans, while working to comply with the new standards, is critically important to ensure we have the workforce necessary to provide mental health services to the children and families we serve. Hillside applauds the leadership of Senator Brouk and Assemblyman Bronson who continue to advocate for increased capacity and parity of mental health services."