HB 1300 Summary

• Establishes provisional or associate-level licensure for marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, and psychologists to expand access to mental health services in Hawaii.

• Requires marriage and family therapist applicants to complete a master's or doctoral degree with 33+ semester hours in specified areas, a one-year practicum with 300 supervised client contact hours, and pass the National Marriage and Family Therapy Exam.

• Requires mental health counselor applicants to complete a master's or doctoral degree with 48+ semester hours in counseling-related courses, two academic terms of supervised practicum with 300+ client contact hours, and pass the National Counselor Examination.

• Requires psychologist license applicants to possess a doctoral degree and complete one year of post-doctoral supervised experience in health service psychology before sitting for licensure examination.

• Authorizes insurance reimbursement for services provided by supervised associate therapists, counselors, and psychologists, as well as supervised social work interns, at rates commensurate with their training level; effective July 1, 2024.