Conspicuous statement: Golden Gate University online programs are exempt from authorization under AS 14.48 and 20 AAC 17.015 because the program is online or distance delivered and Golden Gate University does not have a physical presence in the state.

For questions or more information:

Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE)
Address: 1747 N. Market Blvd., Suite 225, Sacramento, CA 95834

Telephone: 888-370-7589/916-574-8900
FAX: 916-263-1897

Online complaint form: https://www.bppe.ca.gov/enforcement/complaint.shtml
Website: www.bppe.ca.gov  

For questions or more information:

Telephone: 860-575-1127 (cell); 860-947-1824 (office)

Email: Emily.Bjornberg@ct.gov

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
655 Research Parkway, Suite 200
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Telephone: 405-225-9100

Complaint website: https://okhighered.org/current-college-students/complaints/
Online complaint form: https://okhighered.org/current-college-students/complaints/student-complaint-form/

For questions or more information:

Utah Division of Consumer Protection
PO BOX 146704
Salt Lake City, UT  84117-6704
Telephone: (801) 530-6601
Email: consumerprotection@utah.gov
Website: https://dcp.utah.gov/consumers/
Online complaint form: dcp.utah.gov/cf

For questions or more information:

What is Issued: License

Name of What’s Issued:

1. Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) (while post-graduate supervised hours are being completed).
2. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) (once supervised hours have been completed).

Accreditation Requirements:

1. The Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE); or
2. Regional accreditation.

Examinations:

• California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy California Law and Ethics Examination; and California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Clinical Examination.

Curriculum Requirements: At least 60 semester or 90 quarter units of instruction that includes no less than 12 semester or 18 quarter units of coursework in theories, principles, and methods of a variety of psychotherapeutic orientations directly related to marriage and family therapy and marital and family systems approaches to treatment, and how these theories can be applied therapeutically with individuals, couples, families, adults, including elder adults, children, adolescents, and groups to improve, restore, or maintain healthy relationships. Instruction in all of the following content areas:

1. Diagnosis, assessment, prognosis, and treatment of mental disorders;
2. Developmental issues from infancy to old age;
3. Broad range of matters and life events within marriage and family relationships;
4. Cultural competency and sensitivity;
5. Multicultural development and cross-cultural interaction;
6. The effect of socioeconomic status on treatment and resources;
7. Resilience;
8. Human sexuality;
9. Substance use disorders; and
10. California law and professional ethics.

Additional coursework is required in Aging and Long-Term Care, and applicants must complete the required coursework or supervised experience for suicide risk assessment and intervention

Field Experience Requirements: Practicum that involves direct client contact, and the following:

1. A minimum of 6 semester or 9 quarter units of practicum in a supervised clinical placement that provides supervised fieldwork experience;
2. A minimum of 150 hours of face-to-face experience counseling individuals, couples, families, or groups; and
3. 75 hours of either (or a combination of) client centered advocacy and face-to-face counseling.

State Regulation: California – Statutes and Regulations

State Board: California – Board of Behavioral Sciences

Federal Disclosure: Meets State Requirements.

Additional Important Information: California has different requirements for applicants applying through reciprocity.

What is Issued: License.

Name of What’s Issued:

1. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist – Intern (while post-graduate supervised hours are being completed).
2. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (once supervised hours have been completed).

Accreditation Requirements:

1. The Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE); or
2. Equivalent accreditation.

Examinations: The National Examination in Marital and Family Therapy.

Curriculum Requirements: Graduate education must include 60 semester hours in the following courses of study:

1. Human Development, including sexuality (2 courses);
2. Marital and Family Systems (2 courses);
3. Marital and Family Therapy (3 courses);
4. Ethical and Legal Issues (1 course);
5. Supervised Practice of MFT (3 courses);
6. Diagnosis and Assessment, including the use of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (1 course);
7. Social and Cultural Foundations (1 course);
8. Research (1 course);
9. Abuse of Alcohol or Controlled Substances (1 course);
10. Crisis or Trauma (1 course);
11. Grief or Loss (1 course);
12. Group Counseling (1 course); and
13. Individual Counseling Theories (1 course).

Field Experience Requirements: Clinical experience working with individuals, couples, and families and be equivalent to 3 courses taken during 3 semesters which provide a minimum of 40 weeks of supervised practice.

State Regulation: Nevada – Rules and Regulations

State Board: Nevada – Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists & Clinical Professional Counselors 

Federal Disclosure: Does Not Meet Requirements.

Federal Disclosure Reason: The curriculum does not meet the state’s equivalency for COAMFTE accreditation.

What is Issued: License

Name of What’s Issued:

1. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate (LMFTA) (while post-graduate supervised hours are being completed).
2. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) (once supervised hours have been completed).

Accreditation Requirements: Regional accreditation

1. Examinations:
   The National Examination in Marriage and Family Therapy; and
2. Texas Jurisprudence Exam

Curriculum Requirements: 60 semester hours in the following coursework:

1. Theoretical Knowledge and Foundations of marriage and family therapy (3 semester hours);
2. Assessment and Treatment in marriage and family therapy (12 semester hours);
3. Human Development, Gender, Multicultural Issues and Family Studies (6 semester hours);
4. Psychopathology (3 semester hours);
5. Professional Ethics (3 semester hours);
6. Applied Professional Research (3 semester hours);
7. Treatment of Addictions and Management of Crisis Situations;
8. Supervised Clinical Internship; and
9. Remaining courses must be marriage and family therapy related coursework.

Field Experience Requirements: 12 months or 9 semester hours of practicum with 300 hours of experience. 150 hours must be direct client contact hours. Of these, at least 75 hours must be direct client contact with couples and families.

State Regulation: Texas – Rules and Regulations

State Board: Texas – Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists

Federal Disclosure: With Modifications

Federal Disclosure Reason: Our degree program requires 300 direct client contact hours, which exceeds Texas’ requirement. We do not require 75 hours of direct client contact with couples and families. Students wishing to pursue licensure in Texas should ensure that they select a practicum site that is able to provide these hours with couples and families.

What is Issued: License

Name of What’s Issued:

1. Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy (while post-graduate supervised hours are being completed).
2. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) (once supervised hours have been completed).

Accreditation Requirements: Regional accreditation.

Examinations: The National Examination in Marital and Family Therapy.

Curriculum Requirements: 60 semester hours of coursework in the following areas:

1. Marriage and Family Studies (6 semester hours);
2. Marriage and Family Therapy (6 semester hours);
3. Human Growth and Development Across the Lifespan (3 semester hours);
4. Abnormal behaviors (3 semester hours);
5. Diagnosis and Treatment of Addictive Behaviors (3 semester hours);
6. Multicultural Counseling (3 semester hours);
7. Professional Identity and Ethics (3 semester hours);
8. Research (3 semester hours);
9. Assessment and Treatment (3 semester hours); and
10. Supervised Internship.

Field Experience Requirements: Supervised internship of at least 600 hours to include 240 hours of direct client contact, of which 200 hours shall be with couples and families. Only internship hours earned after completion of 30 graduate semester hours may be counted towards residency hours.

State Regulation: Virginia – Laws and Regulations

State Board: Virginia – Board of Counseling

Federal Disclosure: With Modifications

Federal Disclosure Reason: GGU requires 300 direct hours of client contact. The student would need to pursue placement with a site that provides experience with couples and families and ensure 200 such hours are completed. In addition, the student would need to begin practicum only after 30 credits have been completed.

What is Issued: License

Name of What’s Issued:

1. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate (LMFTA) (while post-graduate supervised hours are being completed).
2. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) (once supervised hours have been completed).

Accreditation Requirements:

1. The Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE); or
2. Regional accreditation.

Examinations: The National Examination in Marital and Family Therapy.

Curriculum Requirements: At least 45 semester hours total and at least 27 semester hours in the first 5 areas of study:

1. Marital and Family Systems (6 semester hours);
2. Marital and Family Therapy (6 semester hours);
3. Individual Development (2 semester hours);
4. Psychopathology (2 semester hours);
5. Human Sexuality (2 semester hours);
6. Research (3 semester hours);
7. Professional Ethics and Law (3 semester hours);
8. Electives (3 semester hours); and
9. Supervised Clinical Practice (9 semester hours).

Field Experience Requirements: Supervised clinical practice. An applicant may acquire up to nine semester credits or twelve quarter credits through supervised clinical practice in marriage and family therapy under the supervision of a qualified marriage and family therapist as determined by the school.

State Regulation: Washington – Laws

State Board: Washington – Department of Health

Federal Disclosure: Meets Requirements

Under review. Updates coming soon.

What is Issued: License

Name of What’s Issued:

1. Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC) (while post-graduate supervised hours are being completed).
2. Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) (once supervised hours have been completed).

Accreditation Requirements:

1. A school, college, or university accredited by a regional or national institutional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education; or
2. An institution approved by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) at the time of graduation.

Programmatic (e.g., CACREP) accreditation is not required for California applicants.

Examinations:

• California LPCC Law and Ethics Examination; and the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE).

Curriculum Requirements: A master’s or doctoral degree that is counseling or psychotherapy in content, obtained from a single, integrated program of not less than 60 graduate semester or 90 graduate quarter units (Cal. B&P Code § 4999.33). The degree must include at least 3 semester units (or 4 quarter units) in each of the following 13 core content areas:

1. Counseling and psychotherapeutic theories and techniques;
2. Human growth and development across the lifespan;
3. Career development theories and techniques;
4. Group counseling theories and techniques;
5. Assessment, appraisal, and testing of individuals;
6. Multicultural counseling theories and techniques;
7. Principles of the diagnostic process, including differential diagnosis and the use of current diagnostic tools such as the DSM;
8. Research and evaluation;
9. Professional orientation, ethics, and law in counseling, including California law and professional ethics for professional clinical counselors;
10. Psychopharmacology;
11. Addictions counseling;
12. Crisis or trauma counseling; and
13. Advanced counseling and psychotherapeutic theories and techniques.

The degree must also include 15 semester units (22.5 quarter units) of advanced coursework to develop knowledge of specific treatment issues or special populations, as well as instruction in the social context of human behavior, California cultures, cultural competency, the effects of socioeconomic status on treatment, multicultural development and cross-cultural interaction, case management and systems of care for the severely mentally ill, human sexuality, spousal or partner abuse assessment, child abuse assessment and reporting (minimum 7 contact hours), and aging and long-term care (including elder and dependent adult abuse).

In addition, applicants must complete a minimum of 6 hours of coursework or supervised applied experience in suicide risk assessment and intervention (§ 4999.66) and a minimum of 3 hours of training or coursework in the provision of mental health services via telehealth, including telehealth law and ethics (§ 4999.67). These may be completed within the degree program or through approved continuing education.

Field Experience Requirements: Not less than 6 semester units or 9 quarter units of supervised practicum or field study experience involving direct client contact in a clinical setting, including a minimum of 280 hours of face-to-face supervised clinical experience counseling individuals, families, or groups.

State Regulation: California – Statutes and Regulations

State Board: California – Board of Behavioral Sciences

Federal Disclosure: Meets State Requirements.

Additional Important Information: Following graduation, applicants register with the BBS as an APCC and complete 3,000 post-degree supervised hours over a minimum of 104 weeks, including at least 1,750 hours of direct clinical counseling (§ 4999.46). California has different requirements for applicants applying through reciprocity.

What is Issued: License. Washington does not issue a “Professional Clinical Counselor” license; the comparable license is the Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC).

Name of What’s Issued:

1. Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHCA) (while post-graduate supervised hours are being completed).
2. Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) (once supervised hours have been completed).

Accreditation Requirements:

• A college or university accredited by an accreditation body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the United States Department of Education (WAC 246-809-210).

Regional institutional accreditation is sufficient; programmatic (e.g., CACREP) accreditation is not required. Graduates of CACREP-accredited programs receive credit of 50 postgraduate supervision hours and 500 postgraduate experience hours (WAC 246-809-230).

Examinations:

• The National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE), as administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) (WAC 246-809-240).

Curriculum Requirements: A master’s or doctoral degree in mental health counseling, or in a behavioral science field relating to mental health counseling, from an approved school (RCW 18.225.090; WAC 246-809-220). Two pathways exist:

(1) Counseling program pathway: a graduate program in counseling that consists of, or includes, at least 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of graduate coursework covering the following nine areas:

1. Mental health counseling orientation and ethical practice;
2. Social and cultural diversity;
3. Human growth and development;
4. Career development;
5. Counseling and helping relationships;
6. Group counseling and group work;
7. Diagnosis and treatment;
8. Assessment and testing; and
9. Research and program evaluation.

(2) Related behavioral-science pathway: a graduate degree in a recognized related field (counseling, psychology, social work, nursing, education, pastoral counseling, rehabilitation counseling, or social sciences) that satisfies the equivalency requirements of WAC 246-809-221, including a core of study relating to counseling theory and philosophy and coursework in at least seven of seventeen listed content areas, of which at least five must be from: assessment/diagnosis; ethics/law; counseling individuals; counseling groups; counseling couples and families; developmental psychology; psychopathology/abnormal psychology; and research and evaluation.

Applicants evaluated under the related-discipline pathway are not qualified to exercise the practice privilege under the Counseling Compact (chapter 18.17 RCW) unless their program meets the 60-semester-hour, nine-content-area standard.

Field Experience Requirements: A counseling practicum, a counseling internship, or both, must be included in the core of study and must have incorporated supervised direct client contact (WAC 246-809-221). No minimum hour count is specified in the regulation.

State Regulation: Washington – RCW Chapter 18.225 and WAC Chapter 246-809

State Board: Washington – Department of Health

Federal Disclosure: Meets Requirements.  

Additional Important Information: Following graduation, applicants obtain the LMHCA credential and complete a minimum of 36 months of full-time counseling or 3,000 hours of postgraduate mental health counseling under an approved supervisor, including at least 100 hours of immediate supervision and 1,200 hours of direct counseling with individuals, couples, families, or groups (WAC 246-809-230). Washington also requires licensed counselors to complete a six-hour training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management at least once every six years (WAC 246-809-615).

Under review. Updates coming soon.