2019 US Virgin Islands Code
Title 27 - Professions and Occupations
Chapter 4A - The Practice of Professional Counseling Services
§ 208. Application for marriage and family therapists
(a) The Board shall issue a license as a licensed marriage and family therapist if the applicant:
(1) has met the requirements set forth in section 206;
(2) has demonstrated to the Board the successful completion of a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours, including a master’s or doctoral degree, with emphasis in marriage and family therapy, or a closely related field, and has completed a year of supervised practicum or internship and graduate-level course work, as prescribed by the Board’s regulations, in each of the following areas:
(A) Dynamics of marriage and the family systems;
(B) General counseling theory and techniques;
(C) Marriage therapy and counseling theory and techniques;
(D) Family growth and development;
(E) Social and cultural foundations of counseling;
(F) Contextual dimension of marriage and family therapy, including studies in areas, such as social trends, family life cycle development stages, human sexuality, ethnic diversity, psychosocial theory; family origin and blended family;
(G) [Omitted]
(H) Psychopathology;
(I) Appraisal/assessment and testing of individuals;
(J) Professional orientation and ethics; and
(K) Research and program evaluation.
(3) has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Board the successful completion of no fewer than three years of post-academic degree experience in a professional setting, including a minimum of 2,500 hours of professional counseling, as defined in section 201, of which 1,000 hours involve direct client contact marriage and family therapy, and a minimum of 300 hours of supervised experience under an approved supervisor; contact marriage and family therapy, and a minimum of 300 hours of supervised experience under an approved supervisor;
(4) passes the examination requirement established by the Board;
(5) proves that education received by the applicant was received from an institution of higher education which at the time the applicant graduated, was accredited by the United States Department of Education and by an accrediting body recognized by the Council on Post-Secondary Accreditation, the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors, or can demonstrate equivalent course work at an institution of higher education located outside the United States, which at the time the applicant was enrolled and at the time the applicant graduated maintained a standard of training substantially equivalent to the standards of training of those institutions in the United States which are accredited by a regional accrediting body recognized by the Council on Post-Secondary Accreditation or the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors.
(A) The applicant shall have received his education and training from an institution or program of higher education officially recognized by the government of the country in which it is located as an institution or program to train students to practice as professional marriage and family therapists or psychotherapist.
(B) The applicant shall have the burden of establishing that the requirements of this paragraph have been met.
(b) The Board may require documentation, such as an evaluation by a foreign equivalency determination service as evidence that the applicant’s graduate degree program and education are equivalent to an accredited program in the United States.
(c) Nothing in this chapter may be construed to authorize a marriage and family therapist to practice medicine, social work, or psychology, to provide counseling for disorders other than substance abuse, or to order, administer, or interpret psychological tests or utilize psychometric procedures.
