Requires domestic violence coursework for applicants for license and mandatory continuing education classes for psychology, licensed master social worker, mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, and mental health practitioners.
S10380 would amend the New York Education Law to add domestic violence-related education requirements for several licensed mental health professions. For initial licensure, the bill requires applicants for licensed psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, licensed mental health counselor, and licensed marriage and family therapist to complete at least three credit hours of graduate-level coursework related to domestic violence. For renewal, it also requires psychologists, licensed master social workers, licensed clinical social workers, licensed mental health counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, psychoanalysts, and creative arts therapists to complete at least two hours of domestic violence-related continuing education during each triennial registration period.
The bill is aimed at ensuring that professionals who may encounter victims, survivors, or perpetrators of domestic violence have training to recognize, respond to, and refer such cases appropriately. It also preserves existing continuing education and registration enforcement rules, including prorated requirements for some first-time registrants and the inability to practice without meeting renewal requirements or obtaining a conditional registration where permitted.
If enacted, the bill would directly amend multiple sections of the Education Law governing licensure and continuing education for psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychoanalysts, and creative arts therapists. It would create a new mandatory domestic violence coursework component for certain applicants and add a continuing education mandate for license renewal across several professions, thereby affecting professional education programs, licensees, and the State Education Department’s licensing and enforcement processes.
The available record shows no committee transcript or vote history, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to gauge support or opposition. Based on the bill’s subject matter and structure, the measure appears to be framed as a professional training and public-safety initiative, with an emphasis on improving practitioner preparedness in domestic violence cases.
No specific points of contention are recorded in the provided materials. Potential areas of debate, based on the bill text, could include the added cost and time burden on applicants and licensees, the scope of professions covered, and whether domestic violence training should be a separate mandated topic versus part of broader clinical ethics or social services education. However, no named stakeholders or objections are identified in the available context.