License, Certification, or Registration? What the Words Mean in California Mental Health
A Guide to the Words on a California Therapist's Business Card
"Licensed," "registered," and "certified" are used loosely enough in everyday speech that the differences disappear, and they have separate legal meanings. A license and a registration are issued by a state agency under a statute, and each carries a scope of practice, a set of duties, and a number that a client can look up. A certification is issued by a professional association or a training organization under its own rules; it describes completed training and grants no permission to practice. The distinction matters to a student choosing a credential, to a graduate deciding which letters the law allows on a business card, and to a client deciding whether the person across the screen is allowed to be there. This guide defines each word, walks through the letters that follow a therapist's name, and explains how each one is verified. What each license allows a practitioner to do is covered in the What Is an LMFT guide, the What Is an LPCC guide, and the credential comparison; the agency behind the licenses is described in the What Is the California BBS guide.
What Is a License?
A license is permission from the state to practice a profession and to use its title, granted by a board created in statute, on conditions the statute sets. The Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Act states the rule for MFTs in one sentence: "Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, a person shall not practice, or advertise the performance of, marriage and family therapy services unless the person has applied to the board for a license, paid the license fee required by this chapter, and obtained a license from the board" (California Legislature, 2026a). The clinical social work statute separates practice from title: "It is unlawful for any person to engage in the practice of clinical social work unless at the time of so doing such person holds a valid, unexpired, and unrevoked license under this article," and "Only individuals who have received a license under this article may style themselves as 'Licensed Clinical Social Workers'" (California Legislature, 2026b). The counseling statute repeats the pattern: "a person shall not practice or advertise the performance of professional clinical counseling services without a license issued by the board" (California Legislature, 2026c). Psychology, regulated by a different board, uses the same structure: "No person may engage in the practice of psychology, or represent themselves to be a psychologist, without a license granted under this chapter, except as otherwise provided in this chapter" (California Legislature, 2026d).
The conditions attached to a license are what make it a license rather than a membership. For the LMFT, section 4980.40 requires a qualifying master's or doctoral degree, a minimum age of 18, "at least two years of supervised experience as specified in this chapter and its corresponding regulations," passage of "a California law and ethics examination and a clinical examination," and a background that is not grounds for denial under section 480 (California Legislature, 2026e). The license then carries a defined scope of practice, section 4980.02 for MFTs (California Legislature, 2026f), and a disciplinary statute, section 4982, under which the Board "may deny a license or registration or may suspend or revoke the license or registration" for the acts it lists (California Legislature, 2026g).
Five licenses from two boards cover nonphysician psychotherapy practice in California. The Board of Behavioral Sciences, a board within the Department of Consumer Affairs, "licenses four types of mental health professionals": Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Educational Psychologists, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (California Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2024). The Board of Psychology licenses psychologists, and since January 1, 2020, an applicant for that license "shall possess an earned doctoral degree" in psychology or a closely related field (California Legislature, 2026h). Psychiatrists are physicians licensed by the Medical Board of California (California Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2021). The Board of Behavioral Sciences reported, for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025-2026, 59,385 licensed marriage and family therapists, 44,815 licensed clinical social workers, 6,885 licensed professional clinical counselors, and 2,476 licensed educational psychologists, a licensed population of 113,561, counting licenses in current, delinquent, and current inactive status (California Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2026a).
What Is a Registration?
A registration is also permission from the state, issued by the same board, but it authorizes practice only under supervision and only for a limited time, while the holder earns the experience the license requires. The MFT statute defines the holder: "'Associate,' as used in this chapter, means an unlicensed person who has earned a master's or doctoral degree qualifying the person for licensure and is registered with the board as an associate" (California Legislature, 2026i). The three registrations the Board issues are the associate marriage and family therapist (AMFT), the associate clinical social worker (ASW), and the associate professional clinical counselor (APCC); the Board counted 19,014 AMFTs, 20,830 ASWs, and 8,645 APCCs at the end of June 2026, 48,489 registrants in all (California Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2026a). The What Is an AMFT guide covers the registration in detail.
Three features distinguish a registration from a license. First, the registrant must say so to every client. An AMFT must "Inform each client or patient prior to performing any mental health and related services that the person is an unlicensed registered associate marriage and family therapist, provide the person's registration number and the name of the person's employer, and indicate whether the person is under the supervision of" a licensed professional (California Legislature, 2026j). Sections 4996.18 and 4999.46.1 impose the same duty on ASWs and APCCs: to inform each client, before any professional services, that the associate is unlicensed and under supervision (California Legislature, 2026k; 2026l). Second, a registration expires. An AMFT registration "may be renewed a maximum of five times," and "No registration shall be renewed or reinstated beyond six years from the last day of the month during which it was issued" (California Legislature, 2026m). Third, the registrant's advertising must name the employer and the fact of supervision, in addition to the name, title, and number that every licensee and registrant must show (California Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2026b, section 1811(b)).
The word "registered" does not mean "unlicensed" everywhere in California law. The registered nurse holds a license: "Every licensee may be known as a registered nurse and may place the letters 'R.N.' after their name" (California Legislature, 2026n). In psychology, the pre-license status is the "registered psychological associate" (California Legislature, 2026o). Within the Board of Behavioral Sciences, however, "registered" always marks the pre-license stage, and the statute says "licensee or registrant" when a rule applies to both.
One pre-degree status is neither. The MFT trainee, "an unlicensed person who is currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral degree program" who "has completed no less than 12 semester units or 18 quarter units of coursework," holds no registration; trainees do not register with the Board at all and practice under the school's practicum agreements and a supervisor (California Legislature, 2026i). A trainee still owes clients a disclosure, "that the trainee is an unlicensed marriage and family therapist trainee," with the employer's name and the supervisor's license type (California Legislature, 2026p). The What Is an MFT Trainee guide covers the status.
What Is a Certification, and Who Issues It?
A certification is a credential issued by a professional organization, a training institute, or a certifying board under rules the organization writes for itself. It attests that the holder completed defined training, supervision, or examination in a specialty. It does not authorize practice; in every mental health certification described here, the applicant must already hold a license, and the certification adds a specialty designation on top of it. If a certified therapist violates the certifying body's ethics code, the body can withdraw the certification; only the licensing board can suspend the license.
Four certifications appear often after California therapists' names. The AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST) credential, from the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists, requires that "The applicant will hold a valid state regulatory license or certificate for the jurisdiction(s) in which the applicant practices, and be able to practice psychotherapy independently," plus "a minimum of ninety (90) clock hours of academic coursework in sexuality education," sixty hours of sex therapy training, "a minimum of fifty (50) hours of supervision with an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist Supervisor," and "a minimum of three hundred (300) hours of clinical treatment of patients/clients who present with sexual concerns while in a supervision contract"; "Certification must be renewed every three (3) years" (AASECT, 2026a). California issues no sex therapy license; the sex therapist guide explains the path from the LMFT to the CST.
The EMDRIA Certified Therapist credential, from the EMDR International Association, is open to "Mental health clinicians who are fully licensed to engage in private, independent practice" with "at least two years of experience in your field of license"; it requires an EMDRIA Approved EMDR Basic Training, "at least 50 EMDR sessions with at least 25 clients," 20 hours of consultation with an EMDRIA Approved Consultant, and letters of recommendation, and it "will be granted for a two-year period" (EMDR International Association, 2026a). The CAMFT Certified Supervisor designation, from the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, certifies supervisory training for licensees who "Have been licensed in California for at least two of the past five years immediately prior to commencing supervision"; it requires 18 hours of CAMFT coursework and "104 hours of Supervision Experience in no less than 52 weeks," and "The certification is valid for a period of two years." CAMFT calls it "This voluntary program," which "goes above and beyond the BBS Requirements for Supervision" (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, 2026); the Board's own supervisor requirements do not require it, as the CAMFT Certified Supervisor versus AAMFT Approved Supervisor guide explains. The National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential is "a rigorous, examination-based, professional certification program" administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors (National Board for Certified Counselors, 2026); in California it adds nothing to an LPCC license's authority.
The same word covers the specialty boards of the doctoral professions. The American Board of Professional Psychology "serves the public by promoting the provision of quality psychological services through the examination and certification of professional psychologists engaged in specialty practice" (American Board of Professional Psychology, 2026); a board-certified psychologist is a licensed psychologist who has passed a specialty board's examination. A board-certified psychiatrist is a licensed physician certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and California law itself relies on that private certification in one place: the list of professionals who may supervise an AMFT includes "A physician and surgeon who is certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology" (California Legislature, 2026i). The Medical Board licenses the psychiatrist; the statute uses the certification as evidence of the specialty.
California has two fields in which the state itself has made certification the operative credential. The first is substance use disorder counseling. The Department of Health Care Services requires that "All non-licensed or non-certified individuals providing counseling services in a substance use disorder program must be registered to obtain certification as an alcohol and other drug counselor by one of the DHCS approved certifying organizations," with certification completed "within 5 years from the date of initial registration," under Title 9 of the California Code of Regulations (California Department of Health Care Services, 2026a). The three approved organizations are the California Association for Alcohol and Drug Educators (CAADE), Certification for Alcohol and Drug Treatment Professionals (CADTP), and the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) (California Department of Health Care Services, 2026b). No state license exists for that occupation; the state instead requires a certification from a private body it has approved, and the rule uses "registered" for the pre-certification stage. The second is peer support. "Senate Bill 803 (SB 803), authored by California State Senator Jim Beall sets a standard of seventeen Core Competencies that every Peer Support Specialist is required to know to be certified as a practitioner in California," and "The certification is administered by the California Mental Health Services Authority (Certifying Entity)" (California Mental Health Services Authority, 2026). Because a public agency requires them, both function as entry credentials in their fields.
Two other uses of the word mean something else again. A "certificate" is a document showing that a course was completed, with no assessment body behind it. And the Board of Behavioral Sciences uses "certification" to mean an official attestation: a school completes a Degree Program Certification form to attest that a graduate's degree meets section 4980.36 (California Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2026c). In neither case is a person being certified.
What Do the Letters After a Therapist's Name Mean?
Each set of letters belongs to one of the three categories, or to a fourth, the academic degree. The Board's advertising regulation, section 1811 of Title 16, lists the "acceptable abbreviation" for each license and registration and requires every advertisement to carry the practitioner's name as filed with the Board, the complete title or its abbreviation, and the license or registration number (California Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2026b).
- LMFT and MFT: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Section 1811 permits "Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, or MFT, or LMFT," so both abbreviations denote the license. A license from the Board of Behavioral Sciences.
- LCSW: Licensed Clinical Social Worker. A license from the Board of Behavioral Sciences.
- LPCC: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. A license from the Board of Behavioral Sciences.
- LEP: Licensed Educational Psychologist. A license from the Board of Behavioral Sciences, held by school psychologists who meet section 4989.20.
- AMFT, Registered Associate MFT: the MFT registration. Section 1811 allows "Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist or Registered Associate MFT," and "The abbreviation 'AMFT' shall not be used in an advertisement unless the title 'Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist' appears in the advertisement." The same rule applies to ASW (Registered Associate Clinical Social Worker) and APCC (Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor). These are registrations, and the advertisement must also name the employer and state that the registrant is supervised.
- MFT Trainee: a pre-degree student status with no registration number. Any advertisement for a trainee must state that the person is a trainee, name the employer, and state that the trainee is supervised by a licensed person (California Legislature, 2026p).
- Psychologist, PsyD, PhD: "Psychologist" is a licensed title from the Board of Psychology, and the words "psychology," "psychological," and "psychologist" represent a person to be one under section 2902(d) (California Legislature, 2026q). PsyD and PhD are degrees; an LMFT who holds a PhD may list the degree without being a psychologist, since section 1811(d) permits "academic credentials in advertising as long as the degree is earned" (California Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2026b). Licensees of the Board of Behavioral Sciences "may use the words 'psychotherapy' or 'psychotherapist' in an advertisement provided that all the applicable requirements of subsection (a) are met" (California Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2026b, section 1811(c)).
- MD, DO: medical degrees held by psychiatrists, licensed by the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board; "board certified" refers to the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
- CST: AASECT Certified Sex Therapist. A certification, held on top of a license.
- EMDRIA Certified Therapist (often written "Certified in EMDR"): a certification from the EMDR International Association, held on top of a license. Completion of an EMDR basic training alone yields a certificate of completion; the certification requires the further steps described above.
- CAMFT Certified Supervisor: a certification of supervisory training from a professional association, held on top of a license; the Board's supervisor qualifications in section 4980.03(g) apply with or without it.
- NCC: National Certified Counselor, a certification from the National Board for Certified Counselors; ABPP: board certification from the American Board of Professional Psychology. Both sit on top of a license.
- MA, MS, MSW: master's degrees. The degree is the entry requirement for a registration and a license, and it is neither. Which degree titles qualify for the LMFT is covered in the degree titles guide.
Read the letters from left to right and ask of each one which body issued it. The state license or registration is the only credential that says whether the person may lawfully be treating clients in California; everything after it describes training. "Jane Doe, LMFT, CST" describes one state license and one private certification. "John Doe, MA, AMFT, supervised by Dr. Smith, LMFT" describes a degree and a registration, and the supervision statement is required by law. "Certified Trauma Specialist" without any license or registration describes training but no permission to practice psychotherapy in California.
Which Credentials Are Required to Practice, and Which Are Optional?
A license or a registration is required to practice psychotherapy in California, and every specialty certification is optional. The statutes quoted above make practice without a license unlawful and make the registration the route to supervised practice before the license, as an employee or volunteer (California Legislature, 2026v); the exempt settings named in section 4980.01 are covered in the AMFT registration guide. None of the three licensing statutes mentions AASECT, EMDRIA, CAMFT, or NBCC certification. A newly licensed LMFT may treat sexual concerns, use EMDR after training, or supervise associates once the section 4980.03(g) requirements are met, without any certification. What the certifications add is a defined standard of specialty training that clients, employers, and referral sources can check. One caution applies to advertising them: the license title and number must appear in every advertisement, and section 651 prohibits advertising that is "false, fraudulent, misleading, or deceptive" (California Legislature, 2026r), so a certification may not be presented in a way that implies a license the holder does not have.
The exceptions run the other way. In substance use disorder programs licensed or certified by the Department of Health Care Services, an unlicensed counselor must be registered with, and then certified by, one of the three approved organizations; a therapist who already holds a Board of Behavioral Sciences license or registration is outside that rule because the requirement applies to "non-licensed or non-certified individuals" (California Department of Health Care Services, 2026a). Peer support specialists certified under SB 803 hold a state-administered certification rather than a license. In both fields the certification is the entry credential because the state made it one.
The phrase "LMFT certification," which appears in search queries and in some program marketing, names something that does not exist. The LMFT is a license, issued by the Board of Behavioral Sciences after the degree, the 3,000 supervised hours, and two examinations. No organization certifies LMFTs, and no certificate program leads to the title. Whether a program leads to the license depends on whether its degree meets section 4980.36, a question the licensure requirements guide answers in detail.
How Do You Verify Any of Them?
Licenses and registrations are verified on the state's lookup, and the law says the lookup is enough. The Board of Behavioral Sciences directs the public to the Department of Consumer Affairs License Search, at search.dca.ca.gov: "The license information provided through this search page is primary source data from the Board of Behavioral Sciences (Board) licensing system called BreEZe," and "A link to any available disciplinary documents will be listed below an individual's license status" (California Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2026d). Section 4990.13 provides that "For purposes of license and registration verification, a person may rely upon the licensing and registration information as it is displayed on the board's internet website that includes the issuance and expiration dates of any license or registration issued by the board" (California Legislature, 2026s). The same search covers the Board of Psychology and the Medical Board of California, and "Each license record will reflect if a license is current, expired, or has been subject to disciplinary action like suspension or revocation" (California Department of Consumer Affairs, 2026). The first question the Board's consumer booklet suggests asking a prospective therapist is "The type of license held (if not yet licensed, the name and license type of the therapist's supervisor)" (California Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2021). The written notice every licensee and registrant gives under section 4980.32 has carried the practitioner's full name, license or registration number, type, and expiration date for clients who began on or after July 1, 2025 (California Legislature, 2026t); that number is the one to type into the search.
A lookup result shows the license type, the number, the issue and expiration dates, and a status, so a lapsed license or an expired registration appears with its status rather than disappearing. A name that returns nothing on the search, for a person presenting as a California therapist, is the strongest signal the search can give.
Certifications are verified with the body that issued them, because no state database records them. AASECT maintains a referral directory that "is to be used exclusively to locate and identify AASECT Certified Educators, Counselors and Therapists" (AASECT, 2026b). EMDRIA's Find an EMDR Therapist directory lists its members and states that the association does "not examine, determine, or warrant the competence of any EMDR therapist listed in this Directory" (EMDR International Association, 2026b); the certification itself is confirmed with EMDRIA. CAMFT publishes a directory of its Certified Supervisors (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, 2026), and the National Board for Certified Counselors and the American Board of Professional Psychology verify their own credential holders. A certification that cannot be verified with its issuer is a line on a resume.
How Do Accreditation and Approval Fit In?
Two more words apply to schools and programs rather than to people. Accreditation is a private review of an institution or a program by an accrediting agency; approval is a state agency's permission for a school to operate. The Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts degrees under either route. A qualifying MFT degree "shall be obtained from a school, college, or university approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, or accredited by either the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, or a regional or national institutional accrediting agency that is recognized by the United States Department of Education," and "The board has the authority to make the final determination as to whether a degree meets all requirements, including, but not limited to, course requirements, regardless of accreditation or approval" (California Legislature, 2026u). The psychology statute defines the words: "Accredited" means the University of California, the California State University, "or an institution that is accredited by a national or an applicable regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education," and "Approved" means "an institution having 'approval to operate'" under the Education Code (California Legislature, 2026q). Neither word applies to a therapist. A program is accredited or approved; a graduate is registered and then licensed; and a licensee may later be certified.
What This Means for Your Practice
For a student, the credential to plan around is the license, reached through a qualifying degree, the associate registration, and two examinations, in that order; every certification described here requires the license first, and most require about two years of experience beyond it. For a graduate writing a profile, follow section 1811: your name as filed with the Board, the complete title or its acceptable abbreviation, your number, and, as a registrant, your employer and the fact that you are supervised, before any degree or certification is added. For anyone reading a profile, find the state credential first and check it on the DCA License Search; then verify each certification with its issuer.
A Closer Look at One Program: Sentio University's MFT Track
The following description of one specific MFT program is offered as a concrete example of how a program prepares students for the licensing vocabulary they will live with, not as a recommendation against evaluating other programs. Students should research multiple options and ask each one direct questions about how clinical skill is built and measured.
Sentio University, a nonprofit graduate school based in Los Angeles with a hybrid delivery model that serves students throughout California, offers a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy that meets the Board of Behavioral Sciences educational requirements for the LMFT. The program runs 20 months across 60 units, with weekly online classes and one intensive in-person residency at the start of each semester, in cohorts capped at 24 students at a 4:1 student-to-faculty ratio. It is designed around deliberate practice methodology and is described in peer-reviewed work as the first graduate psychotherapy program to thoroughly integrate deliberate practice, with roughly half of nearly every class session dedicated to active skills training rather than lecture (Rousmaniere and Vaz, 2025, p. 2).
Sentio University is, in the words of its 2026-2027 Academic Catalog, "licensed to grant degrees by the State of California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE)," the approval route that section 4980.36(b) names alongside accreditation, and the catalog states that graduates "are eligible for licensure as marriage and family therapists in the state of California upon successful completion of the requirements put forth by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), including post-degree associate hours and passing of the licensure exam" (Sentio University, 2026). The catalog's MFT542 Ethical and Legal Issues course "covers the laws, regulations, rules, and prominent issues regarding ethical practice and legal responsibilities in marriage and family therapy, such as informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, boundaries, dual relationships, therapist liability, and mandated reporting" (Sentio University, 2026), where students learn the disclosure and advertising rules described above. Sentio also integrates AI literacy training through its AI certification program for therapists, a training credential issued by the university and an example of the third category in this guide: it certifies completed training, and it confers no license.
Sentio is a small, newer institution, admits only applicants who are California residents or willing to relocate to California and who intend to license in California, and its alumni network is still developing. Prospective students weighing Sentio alongside larger or older programs should factor that into their decision. Learn more at the Sentio MFT program overview, the tuition and fees page, and the Sentio FAQ page.
Making Your Decision
A license is state permission to practice, a registration is state permission to practice under supervision on the way to the license, and a certification is a professional body's statement about training. Only the first two answer whether a person may treat clients; the third is optional in every psychotherapy profession and required only where the state has said so. If you are choosing a graduate program, ask whether its degree qualifies graduates for the associate registration under section 4980.36. Program websites describe clinical training in similar language regardless of what is actually happening in classrooms and supervision rooms. Ask every program you are seriously considering whether you can attend a live or online class session before enrolling, and ask to speak with current students and recent graduates about how supervision and skill development function in practice. Reputable programs should welcome the request. Hesitation or refusal is informative on its own. Trust what you see in a classroom over what you read in promotional copy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an LMFT a license or a certification?
A license. The Board of Behavioral Sciences issues the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist license under the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Act after a qualifying degree, 3,000 hours of supervised experience, and two examinations. No organization certifies LMFTs, and there is no LMFT certification.
What does registered associate mean after a therapist's name?
A registered associate (AMFT, ASW, or APCC) holds a registration from the Board of Behavioral Sciences that permits practice under supervision while earning the hours required for the license. The registrant must tell every client that they are unlicensed and supervised, must name the employer, and may renew the registration at most five times within six years.
Is a certification required to practice therapy in California?
No. A license or a registration from the state is what the law requires for psychotherapy practice, and every specialty certification (AASECT, EMDRIA, CAMFT, NBCC) is optional and requires a license first. The exceptions are substance use disorder counselors in DHCS-regulated programs, who must be registered with and then certified by a DHCS-approved organization, and peer support specialists, who hold a state certification created by SB 803.
Can someone with a certification but no license provide therapy?
Not in California. Outside the exempt settings the statutes name, practicing or advertising marriage and family therapy, clinical social work, professional clinical counseling, or psychology without a license or registration is unlawful under the Business and Professions Code, and the major certifying bodies require a license before they will certify anyone. A person offering therapy with only a certification is practicing without the state credential the law requires.
Is MFT the same as LMFT?
In advertising by a California licensee, yes. The Board's advertising regulation lists three acceptable forms of the title, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, MFT, and LMFT, so a licensee may use either abbreviation. The letters do not, on their own, distinguish a licensee from a student; a trainee or associate must always add the trainee or registered associate designation and the supervision statement.
How do I check whether a therapist is licensed in California?
Search the therapist's name or license number on the Department of Consumer Affairs License Search at search.dca.ca.gov. The result shows the license or registration type, number, issue and expiration dates, status, and links to any disciplinary documents, drawn from the Board's BreEZe system, and section 4990.13 allows the public to rely on it. The number appears on the written notice every licensee and registrant gives new clients.
What is the difference between an accredited program and a licensed therapist?
Accreditation and approval apply to schools and programs; licenses and registrations apply to people. The Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts an MFT degree from a school approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education or accredited by COAMFTE or a regional or national accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and then registers and licenses the graduate individually. A program cannot be licensed as a therapist, and a therapist cannot be accredited.
References
American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. (2026a). AASECT requirements for sex therapist certification (requirements version 2026.T.1). https://www.aasect.org/aasect-requirements-sex-therapist-certification
American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. (2026b). Referral directory. https://www.aasect.org/referral-directory
American Board of Professional Psychology. (2026). American Board of Professional Psychology (home page, accessed September 7, 2026). https://abpp.org/
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. (2026). Certified Supervisor Program. https://www.camft.org/Education/Certified-Supervisor-Program
California Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2021). Self empowerment: How to choose a mental health professional. https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/self_empowerment_booklet_eng.pdf
California Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2024). Who are the Board's licensees? (PDE_24-236). https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/24-236_bbs_licensees_flyer.pdf
California Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2026a). Licensing update (memorandum of July 20, 2026, agenda item 17, Board meeting of August 13-14, 2026). https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/agen_notice/2026/20260813-14_agenda_item17.pdf
California Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2026b). Statutes and regulations relating to the practice of professional clinical counseling, marriage and family therapy, educational psychology, clinical social work (January 2026; 16 CCR section 1811, operative April 1, 2026). https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/lawsregs.pdf
California Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2026c). LMFT applicants (Degree Program Certification forms). https://www.bbs.ca.gov/applicants/lmft.html
California Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2026d). License verification. https://www.bbs.ca.gov/licensees/verify.html
California Department of Consumer Affairs. (2026). DCA License Search. https://search.dca.ca.gov/
California Department of Health Care Services. (2026a). Counselor certification (last modified April 27, 2026). https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/providers-partners/counselor-certification/
California Department of Health Care Services. (2026b). Counselor certification organizations (last modified April 27, 2026). https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/providers-partners/counselor-certification-organizations/
California Legislature. (2026a). Business and Professions Code section 4980.30. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.30.
California Legislature. (2026b). Business and Professions Code section 4996. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4996.
California Legislature. (2026c). Business and Professions Code section 4999.30. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4999.30.
California Legislature. (2026d). Business and Professions Code section 2903. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=2903.
California Legislature. (2026e). Business and Professions Code section 4980.40. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.40.
California Legislature. (2026f). Business and Professions Code section 4980.02. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.02.
California Legislature. (2026g). Business and Professions Code section 4982. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4982.
California Legislature. (2026h). Business and Professions Code section 2914. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=2914.
California Legislature. (2026i). Business and Professions Code section 4980.03. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.03.
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California Legislature. (2026k). Business and Professions Code section 4996.18. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4996.18.
California Legislature. (2026l). Business and Professions Code section 4999.46.1. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4999.46.1.
California Legislature. (2026m). Business and Professions Code section 4984.01. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4984.01.
California Legislature. (2026n). Business and Professions Code section 2732. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=2732.
California Legislature. (2026o). Business and Professions Code section 2913. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=2913.
California Legislature. (2026p). Business and Professions Code section 4980.48. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.48.
California Legislature. (2026q). Business and Professions Code section 2902. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=2902.
California Legislature. (2026r). Business and Professions Code section 651. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=651.
California Legislature. (2026s). Business and Professions Code section 4990.13. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4990.13.
California Legislature. (2026t). Business and Professions Code section 4980.32. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.32.
California Legislature. (2026u). Business and Professions Code section 4980.36. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.36.
California Legislature. (2026v). Business and Professions Code section 4980.43.3. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.43.3.
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