Marriage and Family counselors are fighting to be recognized in West Virginia. Auditors for the state have recommended that specializing in marriage and family counseling continue to be certified along with other types of counselors and social workers.
“Although 48 states have created separate licensure for marriage and family therapists, it is possible for a person with this training to receive a license in a related discipline and to practice therapy in West Virginia,” the auditors’ report states.
“The federal government recognizes marriage and family therapists as a separately licensed group of therapists. In fact, only one other state refuses to, and that state, Montana, plans to grant the special certification status next year, said Jason Webb, a lobbyist representing marriage and family therapists in West Virginia. ”
“It just doesn’t make sense to me that West Virginia would be the last state to recognize them,” Webb said. Another problem with West Virginia’s current counseling licensure rules is that they require credentials that are often unnecessary for marriage and family therapists, Webb said. Recently, a marriage and family therapist holding a Ph.D. in the field moved to Parkersburg to establish a business and was told by the state’s licensing board that he would first have to complete an undergraduate college course on the introduction to counseling and career counseling in order to get state certification, Webb said.
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