The MFT Law and Ethics Exam
The Marriage and Family Therapist law and ethics exam is taken as part of the process of obtaining a Marriage and Family Therapist license in California. The law and ethics exam is an important element to completing the licensure process in California.
It may not be the most glamorous subject, but the law and ethics exam is about things licensed MFTs must do while running their practice. It includes business, legal, and ethical information that all MFT’s need to know to legally and ethically run their practice. Those topics include:
Registry / certification with the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)
Laws and rules regulating the practice of MFT
Licensing laws including the process for establishing licensure .
How to file a complaint with the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)
Criminal offenses related to mental health professionals
Obtaining licensure
Mandatory reporting laws and elder abuse reporting
Civil and criminal liability law
Informed consent and confidentiality requirements
Client and patient rights
Record keeping requirements including minimum record keeping standards, treatment and practice issues, and general guidelines for record retention
Obligations in the event of the death of a client
Ethics issues
Risk management practices
Elements of supervision duties and responsibilities
Cultural competence requirements
Documentation
Other privacy related laws and rules
Study Topics You Need to Cover
When preparing for the law and ethics portion of the MFT exam, the following are some key areas of law and ethics that you should focus your studies on:
Confidentiality and Informed Consent: You should have a good general overview of what confidentiality is from an ethical perspective and how it can be broken. You will learn in school that there are several required exceptions to confidentiality, such as client suicidal ideation or abuse of children, but you will also learn that it is okay to break confidentiality in other circumstances as well. For example, if a long-term client has terminal cancer and wants to videotape a session so that they can leave behind a record for their children to view one day, under certain circumstances that is permissible to do.
Informed consent is the process of informing the client generally about the goals of treatment, how long treatment might take, the fees, and any other policies that the therapist has. Many clinicians provide their clients with a written document that outlines their informed consent policy, but it is also important to verbally discuss informed consent with clients and to make sure that they understand what is being discussed.
In addition to understanding in general the concepts of confidentiality and informed consent, it is important to understand the legal requirements to obtain informed consent in specific circumstances. For example, if your client is a minor, you will have to obtain informed consent from the client as well as from the parent(s) or guardian(s). If you are providing therapy in a "no secrets environment" where the client is aware that there may be occasions when third parties are informed of what is discussed in therapy, you will need to have your client sign a different informed consent.
Scope of practice: You will be asked questions about the scope of practice and whether certain therapy services fall within the scope of practice. For example, does your client’s bulimia or sexual compulsion fall within the scope of practice? Many diagnoses fall within the scope of practice, including Anxiety Disorders; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders; Dissociative Disorders; Somatetiform Disorders; Mood Disorders; Personality Disorders; Eating Disorders; Grief and Loss; Child Abuse; Domestic Violence; Substance Use Disorders and Addictions; Other Chemically Related Disorders; Suicide Risk; Spousal/Partner Abuse; and Sexual Problems.
Ethical standards governing clinical practice: Generally, the ethical standards of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) govern the ethical standards for MFTs. California law and professional standards regarding ethics generally focus on integrity, competence, responsibility, respect and concern for others. In addition, the ethical guidelines emphasize the importance of establishing and maintaing healthy boundaries with clients, which includes refraining from dual relationships, exploitation and sexual misconduct with clients.
Study Tips
Once you have developed an understanding of how the law shapes the practice of MFTs, it is time to hone your exam taking skills. There are numerous study techniques and resources available to approximate the exam testing experience and to facilitate your test preparation. The following suggestions may be helpful in developing a plan of action.
Taking practice exams is an integral part of preparing for the exam. Practice exams simulate the content, structure, and style of the actual exam. The benefit of practice exams is that they give you an opportunity to review and reinforce the key legal concepts of the material you will be tested on while also providing the opportunity to practice answering questions under exam conditions. Practice exams serve to reinforce your knowledge and provide valuable feedback about your strengths and weaknesses. You will want to use the practice examinations to identify and reinforce those areas in which you are strong and focus on those areas where you have or need more work. Reread the explanations for all correct and incorrect answers, comparing the explanations with your own reasoning.
Practice exams require pinpointed time management. Of course, this will be one of your primary concerns on exam day as well. In preparing for the exam, you should practice how to manage your time to ensure that you have read all of the questions and had sufficient time to answer them. You could review one set of practice questions at a time, practice time management on a daily or weekly basis with different sets of questions, or some combination of the two.
Join a study group or workshop to facilitate your test preparation. If you are less likely to study regularly without other participants, joining a study group could help in motivating you to stay on track. A number of organizations hold workshops where a day is devoted to working on practice exams of varying lengths. Workshops and study groups allow for questioning and clarifying of points regarding practice exams. The committee also has a list of board-approved workshops that are currently being held throughout California (updated each quarter).
Follow lecture materials referred to in the Board-approved study references. These lectures provide a structured format to review the material in a logical, straightforward fashion. While lectures do not replace the reading of the laws and regulations, they do provide helpful insights on how the material will be used in practice. The lectures can also help you become accustomed to the process of taking an online examination while providing additional important practice questions.
Exam Challenges and Solutions
Many candidates encounter problems while studying for the Law and Ethics exam and surprisingly, these problems are not exam content related. The two biggest challenges are anxiety and time management. The anxiety issue comes from not knowing how to study effectively, feeling overwhelmed with everything candidates have to learn and retain on such a broad scope that the exam covers, and disorganization of time to study. Focusing on the two most important attributes in passing this exam, content mastery and time management, will allow your confidence to build . Time management is also an issue because often the test-takers have spent months going over what they have read and learned and still cannot remember a large portion of it. Trying to retain and produce a lot of information translates to a significant amount of stress as you search for the specific answer on the exam. Learning to effectively study for the MFT Law and Ethics exam will help you pass the first time. Having your materials continue to review over the years will insure you have the knowledge required as you begin your career as a marriage and family therapist.
Tips for Test Day Success
On the day of the test, arrive prepared. Bring your admission ticket, an acceptable form of ID, and a bank card for payment. Make sure you arrive at the testing site at least 30 minutes early. You want to be calm and prepared when the test begins. No one wants to feel rushed or have to deal with last minute paperwork issues.
Take a few cleansing breaths before the exam to relax yourself. If you prepare for the exam each day leading up to the test, you will feel confident enough to pass. Test-taking is a skill just like anything else. It takes time to develop confidence and skills around it, so be patient with yourself. If the other tips above fail, remember the test is not the end of the world, you can always retake it. Studies show that most test takers pass the MFT Law and Ethics exam on the second or third attempt.
After the MFT Law and Ethics Exam
For candidates that pass the exam, results will be available approximately 7 days after each exam window closes. If a candidate receives a failing score, he or she will have the option to retake the exam during a future exam window. If a candidate fails the examination, he or she will not receive his or her scaled score or any score information other than pass/fail.
Candidates that pass the MFT Law and Ethics Exam can expect an official email communication from the Board. This communication will include the candidate’s personal test results and will also confirm the Board’s approval of their Application for the Marriage and Family Therapist Licensure. At this stage, candidates are nearly licensed to practice. However, there are next steps each candidate must take prior to receiving full licensure.
Each applicant must pay a $150 initial license application fee to obtain a licensed MFT. In addition, applicants must pay a fingerprint processing fee to the Department of Justice. Upon receipt of these fees, the Board will begin processing the application of the candidate . Within this process of obtaining licensure, individuals will be fingerprinted in addition to undergoing background checks. Applicants should be aware that for a live scan, applicant fingerprint records are obtained by a "live scan operator." The fingerprints are then electronically transmitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for criminal background check. Any fees associated with a live scan (e.g. the setup charge, per person charge, rolling fee, etc.) vary by the location and service provided. In addition to fingerprinting, applicants will also undergo a Certificate of Clearance process. The Certificate of Clearance is issued by the BBS. The Certificate is valid for up to 60 days. The process includes completion of 9 steps and the completion of specific forms. Further information regarding the steps for obtaining a Certificate of Clearance are available at the BBS website.
Following the approval of a Certificate of Clearance, candidates will be licensed as a marriage and family therapist by the Board of Behavioral Sciences.