During this upcoming week, it is important to contact members of the Education Committee to let them know that you are in favor of this bill. Listed below are the Education Committee Members and their districts. Also listed below is a sample letter that you could use as a letter or for talking points when you call your representative.

To access your Education Committee rep or senator, go to cga.ct.gov and click on COMMITTEES, then click on EDUCATION, then click on COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP and there will be buttons to directly access their e-mails. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Education Committee

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SAMPLE LETTER OR TALKING POINTS FOR LEGISLATORS

Dear Senator/Representative __________________:

I am writing to encourage your support of House Bill 5549, An Act Concerning Certification of Marital and Family Therapists Employed in Schools. I am a licensed (MFT, LCSW, LPC, School Psychologist, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, APRN) in your district, and I urge you to update the anachronism in our Department of Education state certification laws prohibiting licensed MFTs from being hired by school systems.

Marital and family therapists (MFTs) have been certified by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health since 1983 and licensed for a decade. MFTs provide services in all settings where other allied mental health providers practice, and are respected members of multidisciplinary treatment teams. We want to update Connecticut Department of Education regulations to include MFTs as certified providers in school systems. Currently, they can only work as contracted providers of service.

MFTs save schools money. A five year MFT collaborative internship program between the Westbrook Schools and CCSU has resulted in lower out-of-district placements than any other district in Westbrook’s educational reference group, according Westbrook’s Strategic School Profiles*. Emphasis is on early intervention, prevention, and collaboration among schools, families and other treatment systems.

The bill is NOT a mandate to hire MFTs, and will NOT adversely affect school budgets. Rather, the freedom to hire from among the FULL talent pool of mental health professionals should be available to school administrators. It is a restraint of trade issue to prohibit otherwise competent and licensed professionals from being allowed to practice where they have been trained and want to practice.

The bill will NOT create a financial burden on the Department of Education to establish regulations. Current regulations for school psychologists, school social workers and school counselors ALL involve commensurate regulations requiring a license in their discipline, practicum and internship and special education coursework. The regulations can easily be adapted for MFTs. PLEASE ADD YOUR EXPERIENCE.

MFTs currently function actively in schools as valued, although only contracted members of multidisciplinary special education teams in many school systems across the state. Opposition to this bill has involved guild issues which seek to eliminate competition for jobs. But Connecticut children and the educators responsible for them deserve to have the most competent and qualified professionals from among the FULL talent pool. I urge you to support the healthy growth of competent special education services in Connecticut by supporting HB 5549. Thank you for considering this matter.

*Chet Bialicki, Coordinator of Special Services in Westbrook (2006, Feb 2). His students keep him young. Harbor News, Madison, CT, pp.A1, A3

It is important to get your members of Congress to sponsor these bills, in order to build support for MFT coverage in the Medicare bill that Congress plans to consider in the Fall. So please click on the following link to contact your members of Congress today! http://capwiz.com/aamft/callalert/index.tt?alertid=7497251

Thank you, and let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you, and let us know if you have any questions.

-AAMFT Legal and Government Affairs Staff

We still need more input and letters but now they should be directed to the Appropriations Committee. To see a listing of the Committee members (with links to their e-mails), go to:

As part of our legislative advocacy for MFTs in the schools, we are conducting this survey. Your response would be greatly appreciated.

On Wednesday, March 16, The Connecticut Legislative Committee on Education heard
testimony on our bill to allow MFTs to be certified to work in the schools as
employees. Senator Thomas Gaffey, Co-chair of the committee, was not positive
toward the idea, because he believes that it will cost schools more money by
forcing them to hire MFTs. THIS IS NOT THE CASE – IT WILL ONLY PROVIDE A
SCHOOL DISTRICT THE OPTION OF HIRING AN MFT.

We need people in his district (Meriden, Middletown, Middlefield, and Cheshire
areas) to contact him about the bill and encourage him to vote in favor of the
bill to move it out of Committee. If you live in his district, please call,
write, or e-mail him to let him know that his constituents wish for him to allow
the bill to come out of committee. When you contact him, refer to the bill
number (Raised Bill No. 6920 – “An Act Concerning Certification of Marital and
Family Therapists”) and let him know that you are a constituent. Here is his
contact information:  Senator Thomas P. Gaffey
Co-Chair, Education Committee    Legislative Office Building
Room 3100    Hartford, CT 06106-1591   860-240-0425, or toll-free
1-800-842-1420   Gaffey@senatedems.ct.gov

This Wednesday the new House bill #6920 will be heard to address MFT 
Certification in Schools. We now need to inundate the Education Committee and your
local legislators about endorsing the bill. If you have letters or testimony,
please bring 50 copies of it with you.
PLEASE JOIN US at the Legislative Office Building to show support for this
bill at 10:00 AM outside Room 1E in the Legislative Office Building. (see
Directions below)
If you have any questions, please contact Barry Williams, our Lobbyist, at
bilobby@mac.com

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Our Day is Coming SOON!
Our bill, now Bill #6920, will be heard on March 16th or 18th.
PLEASE TRY TO MAKE IT TO THE CAPITAL!!!
This is a BIG DAY for ALL MFTs - More Information will be coming! and/or check the above weblink for date. EVERYONE COUNTS!!!!!

We have opposition to our bill and the opposition is organizing.
Legislators respond to public opinion! Let your voice be heard! Call, write, e-mail NOW!!

WE NEED MORE LETTERS FROM ALL PROFESSIONS WHO SUPPORT US! PLEASE GET THE LETTERS TO US ASAP!

Raised Bill #1093, LCO No. 4016, is a "bundled" bill which includes making several changes to current education statues/state regulations. The bill is called "An Act Concerning Minor Revisions to the Education Regulations", and Section #17 refers to MFTs being certified to practice in schools. Please PRESS HERE to see a copy of the Raised Bill.

It looks like a hearing will be held next Friday (March 14) in the Education Committee of the General Assembly. We urgently need your help to advocate for the inclusion of MFTs in the legislation. We need people to contact their legislators, as well as people to give testimony at the hearing. Please contact your legislator by e-mail, letter or phone to ask her/him to support the legislation. Below are: a prototype letter; a one-page fact sheet about the need for legislation regarding MFTs and Schools; and, a copy of the Raised Bill. These should help you get the word out to your legislator. The Web Site for your legislators is www.cga.state.ct.us/2003. Now is the time to apply the organization and leadership skills we have been acquiring to address this important initiative. Please contact Kathie Laundy (klaundy@snet.net) if you are able to make a contact in the next week. 

Thanks so much for your help.

CAMFT Advocacy Committee

Goal: Public School Certification for Marriage and Family Therapists

 School districts have contracted for services from Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) for years, often bringing MFTs into the schools.  Thus far, however, MFTs have not been certified by the Connecticut State Department of Education to be employed directly by public schools.  Although they have been recognized for years as licensed mental health professionals by the CT Department of Public Health, MFTs are the only mental health professionals not yet certified.  Now is the time to make MFTs’ skills available to other school districts by standardizing their certification under the State Department of Education.

This certification is needed for four reasons:  First, research confirms that effective treatment of school-age children requires the support and involvement of their families.  (CT’s Child Health and Development Institute, Dept. of Children and Families, and Court Support Services have all recognized family therapy as effective with children.)   MFT certification will strengthen children and families to take full advantage of educational opportunities.  Second, it will enable Connecticut schools to have equal access to the clinical staff of their choice, strengthening their ability to educate children in the context of current environmental challenges.  Third, certification will provide MFTs with employment opportunities currently available to other licensed mental health providers.  Finally, certification will protect the public by ensuring that schools hire professionals with specific MFT training relevant to schools.

l MFTs are already valued contributors at public and private schools that use their expertise.   In practice, many MFTs provide contracted services to schools throughout Connecticut through local youth service bureaus, child guidance clinics, other private agencies, the Department of Children and Families, and private practice.

 l MFTs are uniquely trained to work with individual students, families, and larger systems.  Utilizing a multisystems approach, they consider and address all the factors that affect a student’s ability to function at school.  Their education and clinical training prepare MFTs to provide interventions to address such issues as:

▪   social, behavioral, and academic problems     ▪   crisis intervention

▪   bullying, anger, and violence                  ▪   divorce, loss, and other family difficulties

▪   anxiety, school phobia, and depression              ▪   substance abuse

 l MFTs complement other services in schools.  They collaborate with counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, special education staff, school nurses, and teachers, and also consult with physicians, police, and other community agencies that interact with students.  Each school system has unique needs.  Certification of MFTs will ensure that schools have standardized access to the full range of healthcare services to meet the needs of their particular systems.

 l MFTs must meet rigorous training standards.   All MFTs are required to have a minimum of 500 hours of direct client contact in order to complete their master’s degree (typically three years), and an additional 1000 hours of client contact before they can become licensed (typically two years).  These are among the most stringent clinical training requirements of all mental health professions.