{
  "$schema": "https://therapistsupport.org/data/state-california-therapy-work-2026.schema.json",
  "report": "State of California Therapy Work 2026",
  "edition": 2026,
  "published": "2026-08-28",
  "jurisdiction": "California",
  "methodology": {
    "rule": "Every number retains its source, date, unit, and limitation; unlike units are not merged.",
    "privacy": "Aggregate public records only. No person-level licensee, respondent, client, or source-message records are published.",
    "no_estimation": "Missing values remain missing. The report does not impute compensation, provider availability, vacancies, or unmet clinical need."
  },
  "workforce_register": {
    "as_at": "August 2026",
    "all_status_records": 165235,
    "status_counts": {
      "Current": 144473,
      "Delinquent": 14949,
      "CurrentInactive": 5813
    },
    "type_counts": {
      "Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist": 59706,
      "Licensed Clinical Social Worker": 45129,
      "Associate Clinical Social Worker": 21217,
      "Associate Marriage & Family Therapist": 19403,
      "Assoc. Professional Clinical Counselor": 8736,
      "Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor": 6969,
      "Licensed Educational Psychologist": 2486,
      "Temp 30Day Practice Allow(OOS Lic Only)": 1560,
      "MRF": 25,
      "Temp MSP Assoc. Clinical Social Worker": 4
    },
    "out_of_state_addresses": 14710,
    "california_counties_represented": 58,
    "unit": "license and registration records, not unique people or full-time equivalents"
  },
  "board_quarter": {
    "period": "Q3 FY 25/26",
    "population_total": 160424,
    "year_over_year_growth_percent": 5.64,
    "exams_administered": 6205,
    "applications": {
      "reg_received": 2256,
      "reg_received_prior": 2321,
      "reg_processed": 2235,
      "reg_processed_prior": 2408,
      "lic_received": 2295,
      "lic_received_prior": 2279,
      "lic_processed": 2391,
      "lic_processed_prior": 2168
    },
    "unit": "BBS quarterly operational counts; not interchangeable with the monthly DCA register"
  },
  "education": {
    "checked": "2026-08-28",
    "schools": 84,
    "path_listings": {
      "LCSW": 30,
      "LMFT": 77,
      "LPCC": 67
    },
    "unit": "school records and BBS path listings; a school may appear on more than one path"
  },
  "licensure_rules": {
    "checked": "2026-08-28",
    "shared": {
      "total_hours": 3000,
      "minimum_weeks": 104,
      "weekly_hours_cap": 40,
      "registration_years": 6,
      "registration_renewal_months": 12,
      "licensed_renewal_months": 24,
      "associate_renewal_fee": 150,
      "licensed_active_renewal_fee": 220,
      "law_ethics_ce_hours_per_associate_renewal": 3,
      "supervision_unit": "One hour individual or triadic, or two hours group",
      "two_units_trigger": "More than 10 hours of direct clinical counseling in a week in a setting",
      "maximum_supervision_hours_per_week": 6,
      "sources": [
        "https://www.bbs.ca.gov/licensees/manage.html",
        "https://www.bbs.ca.gov/licensees/supervisor.html"
      ]
    },
    "paths": {
      "lmft": {
        "license": "LMFT",
        "associate": "AMFT",
        "degree": "Qualifying marriage and family therapy degree",
        "clinical_exam": "California LMFT Clinical Examination",
        "direct_clinical_minimum": 1750,
        "special_minimums": [
          {
            "key": "relational",
            "label": "Couples, families, and children",
            "hours": 500
          }
        ],
        "nonclinical_maximum": 1250,
        "individual_supervision_weeks": 52,
        "predegree_hours_maximum": 1300,
        "trainee_hours_count_toward_3000": true,
        "handbook": "https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/lmft_handbook.pdf",
        "applicant_page": "https://www.bbs.ca.gov/applicants/lmft.html"
      },
      "lcsw": {
        "license": "LCSW",
        "associate": "ASW",
        "degree": "Master of Social Work from a qualifying program",
        "clinical_exam": "ASWB Clinical Examination",
        "direct_clinical_minimum": 2000,
        "special_minimums": [
          {
            "key": "psychotherapy",
            "label": "Face-to-face individual or group psychotherapy",
            "hours": 750
          },
          {
            "key": "lcsw_supervised",
            "label": "Hours supervised by an LCSW",
            "hours": 1700
          },
          {
            "key": "lcsw_supervision_weeks",
            "label": "Individual/triadic weeks supervised by an LCSW",
            "weeks": 13
          }
        ],
        "nonclinical_maximum": 1000,
        "individual_supervision_weeks": 52,
        "predegree_hours_maximum": 0,
        "trainee_hours_count_toward_3000": false,
        "handbook": "https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/lcsw_handbook.pdf",
        "applicant_page": "https://www.bbs.ca.gov/applicants/lcsw.html"
      },
      "lpcc": {
        "license": "LPCC",
        "associate": "APCC",
        "degree": "Qualifying professional clinical counseling degree",
        "clinical_exam": "National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE)",
        "direct_clinical_minimum": 1750,
        "special_minimums": [],
        "nonclinical_maximum": 1250,
        "individual_supervision_weeks": 52,
        "predegree_hours_maximum": 0,
        "trainee_hours_count_toward_3000": false,
        "handbook": "https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/pcci_ada.pdf",
        "applicant_page": "https://www.bbs.ca.gov/applicants/lpcc.html"
      }
    }
  },
  "safety_net": {
    "checked": "11 August 2026",
    "designated_mental_health_hpsa_records": 820,
    "health_center_records": 3039,
    "unit": "federal designation and site records, not vacancies, therapists, or open appointments"
  },
  "discipline_teaching_set": {
    "records": 48,
    "methodology": "De-identified teaching set transcribed from signed California BBS decisions; not a complete census of all Board actions.",
    "by_license": {
      "LMFT": 27,
      "AMFT": 12,
      "APCC": 3,
      "ASW": 5,
      "LEP": 1
    },
    "by_issue": {
      "Sexual boundaries": 8,
      "Boundary drift with no sexual contact": 5,
      "Records, confidentiality and the file": 3,
      "Money, billing and honesty": 4,
      "Discipline that arrives from somewhere else": 6,
      "Fitness-to-practice examinations": 1,
      "Convictions, and the duty to report one": 10,
      "What happens after discipline": 6,
      "Applying with a record": 5
    },
    "by_outcome": {
      "Probation": 13,
      "Surrendered": 17,
      "Revoked": 8,
      "Public reproval": 1,
      "Probation changed": 4,
      "Issued on probation": 5
    },
    "unit": "de-identified selected decisions; not rates and not a census of Board actions"
  },
  "known_gap": {
    "compensation": "Not reportable as one statewide figure. The site does not collect compensation submissions, and no earnings estimate is substituted."
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "dca-register",
      "name": "California DCA public licensee information",
      "url": "https://www.dca.ca.gov/consumers/public_info/index.shtml",
      "checked": "August 2026"
    },
    {
      "id": "bbs-meetings",
      "name": "California BBS board meeting packets",
      "url": "https://bbs.ca.gov/about/board_meetings.html",
      "checked": "May 2026 packet series"
    },
    {
      "id": "bbs-education",
      "name": "California BBS education resources",
      "url": "https://www.bbs.ca.gov/applicants/education_resources.html",
      "checked": "2026-08-28"
    },
    {
      "id": "bbs-rules",
      "name": "California BBS applicant and supervisor materials",
      "url": "https://www.bbs.ca.gov/licensees/manage.html",
      "checked": "2026-08-28"
    },
    {
      "id": "hrsa",
      "name": "HRSA shortage-area and health-center downloads",
      "url": "https://data.hrsa.gov/data/download",
      "checked": "11 August 2026"
    },
    {
      "id": "bbs-discipline",
      "name": "California BBS enforcement resources",
      "url": "https://www.bbs.ca.gov/resources/general.html",
      "checked": "August 2026"
    }
  ]
}