Illinois Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Act
The Illinois Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Act is scheduled to sunset on January 1, 2027. This statute is the foundation of our licensure, practice standards, and the ability to serve families, couples, and individuals throughout Illinois. Without legislative renewal, the Act - and consequently our licensure framework - will automatically expire on that date.
What is this – Legislation that governs our license. The legislation comes up for sunset or renewal every ten years. We do want you to know there is some benefit to that as so much changes in ten years in general, let alone relevant to our field.
What this is not – IAMFT has worked recently to keep you apprised of other legislation that impacts our field. The Licensure Act is NOT about HB1085 and higher reimbursement. It is about our ability to work after January 2027.
What does this mean – We have to employ a multipronged effort to ensure that the Licensure Act is renewed during the 2026 legislative session. If the act is not renewed, our licenses and ability to practice will expire.
Who does this impact – Anyone with an LMFT, an ALMFT, or currently in a graduate program to become an MFT.
What are we doing – IAMFT is currently working with the lobbyist that ensured our licensure act was renewed in 2017. We are in communication with IDFPR about the act and its language, so they know we are aware of the process and are willing to participate. We are notifying you, the members, as well as any MFTs we can reach in the state to make them aware of the situation. We are in the beginnings of fundraising and grant seeking in order to help fund out efforts to ensure our licenses remain intact.
We will work to keep you informed and updated throughout the process, through the monthly newsletters and the occasional emails in-between.
We also held a town hall on 10/30 via zoom. For anyone that could not make it, here is a link to the recording to watch. Please reach out with questions.
Zoom Meeting Information:
From a web browser
Go to zoom.us/join or join.zoom.us.
Enter the Meeting ID.
Click Join.