The Legislature finds and declares the following:

(a) Existing national certification of music therapists requires the therapist to have graduated with a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent, or higher, from a music therapy degree program approved by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), successful completion of a minimum of 1,200 hours of supervised clinical work through preinternship training at an approved degree program, and internship training through approved national roster or university affiliated internship programs, or an equivalent.

(b) Upon successful completion of the AMTA academic and clinical training requirements or its international equivalent, an individual is eligible to sit for the national board certification exam administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT), an independent, nonprofit corporation fully accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

(c) The CBMT grants the Music Therapist-Board Certified (MT-BC) credential to music therapists who have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities for competence in the current practice of music therapy. The purpose of board certification in music therapy is to provide an objective national standard that can be used as a measure of professionalism and competence by interested agencies, groups, and individuals.

(d) The MT-BC is awarded by the CBMT to an individual upon successful completion of an academic and clinical training program approved by the AMTA or an international equivalent and successful completion of an objective written examination demonstrating current competency in the profession of music therapy. The CBMT administers this examination, which is based on a nationwide music therapy practice analysis that is reviewed and updated every five years to reflect current clinical practice.

(e) Once certified, a music therapist must adhere to the CBMT Code of Professional Practice and recertify every five years through either a program of continuing education or reexamination.

(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 167, Sec. 1. (AB 1540) Effective January 1, 2020.)