CA COMBO: CA MFT Law & Ethics and CA MFT Clinical
Looking to become a California MFT and planning to take both the MFT Law & Ethics Exam and the MFT Clinical Exam with the BBS? By purchasing the combo package now, you’ll receive both of TDC’s California MFT Exam prep programs at a big discounted rate. The MFT Combo Package includes online access to everything you need to PASS WITH CONFIDENCE including, audio workshops, step-by-step study plans, practice exams, coaching and more. Both the MFT Law and Ethics and the Clinical Exam programs are designed to maximize learning and minimize stress.
To learn more about what each individual program entails check them out here:
CA MFT Law & Ethics Exam Prep CA MFT Clinical Exam Prep
California MFT FAQs
How Do I Become a Licensed CA MFT?
Outside of California, MFT licensing is overseen by the Association of Marriage and Family Therapist Regulatory Board (AMFTRB), but the state of CA has its own governing board, the Bureau of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). After graduating from a masters degree program, one must register with the BBS as an Associate MFT and then take and pass the MFT Law & Ethics Exam. Once the L&E examination is passed, each candidate must accrue supervised work experience. California requires 3,000 hours over a minimum of 104 weeks in order to qualify for MFT Clinical licensure. When the hours have been completed, it’s time to take and pass the MFT Clinical Test with the BBS. And that’s it! By completing these steps, you can become an LMFT in the state of California. However, if you do decide to pursue this license, we highly recommend connecting with the Bureau of Behavioral Sciences directly as there may be additional details and steps you will need to know during this process. Here is the link to their website: www.bbs.ca.gov
Do I need both MFT Exam Prep Programs now?
Since you’ll need to take both the MFT Law & Ethics and the MFT Clinical exams with the BBS to become a clinically licensed MFT, you might as well get both programs up front and save money. In fact, you'll save $50 with the combo package! Scroll down to read what others have said who’ve used our CA Law and Ethics and CA MFT Clinical Exam prep programs.
What is the Difference Between the MFT Law and Ethics exam and the MFT Clinical exam?
The first exam that associates are required to take is the MFT law and ethics exam. The exam’s name gives away the content--it solely tests your knowledge on the legal and ethical issues that guide our profession. The BBS requires you attempt this exam prior to renewing your associate registration. The clinical exam also tests your knowledge of law and ethics, but it also covers topics such as crisis management, treatment, treatment planning, and evaluation. Each of our programs are comprehensive and cover all of the content and strategy you will need to PASS both exams!
Is the topic of Law and Ethics tested during the CA MFT Clinical Exam as well?
Yes. In fact, questions pertaining to law and ethics make up more than ¼ of the CA MFT Clinical Exam! The BBS recognizes that a significant amount of time is likely to pass between the time applicants pass the law and ethics exam and when they are able to sit for the CA MFT Clinical exam. Therefore, they want to ensure applicants continue to stay up-to-date with relevant laws and ethical guidelines.
How does the CA MFT Clinical Exam compare to the National AMFTRB Clinical Exam?
While the intent of both exams are designed to produce the same results, and that is to ensure public safety within the practice of therapy, there are some nuanced differences between the two MFT Clinical exams themselves.
- Test Items: The CA MFT Clinical exam consisted of 170 test questions, with 20 of them no being counted towards scoring. Those unscored 20 are put on the exam as experimental questions to be considered as part of the scored items in future exams. On the National AMFTRB Clinical Exam there are 200 test questions, all of which are scored.
- Content: The difference is slight, but the CA MFT Clinical focuses on testing your knowledge around treatment planning, clinical evaluation, treatment, crisis management, law and ethics, and treatment. The National AMFTRB Exam content focuses more on practice of systemic therapy (assessing, hypothesizing, and diagnosing), designing and conducting treatment (including the evaluation of the process and termination), managing crisis, and maintaining ethical, legal and professional standards.
- Testing Windows: In California, the BBS offers the MFT Clinical Exam on an ongoing basis of five (5) times per week, while the the National MFT Exam is only offered one week per month, and you must sign up the first of the month during the month prior to you intended exam date.
Course Reviews
Thank you TDC! I passed on my first attempt!
This program truly helped me get through the exam process and I went in feeling prepared. I heard Amanda's voice through out my test and felt that I had the necessary skills and tools to be successful on the exam. Thank you for making this amazing program available.
Passed on my first try! I felt very prepared taking this exam! TDC over prepared you for the actual test- I felt calm and could recall tips from the TDC team! Thank you so much!
Amazing prep. Felt so prepared and was accurate for exam. Thank you
Grateful for all the study material in preparation for the Clinical Exam. I used all of it! I found the questions on the exam were similar to the ones on the mock tests, so there were no surprises. I also found the rationales helpful when reviewing the incorrect answers on the prep tests. I recommend doing all the mock tests, especially of you are concerned with time management. I found it very useful when gauging time spent on each question and not get caught up on any one question for too long.
I was very nervous about the test and my anxiety was worsened by the killing of George Floyd and recent protests plus the ongoing concerns of the coronavirus. There was little I was going to be able to do to increase my concentration so I could remember everything from the lectures. I focused on the "How to think" lecture and the test taking strategies and that was critical. I feel I internalized Amanda and her ruleout strategy and could hear her voice as I was choosing the answers. Relying on my field expertise, the foundational information that is covered and the test taking strategies made all the difference. Thank you!!
The test prep was excellent because it actually taught me a good amount of important information about being a good therapist! I did not necessarily expect this and was very pleased. They went over over a substantial number of theories, scenarios, and issues in a thorough and astute manner. Amanda (whose confident and clear voice will be in my head always!) is a top rate educator and I can imagine therapist, too. Not only did she offer a lot of direct teaching about the field of psychotherapy and how it's done well, but also tended the inevitable anxieties that arise in facing the test, coaching me in ways to think, calm my nervous system, and stay positive and healthy in order to have the best possible chance of passing. And I did! Whoohoo! Thank you TDC :)
I am 67 years old. I went back to grad school at age 62 to get my degree and finished my hours in February, 2020. I have maintained a practice of 25 clients while studying for this exam and believe whole-heartedly I would never have been able to do this without TDC! The study guides, lectures, and exams all contributed to my being fully prepared for the actual exam. Studying the rationales and organizing them by category was invaluable to me! All of the hints on how to approach the test were so important to me on test day. I did everything suggested, conquered my anxiety, and used good frames to analyze the questions. All of the materials were very succinct and I needed all of it to tackle the test. Thank you so much! After 30 years of teaching, raising 4 sons, e and enjoying 3 grandsons, TDC has helped me to realize my second career goal of owning my own LMFT practice! THANK YOU!
I tried other materials for studying and nothing compares to TDC. It broke everything down into simple and manageable steps. I don’t think I would have passed without TDC! Thank you!!
I think if I wouldn’t have used this program I would not have passed my first time around! After 3000+ hours of experience you know how to deal with most clinical situations, but what really helped me was the testing strategies/ways to think. The orientation to approaching questions in a strategic way saved me and boosted my confidence in the room. Thank you!!!
TDC's MFT law and ethics and clinical exam prep was extremely helpful. My initial test date was cancelled due to COVID 19 so and added layer of uncertainty was present in deciding what timeline to use to continue to prepare. Then I did the first final mock exam and I was terrified at how poorly I scored. Thankfully I was able to talk with a friend who used TDC and passed the first time and I had very encouraging email correspondence with the TDC staff in the 3-4 days leading u to my exam date. For sure I would recommend sticking with the timeline TDC suggests and you will likely be less stressed if you allow time for yourself to go through the material 2x. end of story... I passed on the first attempt!! Thank you TDC for the time and effort you put in to your product and customer service, you're a God send!!!!
Initially, I was really worried about taking the exam, especially when my mock exam scores were less than inspiring, but listening to the lectures over and over and constantly reviewing the material gave me the confidence I needed to succeed. Ultimately, it came down to being comfortable with the material and focusing on the actual taking of the test. Thank you again!
I knew after using TDC for my Law & Ethic exam, this was going to be the program that would prepare me for my clinical exam. I had some bumps in the road with timing when I hoping to take my exam (BBS was extremely behind processing applications and then COVID). But it all fell into place. The biggest piece that was the most helpful was knowing how to take the exam! I definitely brought Amanda into the test with me and she saw me through! I would definitely recommend this to any colleagues! TDC is the best!
I would recommend this test prep program to every person interested in having confidence in taking this test - and who plan on passing the exam.
Thank you. I passed on my first attempt. The mock exams were more difficult than actual exam. Listening to the audio, having notes to write on, and the pep talk with advice of strategies was so helpful for someone who is not great at test taking. Thank you so much.
in the midst of all the craziness that COVID has brought to our lives I was able to retake the last 2 final mocks just a review and muscle memory. I did not have to review the entire program again because it had given me the basis to move forward and feel confident that I will be able to remember the important nuances that this test requires. Thank you Robyn, Amanda, the Tech team, because I had to request multiple extensions. I did it and I did not use any other program but yours. Muchas Gracias.
The TDC program is fantastic. The study schedule is broken up into manageable chunks, like training for a marathon. I went through each segment of the program in sequence, including taking and then carefully reviewing all of the answers to the two full-length Mock exams at the end of the program. This was the highlight of the course - the two Mocks, and especially going over the rationales and understanding exactly what was appealing to me about the wrong answer and why the right answer was correct, prepared me to engage in the kind of reasoning that is required for the exam. And this is where the coaches were super helpful - if I read one of the rationales for the "correct" answer and still didn't understand something or thought that something seemed inconsistent or off, I would contact the coaches and they would get back to me within a day or two with an explanation that was always illuminating and helpful. I wasn't sure that I was prepared enough going into the exam, but as it got underway I felt more and more confident and it was clear that the work I did in this program was directly paying off. And I was so happy to see the "CONGRATULATIONS You have passed..." on the printout at the test center. I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to rock the exam.
Amanda was in the room with me the whole way through the exam. TDC perfectly trained me to think proficiently, critically and quickly through the questions. Thank you so much!! PASS!!
I scored consistently on the Practice exams, and barely passed on the Mock exams (which worried me), and still passed the Licensing exam on the first try! At first, I was discouraged, because I wasn't scoring that high and barely passing the Mock exams (62-67), but found that the practice and mock exams were very similar to the actual exam. I appreciate the thought process explanations to the answers that I got wrong. It prepared me really well! The exam is somewhat easier, but by not much. TDC tells you the information that you need to learn and teaches you how to think. I also used TDC in the past for my Law and Ethics and also passed on my first try! TDC is amazing! I've tried to use other study materials (Grossman) and it does not compare to TDC.
I started to use a different study program
So I asked my friend to tell me about it before I made a decision and she informed me this other study program had a ton of books a bunch of study cards and endless information that was sent to her in the mail. I knew I would be in big trouble if that’s how all of the study programs were because that just seemed completely overwhelming to me.. I talked to one of my supervisors and ask them what study program they went with. When they told me TDC, I trusted my supervisor and went with this program. I just can’t say enough good things about TDC. A lot of care, thought, and work went into developing this program and I certainly appreciate it. I followed the steps in the program. I reviewed some things over and over until I felt comfortable. I took the test. While taking the test I begin to wonder when the more difficult questions we’re going to come. Thank you TDC team, truly!