Florida Statutes
Chapter 491 - Clinical, Counseling, and Psychotherapy Services
491.014 - Exemptions.

(1) No provision of this chapter shall be construed to limit the practice of physicians licensed pursuant to chapter 458 or chapter 459, or psychologists licensed pursuant to chapter 490, so long as they do not unlawfully hold themselves out to the public as possessing a license, provisional license, registration, or certificate issued pursuant to this chapter or use a professional title protected by this chapter.
(2) No provision of this chapter shall be construed to limit the practice of nursing, school psychology, psychology, or occupational therapy, or to prevent qualified members of other professions from doing work of a nature consistent with their training and licensure, so long as they do not hold themselves out to the public as possessing a license, provisional license, registration, or certificate issued pursuant to this chapter or use a title protected by this chapter.
(3) No provision of this chapter shall be construed to limit the performance of activities of a rabbi, priest, minister, or member of the clergy of any religious denomination or sect, or use of the terms “Christian counselor” or “Christian clinical counselor” when the activities are within the scope of the performance of his or her regular or specialized ministerial duties and no compensation is received by him or her, or when such activities are performed, with or without compensation, by a person for or under the auspices or sponsorship, individually or in conjunction with others, of an established and legally cognizable church, denomination, or sect, and when the person rendering service remains accountable to the established authority thereof.
(4) No person shall be required to be licensed, provisionally licensed, registered, or certified under this chapter who:
(a) Is a salaried employee of a government agency; a developmental disability facility or program; a mental health, alcohol, or drug abuse facility operating under chapter 393, chapter 394, or chapter 397; the statewide child care resource and referral network operating under s. 1002.92; a child-placing or child-caring agency licensed pursuant to chapter 409; a domestic violence center certified pursuant to chapter 39; an accredited academic institution; or a research institution, if such employee is performing duties for which he or she was trained and hired solely within the confines of such agency, facility, or institution, so long as the employee is not held out to the public as a clinical social worker, mental health counselor, or marriage and family therapist.
(b) Is a salaried employee of a private, nonprofit organization providing counseling services to children, youth, and families, if such services are provided for no charge, if such employee is performing duties for which he or she was trained and hired, so long as the employee is not held out to the public as a clinical social worker, mental health counselor, or marriage and family therapist.
(c) Is a student providing services regulated under this chapter who is pursuing a course of study which leads to a degree in a profession regulated by this chapter, is providing services in a training setting, provided such services and associated activities constitute part of a supervised course of study, and is designated by the title “student intern.”
(d) Is not a resident of this state but offers services in this state, provided:
1. Such services are performed for no more than 15 days in any calendar year; and
2. Such nonresident is licensed or certified to practice the services provided by a state or territory of the United States or by a foreign country or province.

(5) No provision of this chapter shall be construed to limit the practice of any individual who solely engages in behavior analysis so long as he or she does not hold himself or herself out to the public as possessing a license issued pursuant to this chapter or use a title protected by this chapter.
(6) Nothing in subsections (2)-(4) shall exempt any person from the provisions of s. 491.012(1)(a)-(c), (l), and (m).
(7) Except as stipulated by the board, the exemptions contained in this section do not apply to any person licensed under this chapter whose license has been suspended or revoked by the board or another jurisdiction.
(8) Nothing in this section shall be construed to exempt a person from meeting the minimum standards of performance in professional activities when measured against generally prevailing peer performance, including the undertaking of activities for which the person is not qualified by training or experience.
History.—ss. 15, 19, ch. 87-252; ss. 12, 19, 20, ch. 90-263; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 120, ch. 92-149; s. 34, ch. 93-39; s. 15, ch. 95-279; s. 512, ch. 97-103; s. 18, ch. 97-198; s. 210, ch. 97-264; s. 157, ch. 98-403; s. 171, ch. 99-397; s. 128, ch. 2001-277; s. 63, ch. 2006-227; s. 25, ch. 2010-210; s. 27, ch. 2013-252; s. 7, ch. 2022-30.