The holder of a Texas LMFT may be granted Supervisor status (LMFT-S) with authorization to supervise a Texas LMFT Associate’s practice and to monitor the practice of an LMFT or LMFT Associate under a disciplinary order.
To be eligible to apply for supervisor status a Texas LMFT must be in good standing, and submit:
- an application and applicable fee with
- documentation of the completion of at least 3,000 hours of independent LMFT practice over a minimum of 3 years1; and
- documentation of one of following:
- successful completion of a 3-semester-hour, graduate course in marriage and family therapy supervision from an accredited institution2;
- a 40-hour continuing education course in clinical supervision3; or
- successful completion of an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) approved Fundamentals of Supervision course.4
- Staff will review Council records to determine if you have held Texas independent LMFT for at least 3 years preceding the date your application for supervisor status was received. If you have held Texas independent LMFT license for less than 3 years, staff may consider an amount of time you have held independent LMFT license issued by another state. If you did not submit Verification of Licensure in Other Jurisdiction (available on the MFT Board’s Forms and Publications webpage) with your application for Texas LMFT, you must do so for your application for supervisor status.
- Staff may consider a qualifying course documented on an official transcript. If you did not submit an official transcript showing the qualifying course when you applied for your LMFT Associate or LMFT license, contact your school at which you completed MFT supervision course and order your transcript to be emailed directly to transcripts@bhec.texas.gov OR staff may accept a mailed official transcript, if it is still in an unopened envelope sealed by the school. Mail transcript(s) to BHEC MFT Transcripts, 1801 Congress Ave., Ste. 7.300, Austin, Texas 78701. If you believe that you have previously submitted the official transcript showing the qualifying course, but staff does not find it in Council records, staff will request that you submit a new transcript.
- More details concerning the requirements of an acceptable 40-hour supervisor training course are found in 22 TAC §801.143(m); see the Council’s Statutes and Rules webpage. Staff may accept a completion certificate that includes all relevant information. NOTE: Neither the board nor staff pre-approve supervisor training courses. Staff does not maintain a list of pre-approved supervisor training courses. For recommendations about a qualifying 40-hour supervisor training course, please contact trusted, experienced colleagues or your professional association.
- See AAMFT’s Approved Supervisor webpage for more information.
See How To Apply Online to Become An Approved MFT Supervisor on the Council’s How to User Guides webpage.
After Your Application Has Been Submitted
Staff will review all materials and either issue the supervisor status or a deficiency notice with instructions. Generally, staff send a deficiency notice via email. When expecting a message from staff, please periodically check your junk and spam folders. Some recipient’s email platforms filter staff messages (from our “.gov” address) into junk or spam folders.
The same staff who review applications and issue licenses also respond to phone calls and email messages. The more phone calls and emails staff receive, requesting confirmation that an item has been received or status of an application review, the longer it takes staff to process actual applications. Your patience and restraint are appreciated and speeds the application processing for everyone. If needed, the best way to contact staff via the webform on the Council’s Contact Us webpage.
You can check the status – whether your supervisor status has been issued or whether renewal process has been completed – via the Council’s Online Search/Verify a License webpage/portal. The portal displays publicly releasable information directly from the Council’s licensing database in real time. It is the most up-to-date information. No login is required; so, the information is available to applicants, licensees, supervisors, potential employers, etc.
One day after issuance of supervisor status, a printable PDF of the license certificate with supervisor status recognition will be in the licensee’s online licensing account secure inbox. The licensee may print the certificate as needed for display. A licensee may also use the drop-down menu under “Manage My License” to print the license certificate.
It may be useful to know: The supervisor status is renewed every two years along with your Texas license. At renewal, the usual license renewal fee and an additional supervisor status renewal fee is due. See renewal requirements in 22 TAC §§801.261, 882.50(b), and 883.1(d)(2). Visit the Council’s Statutes and Rules webpage, the Council’s How to Report Your Continuing Education webpage, and the Council’s Human Trafficking Awareness FAQs webpage for link to list of Texas HHSC-approved human trafficking awareness courses.
NOTE: If you wish to relinquish your supervisor status and avoid the additional supervisor status renewal fee, you must send written request to staff to remove the supervisor status AND confirm that supervisor status has been removed BEFORE completing the online license renewal process. Use the webform on the Council’s Contact Us webpage to send written request for supervisor status removal to staff. Use the Council’s Online Search/Verify a License webpage/portal to confirm your supervisor status has been removed.
In case it is useful to you: The Council provides an easily searched courtesy copy of the current rules in its Consolidated Rulebook for Marriage and Family Therapy on its Statutes and Rules webpage. The Consolidated Rulebooks are updated shortly after a new or revised rule is adopted. The Texas Secretary of State maintains the official version of the rules on its website for Title 22 of the Texas Administrative Code, Parts 35 and 41.
PLEASE NOTE: Rules and procedures are subject to change. You may wish to subscribe to Email Updates from the Board. The Email Updates include notice of board meetings, proposed rule changes, and notice of newly adopted rules, as well as other significant operational changes. To subscribe, complete the form on the Email Updates webpage; then follow the prompts and instructions to complete the subscription confirmation process.
