Licensing Questions MFT

Licensing Questions MFT

To be eligible to become an LMFT Associate in Texas, you must have graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy or a related field from an accredited program and pass the national licensing exam administered by the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AAMFTRB). The LMFT Associate license allows you to begin accruing the supervised clinical experience necessary to become a full Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). All applicants for LMFT Associate must: • submit a complete application and fee • pass the AMFTRB licensing exam • submit an official transcript that shows the conferral date of your qualifying degree • submit supervised clinical practicum and experience verification form • complete the Texas Jurisprudence Examination for MFT • photocopy of gov’t issued identification • submit a self-query report from the National Practitioner Data Bank • submit electronic fingerprints for a nationwide criminal history search • submit a signed supervisory agreement form with a board approved supervisor Applicants for the licensure exam should first submit an application via our online licensing system. Applicants will need to upload copies of all documents listed above except transcripts (which must come directly from the university), fingerprints, and the supervisory agreement form (submitted after exam passage). After passing the exam, the applicant should contact a board-approved supervisor to set up a supervisory relationship by completing the Supervisory Agreement Form found on the BHEC forms webpage.
-In State: To be eligible to be a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) you must hold a license as an LMFT-Associate in Texas and complete supervised training under a board approved supervisor. All in-state candidates must complete the following in no less than 24 months and no more than 72 months: • 1,500 or more hours of supervised direct counseling practice (at least 500 family or couples) • 3,000 or more total hours of supervised practice (direct and indirect combined) • 200 hours of direct supervision (at least 100 of which must be individual) Upon completion of the required supervised experience, the MFT Associate submits an application for upgrade along with supporting documents via our online licensing system. All applicants for upgrade to full MFT must: • submit a complete application and fee • complete the Texas Jurisprudence Examination • submit a self-query report from the National Practitioner Data Bank • submit Supervised Experience Documentation form(s) -Out of State: Licensed MFT’s from out of state must: • submit a complete application and fee • have AMFTRB send Texas the licensing exam scores • submit an official transcript that shows the conferral date of your qualifying degree • submit supervised clinical practicum and experience verification form • complete the Texas Jurisprudence Examination for MFT • have each state in which an MFT license has been held send an official verification • submit a self-query report from the National Practitioner Data Bank • submit electronic fingerprints for a nationwide criminal history search • submit proof of completion of required supervised practice (if licensed under two years)
All fees are found in Chapter 885 of the Texas Administrative Code. A link to the rules is available on the BHEC website. The link to Chapter 885 is found toward the middle of the page under the heading: Relevant Administrative Rules.
A list of active supervisors is available on the BHEC website.
Information on study materials can be found on AMFTRB's webpage.
If you took the exam for another state’s licensing authority you will need to contact AMFTRB to have the scores transferred to Texas. For more information, please visit AMFTRB's webpage.
Electronic transcripts should be sent to transcripts@bhec.texas.gov . Hardcopy transcripts should be mailed to: BHEC MFT Transcripts 1801 Congress Ave., Ste. 7.300 Austin, Texas 78701
The jurisprudence exam is administered online by a third-party vendor. To register visit our Jurisprudence Exam webpage.
Instructions for obtaining a self-query can be found at the NPDB webpage.
Upon submission of your application, you will be sent guidance on fingerprint submission. The fingerprinting is done electronically at locations all over the country. There is a fee that must paid to the fingerprint facility. Typically, it takes approximately 15 minutes to complete the process of getting fingerprinted.
BHEC has a verification form that an applicant should submit to the verifying state. Some states will complete the form while others will provide verification on their own form. A small number of states use their online verification for this purpose. The verification request form can be found on our forms webpage.
BHEC has a Clinical Supervision Verification Form available on our forms webpage. This form should be filled out by and signed by the supervisor.
There are many variables that impact application processing times. Typically, one can expect the process to take several weeks. BHEC provides a chart that shows the receipt date of the applications staff is currently processing here.
Yes. There are various waivers and advantages provided for active-duty military, veterans and military spouses. For more information review Council rule 882.60 and 882.61.
AMFTRB requires its examinees to be approved by BHEC prior to registering to sit for their licensing exam. This is accomplished by submitting the LMFT Associate license application and fee to BHEC via the online system. Once you submit the fee, the online system will automatically send you an email confirming your payment and displaying your exam registration code. With this code you can go to AMFTRB’s website and register to take the exam. A how-to guide on completing the online application can be found here: How To User Guides webpage.