A Texas license only grants authority to practice in Texas. If you have a client in another state or country, you may have to meet the practice requirements of both Texas and the state or country where the client is located. You will need to contact the other state or country to determine whether you can deliver services in that jurisdiction with your Texas license.
Yes. Texas law requires a provider to hold a Texas license to administer services to an individual in Texas.
Texas does not have jurisdiction on Federal ground. As long as the client is on Federal ground, Federal laws and regulations apply. You will need to contact the Federal government to determine if care can continue. If the client is on Texas ground (off-base residence, for example), a Texas license is required for care to continue.
If you have a Texas license you can provide services remotely to clients in Texas, but you will need to contact the other state or country to determine whether you can deliver services from within that jurisdiction to a client in Texas.
Yes. Texas only requires a Texas license for providing services to individuals located in Texas at the time of delivery.
Each state has it’s own rules regarding who is or isn’t considered a client. With that being the case, it is always advised to obtain approval from any state or jurisdiction where a participant is located.
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.
House Bill 2059 (86R) requires all licensed healthcare providers to complete a course in Human Trafficking Awareness approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. A list of available training courses is provided on HHSC’s Human Trafficking Resource Center webpage.
Similar to continuing education, an approved human trafficking course must be completed every renewal cycle.
The Council does not approve continuing education courses. Instead, the Council has adopted rules that outline what is considered appropriate continuing education. This means a licensee can receive continuing education from any person or organization that provides the education in accordance with the Council’s rules. No approval by the Council is needed for the individual or organization to engage in the delivery of continuing education and no approval of specific courses are required. Licensees are still audited for continuing education compliance and during those reviews, staff evaluate the continuing education documentation submitted. The rules on continuing education course requirements can be found in each profession's consolidated rule book found here.
The Council does not approve continuing education providers. Instead, the Council has adopted rules that outline what is considered appropriate continuing education. This means a licensee can receive continuing education from any person or organization that provides the education in accordance with the Council’s rules. No approval by the Council is needed for the individual or organization to engage in the delivery of continuing education. Licensees are still audited for continuing education compliance and during those reviews, staff evaluate the continuing education documentation submitted. If you were an “approved provider” with HHSC, you may continue to provide continuing education without having to renew. The rules on continuing education course requirements can be found in each profession's consolidated rule book found here.
Pursuant to rule 882.21 inactive status is for licensees who wish to place their license on hold for two years, rather than retire the license. During the period of inactivity the licensee may not practice. Licensees can request inactive status through the Council’s Online Licensing System. See How To Request Inactive Status on the Council’s How To User Guide webpage. Note: Inactive status is not available for an LMFT Associate license.
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.
Licensees under CE audit receive a renewal notification letter while those not under audit receive a renewal notification postcard.
Staff cannot provide guidance on which type of business entity is best for your situation. You should consult either a CPA or an Attorney with experience in these matters. Additionally, if you do set up a business entity, you do not need to register it with the board as we do not collect that data.
Self-study refers to activities undertaken by a licensee that are informal and do not involve a CE provider. Reading professional journal articles is an example of self-study. A good rule of thumb is, “If you get a certificate at the completion of the endeavor, it’s NOT self-study.”
There is nothing in the rules that prohibits a licensee from providing life-coaching services. However, a client might file a complaint against your BHEC license for life-coaching services. The complaint will be investigated and if the services provided overlap with your licensed scope of practice disciplinary action may result. In short, though life-coaching does not require a license in Texas, that doesn’t automatically exempt a BHEC licensee from discipline should there be a complaint regarding services provided as a life-coach.
The board is not involved with the administration of these Federal programs. Please direct any Medicare/Medicaid questions to the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services
Unless there is a court order, divorce decree, etc. with language to the contrary, treatment can be authorized by either parent.