License Requirements for Marriage & Family Therapist
(LMFT)
This is general information. Please refer to
WAC 246-809 for more detailed information about license requirements.
Education Requirements
A masters or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy, or a behavioral science masters or doctoral degree with equivalent coursework from an approved school. Program equivalency requirements
Anyone who has obtained American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) clinical membership status is considered to have met the education requirements.
Completion of thirty-six hours of continuing education of the thirty-six hours at least six must be in professional ethics.
Supervised Post Graduate Experience Requirements
Minimum of two calendar years of full-time marriage and family therapy, and at least three thousand (3000) hours of experience, one thousand (1000) hours of which must be direct client contact. At least five hundred (500) hours must be gained in diagnosing and treating couples and families; and
At least two hundred (200) hours of qualified supervision with a supervisor. At least one hundred of the two hundred hours must be one-on-one supervision, and the remaining hours may be in one-on-one or group supervision.
- Of the total supervision, one hundred (100) hours must be with a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) with at least five years clinical experience.
- The other one hundred (100) hours may be with an equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner.
Those who have completed a master’s program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (COAMFTE) will be credited with five hundred hours of direct client contact and one hundred hours of formal meetings with an approved supervisor.
Exam
The Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) Exam is required. The Department of Health will approve applicants to sit for the exam, after it has approved the applicants education and experience.
The following must be completed in order to qualify for a license:
- Submit complete application with signature and date.
- Submit application fee and initial license fee.
- Request out of state verification forms be sent directly from each state (if applicable).
- Attest to four (4) hours of HIV/AIDS education and training.
- Request official transcripts be sent from the college where the degree was obtained. If transcripts were submitted for an associate credential, the applicant does not need to re-submit.
- Submit supervision forms documenting total experience requirements.
- Request exam scores be sent directly from AMFTRB.
| 
