Marriage and family therapists generally need a license for independent work. Although license requirements can vary by state, all aspiring therapists should be aware of the typical qualifications of a marriage and family therapy license.
The typical educational requirement for a state license as a marriage and family therapist is a master’s degree. To get into one of these graduate programs, you can major in some type of therapy or counseling. It does not necessarily have to be marriage and family therapy. However, that might be good for getting accepted into a graduate program that teaches this field of therapy and counseling.
In the Resources section at the bottom of this article, you will see a link to a page on the AMFTRB website. Go there and find the website and other contact details for the board in your state responsible for licensing in this field. You can then find the state-based educational requirements.
Indeed, even your master’s degree does not necessarily have to be in marriage and family therapy. However, because state license boards require completion of very specific courses in this therapist field, it is best to keep it simple and complete a master’s degree that focuses specifically on marriage and family therapy. Nonetheless, some future licensees take more general courses that focus on counseling or a related field. You just have to be careful and take the right classes based on the state board’s specific educational requirements for a marriage and family therapist license.
The second major hurdle is experience. When you enroll in a quality program for counseling or marriage and family therapy, they will assist you in finding a supervised internship or other work-related training. State boards that issue licenses for marriage and family therapy always require experience to ensure that licensees have actually done therapy and counseling work in real life. This is different than many fields, such as law or accounting, where no actual work experience is required to get a license.
Note: This does not mean that you cannot get a job in marriage and family therapy without a license. What it does mean is that you can only get jobs where you are supervised by a licensed marriage and family therapist.
The last hurdle that state licensing boards require is a professional licensing exam. The Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards provides the national exam for this purpose. Visit the AMFTRB website to get more information about what is tested on this exam and how to prepare for it. You can access practice questions, an exam outline, and a list of references you can study to prepare for this therapy license exam.
Resources:
AMFTRB: Contact Information for All State Boards That Issue Licenses for Marriage and Family Therapy
Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards: License Exam Information