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Navigating the MFT Licensing Process

Introduction

The Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) is the regulatory agency responsible for licensing Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) in the State of California. The BBS also licenses clinical social workers (LCSW) and educational psychologists (LEP). Currently, the BBS has over 65,000 active licensees and registrants.  

The MFT Licensing Process in a Nutshell

We need to gather an understanding of the “big picture” of the MFT licensing process before we discuss the more detailed aspects of this process. Any person pursuing an MFT license in California will probably follow a similar path:

1. Get your qualifying masters degree (and pick up some supervised experience while you are at it)
2. Register with the BBS as an MFT Intern
3. Gain the rest of your supervised experience (and complete any additional coursework required of you)
4. Apply for MFT examination eligibility
5. Pass the MFT Standard Written Examination
6. Pass the MFT Written Clinical Vignette Examination
7. Get your official MFT license

Different individuals might take a slightly unique path towards licensure depending on whether or not they move out of state or take a few years off. However, the vast majority of future MFTs will follow a path much like the one described in 1-7 above.

A Detailed Look at How to Become an MFT in California

As you might assume, the entire process of becoming an MFT in California takes years to complete. The process involves a variety of forms, applications, and examinations. This handout (and the accompanying presentation) provides you with valuable information on how to make the licensure process a smooth one. 

MFT Intern Registration Process

You will apply to be a registered MFT Intern upon graduation from your qualifying degree program. The application is easily accessible in the “Forms and Publications” section of the BBS Web site.

The MFT Intern registration application can be broken down into four parts:

1. One page application form
2. Official school transcripts with the degree posted
3. Program certification
4. Live Scan receipt

The one page application requests the applicant to fill out some basic information. The applicant also requires a passport sized (2X2) photo. The applicant should pay particular attention to the address entered on this application. As required by law, the BBS must post the address of record for all its registrants and licensees on the Internet or provide it over the phone or in writing if requested by the public. Consider using a business or post office box address to protect your privacy.

The school transcripts must be in the school’s sealed envelope and have the qualifying degree date posted.
A faculty member at your school will fill out the program certification form. Inquire with your department to determine who fills out the program certification form at your school.

A copy of your Live Scan receipt should also accompany your application. You should get your fingerprints done before you send in your MFT Intern application to the BBS. The forms for Live Scan fingerprinting and the instructions are included in the MFT Intern registration application.

The Board advises, whenever possible, to send in a complete application package (e.g. items 1-4 in one package). Whenever sending important documents to the Board, make photocopies prior to mailing and consider using a “priority mailing service” with delivery confirmation and a tracking feature.

NOTE: You must become registered with the BBS prior to beginning employment in a private practice setting. 

The 90-Day Rule

As an MFT Trainee in school, you are allowed to gain hours of supervised work experience; then, you graduate and apply to the BBS to receive a registration number to continue gaining hours of supervised work experience. So what happens during the period of time immediately after graduation, but before you get your registration number? You will need time to get your MFT Intern registration application materials together after you graduate, but what about the time you spend working right after you graduate? Will you lose those hours?

In short, the answer is “no,” provided that you apply for your MFT Intern registration number within 90 days of your degree conferral date (in most cases your graduation day) and are thereafter granted a registration number. The hours of qualifying supervised work experience that you gain after you graduate will be accepted as long as you have your MFT Intern application postmarked no later than 90 days after your degree conferral date.

Additional Coursework Requirements

In addition to your qualifying degree, you will also have to complete some additional coursework requirements. In essence, these requirements are in place to ensure you have education in key subject matter areas.

1. Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting (7 hours)
2. Human Sexuality (10 hours)
3. Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency (1 semester unit; must be in your degree program if your school is in California)
4. Spousal/Partner Abuse (15 hours; must be in your degree program if your school is in California)
5. Psychological Testing (2 semester units or 3 quarter units)
6. Psychopharmacology (2 semester units or 3 quarter units)
7. California Law and Professional Ethics (2 semester units or 3 quarter units)
8. Aging and Long Term Care (10 hours)

These additional coursework requirements are often incorporated into the curriculum of a qualifying MFT degree program. To see which courses from your school fulfill these requirements, visit the “Schools” section of the BBS Web site.

If you graduate and still need to take some of these courses, you can take them after you graduate from accredited or approved universities; county, state, or governmental entities; or approved Continuing Education (CE) Providers. A list of approved  (CE) approved providers is available on the “Forms and Publications” section of the BBS Web site.

Required Supervised Work Experience

In addition to your degree and additional coursework, you are required to accrue a significant amount of supervised work experience. You must accrue 3,000 hours of supervised work experience and 104 weeks of supervision. Both the supervised work experience and the weeks of supervision are broken down into categories.

This experience must be gained under the supervision of a licensed mental health professional. Depending on the type license your supervisor holds, he or she needs to meet different requirements in order to supervise your hours. Generally, your supervisor must maintain one of the following licenses and meet the following requirements:

1. Marriage and Family Therapists – must be licensed for two years, take a six-hour supervision course every two years, and hold a valid license
2. Licensed Clinical Social Workers - must be licensed for two years, take a six-hour supervision course every two years, and hold a valid license
3. Licensed Psychologist - must be licensed for two years and hold a valid license
4. Licensed Physicians nationally board certified in psychiatry - must be licensed for two years and hold a valid license

For a detailed list of other supervisor requirements please see the Responsibility Statement for Supervisors of a MFT Trainee or Intern.

Check Your Supervisor’s License

You cannot gain hours under someone holding an invalid (delinquent) license. You can verify the status of your supervisor’s license anonymously using the BBS’ “Online License Verification” feature.

104 Weeks of Supervision

Any week in which an MFT Trainee or Intern participates in one hour of individual supervision or two hours of group supervision counts as one supervised week. Of your 104 required weeks of supervision, 52 of those weeks must be weeks in which you meet with your individual supervisor for at least an hour.

You will need to be supervised in order to accrue work experience, so you will be completing the 104 supervised week requirement and the 3,000 hours of work experience requirement simultaneously. You must complete both requirements, however, before you can apply for examination eligibility. 

3,000 Hours of Supervised Work Experience

The 3,000 hours of supervised work experience breaks down into different categories.

• A, Direct Counseling Experience
  • 1. Individual Psychotherapy (no minimum or maximum)
  • 2, Couples, Family, and Children (minimum 500 hours)
  • 3. Group Psychotherapy (maximum 500 hours)
  • 4. Telephone Counseling (maximum 250 hours)
  • 5. Telemedicine Counseling (maximum 125 hours)
• B. Non-clinical Experience
  • 1. Administering and Evaluating Psychological Tests, Writing Clinical Reports, Writing Progress Notes or Process Notes (maximum 250 hours)
  • 2. Workshops, Seminars, Training Sessions, and Conferences (maximum 250 hours)
• C. Personal Psychotherapy (maximum 300 credited hours [100 actual hours])
• D. Supervision (both individual and group supervision counts as work experience)

As a Trainee you can claim experience in all categories with the exception of Administering and Evaluating Psychological Tests, Writing Clinical Reports, Writing Progress Notes or Process Notes (B1). The maximum amount of hours that a Trainee can accrue while still in his or her degree program is 1,300 hours:

(750 max counseling and supervision [A1-A5, D]) + (250 workshops, seminars, training sessions or conferences [B2]) + (300 credited personal psychotherapy hours [C]) = 1,300 maximum

40 hours of work experience is the maximum amount of work experience that you can claim in a week, and five hours of work experience is the maximum amount of supervision you can claim towards work experience in a given week. You may need to gain additional hours of supervision per week in order to comply with your counseling experience to supervision ratio.

Counseling Experience-Supervision Ratio

In order to claim direct counseling experience (anything in category A), you must obtain the proper amount of supervision. Depending on whether you are an MFT Trainee or a registered Intern, you must comply with a direct counseling experience - supervision ratio.
NOTE: For our purposes, a unit of supervision can be either one-hour of individual supervision or two hours of group supervision.

As an MFT Trainee, you will be required to obtain one unit of supervision for every five hours of direct counseling experience. As an MFT Intern, you will be required to obtain one unit of supervision for every ten hours of direct counseling experience.

The BBS calculates this ratio using the total amount of supervision and direct counseling experience gained in a setting. In effect this means that if you didn’t meet your ratio for a particular week, you can make up for that deficit by taking on additional supervision (or fewer clients) in a subsequent week. 

For example, Jennifer, a registered MFT Intern, wants to determine if she met her supervision-direct counseling ratio over a three-week period. In week one, she accumulated 25 hours of direct counseling experience and had one hour of individual supervision and two hours of group supervision (two supervision units). In week two, she accumulated 15 hours of direct counseling experience and had two hours of group supervision (one supervision unit). In week three, she accumulated 20 hours of direct counseling experience and had two hours of individual supervision and two hours of group supervision (three supervision units). Over the three-week period, Jennifer accumulated 60 hours of direct counseling experience and six units of supervision. She met her ratio in this example.

How does the ratio work for the experience I gain immediately after graduation?

Recall that as long as you apply for your MFT Intern registration number within 90 days of your degree conferral date and are thereafter granted your registration, you can claim the hours you accrue post-graduation but pre-registration. This period of time will fall under the 1:10 ratio for supervision to direct counseling experience.

Forms

While gaining your hours you will use the following forms:

• Responsibility Statement for Supervisors of an MFT Trainee or Intern (Your supervisor signs this form)
• Weekly Summary of Hours of Experience (You log your weekly hours on this form; the supervisor signs off)
• MFT Experience Verification (You total up all your hours from a setting or under a supervisor on this form; the supervisor signs off)

Applying for Exam Eligibility and Tips Relating to the Exam Process

The MFT Examination Eligibility Application is available in the Forms and Publications section of the BBS Web site. You will send in your MFT Experience Verification forms and any verification of completion of additional coursework with this application package. The application includes a checklist to assist you in sending all the correct materials.

The Six-Year Rule

Hours of experience must be gained no more than six years immediately preceding the date on which you filed your application for MFT examination eligibility. The only exception is a maximum of 500 hours of experience as a Trainee (direct counseling and supervision) that may be older than six years.

Example:  Susan applies for MFT examinaiton eligibility.  The Board receives her application on 4/27/2009. All of the hours she gained between 4/27/2003 and 4/27/2009 will be acceptable. If needed, she could count up to 500 hours of direct counseling and supervision gained as a Trainee that are older than 4/27/2003.

Once your application is approved, you will begin the process of taking your examinations (the Standard Written and the Written Clinical Vignette Examination). Once you are in the examination process, meeting your examination deadlines is critical. Failing to meet an examination deadline results in the abandonment of your examination eligibility and requires you to resubmit an application to become re-eligible. Once you pass both examinations, you can apply to receive your Marriage and Family Therapist license.

For more information please visit the Applicant/Registrant section of the BBS Web site (www.bbs.ca.gov/app-reg/index.shtml).

Updated: August 18, 2008