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Applicants

When filing Application for National Examination in MFT, please ensure you are using version 11/2014. Older application versions will not be accepted after December 1, 2014.

Note for Recent Graduates:  The Board recommends that recent graduates working in a therapy-related practice not utilize the designation "MA MFT" or "MS MFT" on business cards or advertising materials (e.g. "John Smith, MA MFT" or "Sue Jones, MS MFT"). Usage of these letters to denote an earned graduate degree have resulted in complaints alleging unlicensed practice of marriage and family therapy by the individual (as "MFT" is recognized and regularly used as an abbreviation for "marriage and family therapist," a protected practice term), or cause confusion for members of the public who mistake the letters as a representation of licensed status by the provider.

MFT licensure in Minnesota is a 4-step process: education, national exam, post-graduate experience, and state Licensure exam. 

First, a graduate degree must be obtained that satisfies educational requirements set forth in Minnesota Statute 148B.33, subd. 5: 

148B.33 REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE

Subdivision 1. Documentary evidence of qualifications. An applicant for a license shall furnish evidence that the applicant: 
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    (5)(i) has completed a master's or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a program in a regionally accredited educational institution or from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy; or (ii) has completed a master's or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited educational institution in a related field for which the course work is considered by the board to be equivalent to that provided in clause (5)(i); 

Students interested in MFT licensure in Minnesota should check with their school to determine if it is COAMFTE-accredited. If it is, your coursework satisfies MN licensure requirements. If it is not, equivalency requirements are set forth in Minnesota Rule 5300.0140. Coursework and graduate practicum requirements are clearly spelled out in this rule. The Application for National Examination contains the required practicum affidavit on page 5 and a coursework equivalency grid on page 7. If an applicant has questions regarding whether coursework satisfies the MFT licensure requirements, it is recommended that s/he first discuss the matter with an advisor at the academic institution prior to contacting the Board.

After obtaining the required degree an Application for National Examination  is filed with the Board. The Board’s application committee reviews the application to verify that academic and practicum requirements are satisfied. If approved by the Board, the applicant may then apply to take the national MFT exam at a day and time selected by the applicant.

An applicant must also complete a minimum of two years/4000 hours of post-graduate supervised experience in the practice of MFT. For more information regarding the 4000 post-graduate hours, review the document “ Breakdown of Post-Graduate Supervised Experience ." Note that all required hours of direct client contact must be completed under the supervision of a Board-approved LMFT supervisor. Last, after passing the national exam and completing the required number of post-graduate supervised experience hours, an applicant can apply to the Board to take the state (oral) licensure exam, by completing an Application for State Licensure . 

Licensure by reciprocity is also available to an individual holding an MFT license from another jurisdiction if the Board determines that the standards for licensure in effect when the individual was previously licensed are at least equivalent to or exceed the current requirements for licensure in Minnesota. A reciprocity candidate must complete an  Application for Licensure by Reciprocity.