Licensing

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

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

148B.33 REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE

Subdivision 1.  Documentary evidence of qualifications.  An applicant for a license shall furnish evidence that the applicant: 

(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 Administrative Rule 5300.0140.  Coursework and graduate practicum requirements are clearly spelled out in this rule.  A visual representation of the education requirements can be found on page 8 of the Application for National Examination.  Page 6 of the Application for National Examination contains the required practicum affidavit. 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.

The remaining steps of licensure include filing an Application for National Examination 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. 

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” listed below.  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.

Licensure by reciprocity is also available to an individual holding an MFT license from another licensing jurisdiction if the Board determines that the standards for licensure in effect when the individual was licensed in the other state or country are at least equivalent to or exceed the current requirements for licensure in Minnesota.

Upcoming National Exam Schedule & Deadlines:

Exam Window:                                                                            Application Deadline:

• September 12, 2011 to October 8, 2011 ................................. July 6, 2011
  
• January 16, 2012 to February 11, 2012...................................  November 10, 2011
  
• May 21, 2012 to June 16, 2012..............................................  March 14, 2012
  
• August 13, 2012 to September 8, 2012 ...................................June 6, 2012
  
• October 22, 2012 to November 17, 2012 ................................. August 15, 2012 
  
  The deadlines listed above apply to new applicants.  If you are retaking the exam, please contact the Board office for PES application materials.  PES will accept applications up to two (2) weeks prior to the start of an exam window.