Licensing statute and scope of practice for marriage and family therapists
Where the license comes from
Indiana licenses marriage and family therapists under IC 25-23.6-6, inside the behavioral health article IC 25-23.6; the definitions that drive the scope language sit in IC 25-23.6-1. The credential is administered by the Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board, with applications processed by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA), and the Board's rules are codified in Title 839 of the Indiana Administrative Code. Jurisprudence questions here test whether you can name the statute, the board and the rule title, then apply the scope definition to a fact pattern instead of reciting it.
What the scope covers
- Marriage and family therapy means applying family systems and psychotherapeutic theories and techniques to assess, diagnose and treat mental, emotional, behavioral and relational disorders, and to modify intrapersonal and interpersonal dysfunction.
- Practice settings include individuals, couples, families and groups, plus assessment, treatment planning, referral, consultation and supervision of associates.
- Title protection: only a licensee may use marriage and family therapist, licensed marriage and family therapist, or LMFT. Practicing without a license or holding out with a protected title is a citable violation.
Boundary lines
No prescribing or dispensing, no holding out as a psychologist or physician, and no practice outside your training and competence. The associate credential (LMFT-A) authorizes practice only under approved supervision, so advertising must disclose the supervised status.
Worked example
An LMFT-A posts an online ad reading: Now accepting new clients, LMFT, most insurance accepted, and sees clients without telling the supervisor. Two violations surface at once: use of a title the person does not hold, and practice outside the supervised relationship. The compliant ad reads: Marriage and Family Therapist Associate, supervised by [name, LMFT], and every case runs through the supervisor's caseload review.
Traps that cost marks
- Assuming a master's degree alone confers the title.
- Assuming family therapy is unprotected language; implying licensure is what triggers the violation.
- Forgetting that billing and advertising are part of scope compliance, not just clinical work.