Board rules, licensure requirements, and application procedures
The credential pathway in order
Indiana's LMFT application is a sequence, and the exam likes sequence questions. First, the qualifying degree: a master's or doctoral degree with a major in marriage and family therapy, or a related degree plus the required MFT coursework and supervised practicum or internship, from a regionally accredited institution. Second, the supervised post-degree experience (tested separately in the supervision domain). Third, the national examination - the MFT National Examination produced by AMFTRB and delivered through PTC. Fourth, the Indiana jurisprudence examination covering statute and Board rule. Then licensure by the Board.
The application file
- Online PLA application and fee.
- Official transcripts sent directly from each institution to the PLA; hand-delivered or candidate-mailed transcripts are usually rejected.
- Supervisor verification of experience on the Board's forms, signed by the approved supervisor.
- Exam score transfer from the testing vendor.
- Criminal-history review, which can delay issuance if undisclosed.
Associate and endorsement routes
Candidates who still need hours apply for the LMFT-A so the hours count. Licensees from other states apply for licensure by endorsement; the Board compares education, experience and examination against Indiana standards and requires the other license to be unencumbered. Keep your address of record current with the PLA, because renewal and hearing notices go there.
Worked example
A candidate finishes 3,000 supervised hours, then applies for the associate credential. The Board reviews the file and the hours are questioned because they were earned before any Indiana credential was issued and without Board-approved supervisor verification. The lesson: identify the credential you need, hold it while accruing hours, and have the supervisor document contemporaneously.
Traps that cost marks
- Scheduling the national exam before Board approval when approval is required.
- Assuming out-of-state hours transfer automatically.
- Treating the jurisprudence exam as a formality it can be failed; it is a licensure condition.