Licensure, Application, Examination, and Renewal
Core requirements
- A master's or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy, or a Board-approved equivalent, from an accredited institution, with required coursework.
- Supervised postgraduate clinical experience under a Board-approved supervisor. The Board's current materials describe at least two years, 2,000 direct client contact hours, and 100 supervision hours; verify the current COMAR text and forms because hour rules change.
- Passing the national MFT examination accepted by the Board, plus criminal-background and fitness checks, application, and fees.
- LGMFT is the graduate license for supervised practice; LCMFT is the independent clinical license.
Application and renewal
- Submit transcripts, supervision logs, supervisor attestations, exam scores, and disclosures. False or incomplete answers can support denial or later discipline.
- Renew biennially; the Board requires continuing education, commonly 30 hours per two-year cycle including ethics content specified by the Board. Late renewal, inactive status, and reinstatement have separate rules.
Worked example
An applicant documents 1,900 direct client contact hours and 100 supervision hours. She asks the Board to round up because she is close. The Board should deny the LCMFT application: the direct-contact threshold is not met, and hours must be documented and verified, not estimated. She may continue as an LGMFT under supervision and apply when the full requirement is met.
Traps
- Counting pre-degree or unapproved-supervisor hours.
- Missing the ethics or content-specific CE requirement.
- Assuming a national exam score substitutes for supervised experience.
- Letting a license lapse and practicing while inactive.