California Licensing

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In California, MFTs are licensed by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. California MFTs unique scope of practice centers around therapy in a social and relational context. MFTs in California can: 

  • Diagnose mental and emotional disorders
  • Treat mental and emotional disorders 
    • Affective disorders, anxiety disorders, emotional disorders of childhood/adolescence, eating disorders, sexuality issues, alcohol and drug related disorders etc. 
  • Work in a variety of settings
    • VA Centers, private practice, inpatient facilities, hospitals, schools etc. 
  • Provide couple, family, and group therapy options
  • Provide treatment planning 

To become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California, one must complete the following training and education requirements:   

  1. Qualifying Master's degree
    1. Submit transcript
  2. Register as an AMFT 
    1. Applicants cannot accrue post-degree experience without registering under the Board (except for 90 Day Rule) 
    2. Fill out AMFT Application (Linked down below)
      1. There are two different applications, In state degree or out of state degree)
        1. Out of state degrees require degree remediation for the following courses:
          1. Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention
          2. Mental Health Recovery Oriented Care and Methods of Service Delivery 
          3. California Cultures and the Social and Psychological Implications of Socioeconomic Positions
          4. Diagnosis, Assessment, Prognosis, and Treatment of Mental Disorders 
          5. Psychological Testing
          6. Psychopharmacology
          7. Development Issues from Infancy to Old Age 
          8. Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting in California
          9. Aging, Long Term Care and Elder Dependent Adult Abuse, End of Life and Grief 
          10. Spousal/Partner Abuse Assessment, Detection and Intervention 
          11. Multicultural Development and Cross Cultural Interaction 
          12. Human Sexuality 
          13. Substance Abuse Disorders
          14. Co-occurring Disorders and Addiction 
            1. See Application for additional coursework details 
    3. Costs $150
  3. Live Scan
    1. Only available in California
    1. If you are in another state, you must request a hard scan 
    2. Complete the Live Scan Service Form 
    3. $49 Fee 
  4. Criminal Background Check
  5. Take and Pass the California Law and Ethics Exam 
    1. Must request initial exam 
    2. Exam to be taken annually to renew AMFT registration 
  6. Accrue Supervised Experience
    1. All post-degree hours must be gained while registered, unless under 90 Day Rule.
    2. 3,000 total hours, over 104 weeks (minimum) required 
    3. 1,700 hours must be post-degree hours; maximum of 1,300 hours during degree training 
    4. One hour of direct supervision is required for every 5 hours of client contact  
  7. Take and Pass the LMFT Clinical Exam 
    1. Must be licensed prior to exam 
      1. See application for additional information 
    2. Schedule exam with Pearson Vue
  8. Obtain an official LMFT license 
    1. Applicants request license after passing the Clinical Exam 
      1. See link to request initial license 
Links to Resources
  • AMFT Registration, Supervision forms, Licensure Applications, Exam Requests, and Intitial License Requests are linked in the Form/Pub section of this page. 


Pages Referenced:
https://aamft.org/Consumer_Updates/MFT.aspx

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