SECTION 86:15-5-3. Academic and experience requirements

(a)   Fulfillment of Section 1925.6, subsection B of the LMFT Act. Persons applying for licensure must have fulfilled the requirements listed in Section 1925.6, Subsection B of the LMFT Act.

(b)   Academic requirements. Applicants must possess at least a masters degree in marital and family therapy or in a mental health, behavioral science, or counseling related field from a college or university accredited by one of the following six regional accrediting associations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education: The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Northwestern Association of Schools and Colleges; The Western Association of Schools and Colleges, or The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools which is content-equivalent to a graduate degree in marital and family therapy.. or;

(c)   Degree requirements. Applicants must possess at least a masters degree in marital and family therapy or in a mental health, behavioral science, or counseling related field from a degree program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE).

(d)   Coursework requirements. In order to qualify as a "content-equivalent" degree, a graduate transcript must document the minimum number of graduate hours and knowledge areas listed below. Academic courses (3 semester hours or 4 quarter credit hours) must include a minimum of 45 class hours for each course.

(1)   Theoretical Foundations of Marital and Family Systems - any course which deals primarily in areas such as family life cycle; theories of family development; marriage and/or the family; sociology of the family; families under stress; the contemporary family; family in a social context; the cross-cultural family; youth/adult/aging and the family; family subsystems; individual, interpersonal relationships (marital, parental, sibling). (3 courses: 9 semester or 12 quarter hours.)

(2)   Assessment and Treatment in Marital and Family Therapy -any course which deals primarily in areas such as family therapy methodology; family assessment; treatment and intervention methods; overview of major clinical theories of marital and family therapy such as: communications, contextual, experiential, object relations, strategic, structural, systemic, transgenerational. (3 courses: 9 semester or 12 quarter hours.)

(3)   Human Development - any course which deals primarily in areas such as human development; personality theory; human sexuality, psychopathology; at least one of which must be in psychopathology or abnormal human behavior. (3 courses: 9 semester or 12 quarter hours.)

(4)   Ethics and Professional Studies - any course which deals primarily in areas such as professional socialization and the role of the professional organization; legal responsibilities and liabilities; independent practice and interprofessional cooperation; ethics; family law. (1 course: 3 semester or 4 quarter hours.)

(5)   Research - any course which deals primarily in areas such as research design, methods, statistics; research in marital and family studies and therapy. (1 course: 3 semester or 4 quarter hours.)

(6)   Practicum/Internship (at least 300 clock hours.)

(e)   International degrees. For applicants with international degrees, the Board shall review the applications of applicants for licensure under this Chapter who have received a post-secondary degree from an educational institution outside the United States. The Board shall determine whether the applicant's experience, command of the English language, and completed academic program meet the standards of an academic program of an accredited educational institution.

(f)   Experience requirement.

(1)   Applicants must complete two (2) calendar years of work in marital and family therapy following the receipt of the qualifying degree.

(2)   These two years must be completed under a supervisor approved by the Board.

(g)   Examination. Applicants must achieve a passing score on the

LMFT examinations.

[Source: Added at 32 Ok Reg 159, eff 4-23-14 (emergency); Added at 32 Ok Reg 1569, eff 9-11-15; Amended at 37 Ok Reg 1032, eff 9-11-20]