Licensing Requirements For Independent Licensure:

An applicant for Independent Marriage and Family Therapist must meet the educational requirements for Independent Marriage and Family Therapist, which can be found listed under Marriage and Family Therapist license requirements. An applicant must have taken and passed the national examination for marriage and family therapy, and have the required supervised experience that meets the board requirements. In the state of Ohio, the supervised experience requirements are post licensure.

The experience must include one thousand hours of documented client contact in marriage and family therapy. During the thousand hours of client contact, the applicant must receive two hundred hours face-to-face supervision (100 hours must be individual supervision) by a supervisor whose training and experience meets the standards established by the board. The requirements are listed in Administrative Code section 4757-29-01. Click on laws and regulations on left panel of this page for a link.

Step 1:
Fill out the Request for Application form, checking the box for upgrade to IMFT. Complete a Criminal Background Check. MFT Forms

Step 2:
Document the supervision experience on the Verification of Supervised Experience for Independent Marriage and Family Therapy form.

Step 3:
Once the above documentation has been submitted, an official application for licensure will be sent to the applicant by the Board. When this has been completed and returned, the applicant's file will go before the Board at the next scheduled meeting. The Board meets every other month beginning in January.

* You may use the following as approved supervisors toward your independent licensure: an IMFT or an AAMFT-approved PCC-S, LISW-S, psychiatrist, or psychologist. Should you encounter real difficulty finding a supervisor who meets these requirements, you can send a hardship request to the Board for possible approval. Please refer to Rule 4757-29-01 for all requirements regarding supervision.