Becoming a marriage/family therapist in Minnesota requires four major prerequisites before earning a license: education, the national board examination, supervised practice, and an oral exam.  You first become certified as an LAMFT (Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist) before becoming certified as a LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist).

A passing grade on the written exam is needed to earn the title of LAMFT, then after the oral test licensing for LMFT is secured.

Education

The coursework required includes:

  • 9-12 quarter hours of human development
  • 9 semester hours of marital and family studies
  • 9 semester hours of marital and family therapy
  • 3 semester hours of professional studies
  • 3 hours of research
  • 300 hours of client contact

These hours to be completed at an accredited institution, and if it isn’t through a COAMFTE (Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education) institution, appropriate documentation is needed to provide credibility.

National Board Examination

Once the education is completed, an application is required to be filled out with the Minnesota Board two/three months prior to a testing period.  The application establishes that you have completed all requirements to become a certified LAMFT, and includes a practicum affidavit.

The cost is $220 to the Minnesota Board, as well as a $220 fee to the Professional Examination Service for testing.  Then, a $75 fee is assessed for Thompson-Prometric for the computerized test they provide.  The testing sight is relative to where you prefer to take the test, which can be found through the link at the end of this.

Supervised Practice

After being certified as LAMFT, 4,000 hours of experience must be completed in which 1,000 are face-to-face with clients and 500 of which are with couples/groups.  The diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, as well as the maintenance of the doctor/patient relationship is where the thousand hours will be accumulated.  The 3,000 hours that is not required to be with patients can be counted towards general paperwork, meetings, and continuing education.

You will be required to have at least 200 hours with a supervisor, where half of the time will be with up to six supervisors.  The other half will be one-on-one or one-on-two, which is considered individual.

Once the 4,000 hours are finished, the supervisor will sign off on the candidate’s experience and have it notarized.

Oral Exam

The last requirement before becoming a fully licensed marriage and family therapist is the oral exam.  This consists of your knowledge on law, ethics, and professional responsibility.  Following this test, an application that requires a $110 fee and two professional references that need to be completed, notarized, and submitted to the Minnesota Board.

The board will then ask you to come before them and evaluate whether or not you passed, at which point you successfully finished the process of becoming a licensed LMFT.

 

The full rundown of what is included in the test, dates, and practice materials can be found on their site here: https://www.amftrb.org/exam.cfm

Behavioral Health Legal Package

We offer a Behavioral Health Practice – Full Legal Set Up Package! This package is for mental health professionals in Minnesota, including solo Therapists, Psychologists, Counselors, LICSW, and LMFTs! To learn more, click the button below.

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