Current through Register 1518, March 29, 2024
A candidate for licensure as a marriage and family therapist must meet the minimum requirements of 262 CMR 3.03.
(1) Clinical Member of the AAMFT. A candidate applying under this category must provide satisfactory evidence that:
(a) the applicant is currently a clinical member in good standing of the AAMFT;
(b) The applicant has achieved a passing score on the national licensing examination, or its equivalent; or
(2) The following requirements:
(a) A master's or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy or related field from a recognized educational institution.
1. Degree Completion Orior to July 1, 1999. The graduate program of study must be a minimum of 45 credit hours. If an applicant's degree was less that 45 hours, a further degree or CAGS (Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study) or it's equivalent is required, which shall meet the 60 semester hour requirement.
2. Completion after July 1, 1999. The graduate program of study required must be a minimum of 60 semester hours. If an applicant's master's or doctoral degree program of study consisted of less than 60 semester hours, evidence of completion of graduate level courses outside of the degree program in the content areas listed in 262 CMR 3.03(2)(b) sufficient to meet the 60 semester hour degree, required courses, and internship or practicum requirements must be submitted to the Board for review and approval.
(b) Successful completion of:
1. Three graduate level courses in each of the following content areas (Total courses required = nine):
a. Marital and Family Studies. Family life cycle; sociology of the family; families under stress; the contemporary family; family in a social context; the cross-cultural family; and youth/adult/aging and the family; family subsystems; individual, interpersonal relationships (marital, parental, sibling).
b. Marital and Family Therapy. Family therapy methodology; family assessment; treatment and intervention methods; overview of major clinical theories of marital and family therapy.
c. Human Development. Human development; personality theory; human sexuality; psychopathology; behavior-pathology. One course in this category must be in psychopathology or its equivalent.
2. One graduate level course in each of the following content areas (Total courses required = 2):
a. Professional Studies. Professional socialization and the role of the professional organization; legal responsibilities and liabilities; independent practice and inter professional cooperation; ethics; family law.
b. Research. Research design; methods; statistics; research in marital and family studies and therapy;
3. Clinical internship or practicum.
(3) Two Year Experience Requirement. A minimum of two years full-time, or equivalent part-time (3360 hours), post masters supervised clinical experience with individuals, family groups, couples, groups or organizations (public or private) for the purpose of assessment and intervention in a clinic or hospital licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Mental Health accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations or an equivalent center or institute, or under the direction of an approved supervisor. Private practice settings are not considered acceptable settings for this post-masters supervised clinical experience. 200 hours of supervision are required, of which 100 hours must be individual supervision. The required two years full-time, or equivalent part-time, supervised clinical experience in marriage and family therapy must include a minimum of 1000 hours of post-master's degree face-to-face contact hours of clinical experience with individuals, family groups, couples, groups or organizations (public or private) under the direction of an approved supervisor; a minimum 500 hours of which must be face-to-face contact hours of clinical experience with couples and families under the direction of an approved supervisor.
(4) Achievement of a passing score on the licensure examination.
