Or. Admin. R. 833-040-0011 - Educational Requirements for Licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist

To qualify for licensure as a marriage and family therapist under ORS 675.715(1)(b), an applicant must hold a graduate degree from one of the following:

(1) A marriage and family therapy program approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) or a marital and family therapy program fully accredited by the Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP);

(2) A program at an institution of higher learning that was accredited by a regional accrediting agency as of the date the degree was conferred; or

(3) A foreign program that has been evaluated by a credentialing body recognized by the Board. Submission of foreign degree evaluation and cost of the foreign degree qualification determination are the responsibility of the applicant.

(4) A graduate degree under section (1) must have included at least two semester credit hours or three credit quarter hours of coursework in the diagnosis of mental disorders.

(5) A graduate degree under sections (2) or (3) must have included all of the following requirements:

(a) For graduate degrees granted before October 1, 2014:

(A) At least two years in duration, including at least 48 semester credit hours or 72 quarter credit hours;

(B) At minimum, the following coursework:

(i) Human Development- four semester hours or six quarter hours;

(ii) Marital and Family Theoretical Foundation Studies- two semester hours or three quarter hours;

(iii) Marital and Family Therapy Diagnosis and Assessment, Treatment, Principles and Techniques Studies- eight semester hours or 12 quarter hours;

(iv) Professional Studies- two semester hours or three quarter hours;

(v) Research Methods or Statistics- two semester hours or three quarter hours;

(vi) Supporting Coursework Focusing on the Systems Paradigm for Specialty Areas- 16 semester hours or 24 quarter hours; and

(C) A supervised clinical practicum or internship experience of at least 600 clock hours, including 240 direct client contact hours.

(b) For graduate degrees granted on or after October 1, 2014:

(A) At least two years in duration, including at least 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of graduate-level credit;

(B) At minimum, the following graduate-level coursework:

(i) Individual and Family Development- four semester hours or six quarter hours;

(ii) Couple and Family Theoretical Foundation Studies- six semester hours or nine quarter hours;

(iii) Couple and Family Therapy, Treatment, and Techniques Studies- six semester hours or nine quarter hours;

(iv) Diagnosis of mental disorders- two semester hours or three quarter hours;

(v) Diversity studies that include issues related to diversity, power and privilege- two semester hours or three quarter hours;

(vi) Ethical and Professional Studies- two semester hours or three quarter hours;

(vii) Research Methods or Statistics- two semester hours or three quarter hours;

(viii) Supporting coursework focusing on counseling and/or systems approaches- 36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours; and

(C) A supervised clinical practicum or internship experience of at least 700 clock hours with 280 hours of direct client contact.

(c) The program's clinical practicum or internship experience must have:

(A) Had supervisory staff with a minimum of a master's degree in the program emphasis and with pertinent professional experience;

(B) Made provision for faculty monitoring of operations;

(C) Kept records of student-client contact hours including summary of student progress by the supervisor;

(D) Had a written agreement with the program and student specifying learning objectives; and

(E) Had a mechanism for program evaluation.

(d) Deficiencies in the credit hour requirements of sections (a) or (b) may be remedied by completing graduate level coursework in the deficient area(s) at a regionally accredited institution.

(e) Deficiencies in the supervised experience requirement of section (c) may be remedied by completion of:

(A) At least 700 clock hours of supervised clinical experience, including 280 direct client contact hours; or

(B) At least five years of full-time post-degree clinical experience, the majority of which must consist of work in relationship issues.

(f) For reciprocity applicants only, three years or more of active licensure to practice marriage and family therapy in another U.S. state may substitute for the requirements of Sections (a) through (c) above.

Notes

Or. Admin. R. 833-040-0011

BLPCT 1-2010, f. & cert. ef. 1-5-10; BLPCT 4-2016, f. & cert. ef. 10/10/2016; BLPCT 3-2024, amend filed 04/10/2024, effective 4/10/2024

Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 675.715 - 675.835

Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 675.715 - 675.835