State Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists

LICENSING PROCESS
Information Packet
The Nevada State The Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists and Clinical Professional Counselorsand Family Therapist Examiners was created for the protection of the public. The Board is empowered under NRS 641A to set minimum standards for licensing marriage and family therapists, and to over see ethical conduct of licensed therapists and registered interns in the State of Nevada.
Marriage and family therapy is a unique discipline, recognized in Nevada with the passage of NRS 641A. NRS 641A.230 allows the Board to examine candidates on their knowledge of the existing body of marriage and family therapy literature. The written portion of the examination must be passed before one may be registered as an intern. An oral examination, referred to in the Board Agenda as an interview, will be held before the internship period begins.
The enclosed materials include information and materials relating to the licensing process, and a form to request application forms necessary for both licensure and internship. If you wish to begin you application, please return the last page of this packet, with the $75 application fee. An application and further information will be sent to you.
LICENSING PROCEDURE
1.	Request application. Include non-refundable $75 fee.
2.	Send application to Board which will review application ONLY after the following are received:
	Completed application forms Official transcripts for undergraduate and graduate degrees Three references sent directly to the Board Summary of Experience for Licensing signed by internship supervisors; photocopy of license.
3.	If requirements have been met, you will be seated for the next available exam. Examinations are given in January, May, and September. [Please note that application deadline for any given exam is 3 months prior to the exam date.]
4.	4. Exam scores are received in approximately 5 weeks after the last testing day. Passing score is 70%. After exam is passed, an interview with the Board will be scheduled to review all education and experience requirements specified by statute. When all requirements are met, a license will be issued.
5.	5. A failed Exam may be retaken at the next scheduled examination date; however, the exam may be retaken only once during the year following the first exam. If the exam is failed a third time, the Board may request further education or training.

INTERNSHIP PROCEDURE
1.	Follow Steps 1-5 above (with the exception of 2.d.).
2.	Submit Internship Proposal(s) with signature(s) of supervisor(s). The Primary Supervisor must be an AAMFT Approved Supervisor or a Supervisor in Training, and must be individually approved by the Board. At least two supervisors are required, secondary supervisors may be submitted at any time. (Secondary need not be AAMFT Approved Supervisors)
3.	Internship Proposal must indicate the location of anticipated work and must contain the signature of a licensed mental health professional who will be working at the same site (not necessarily your supervisor).
4.	When the written exam is passed, after the applicant is interviewed by the Board and both the applicant and the primary supervisor are approved, the applicant may begin internship as a Registered Intern. No therapy/counseling may begin before the applicant is registered. Reporting of internship progress is required by March 15 and September 15 of each year. See forms. Missing a reporting period may terminate an internship.
5.	When internship has been completed, applicant and supervisor submit final documentation to the Board. Completion is documented by using "Form #3 Final Internship Report form Primary Supervisor". The applicant's file will then be reviewed at the next regular Board meeting and when approved, a license will be issued.
LICENSING PROVISIONS click here to view NRS 641A
641A.065 Application for license.
1.	Any person desiring licensure by the Board must submit or have submitted to the Board:
	An application completed on the forms provided by the Board. Official transcripts, which are sent directly to the Board, from each institution of higher education he attended. A total of three letters, addressed and sent directly to the Board, of personal or professional reference, written by persons who have NO familial relationship to the applicant. (d) A copy of current drivers license of the applicant. A written summary by the applicant of experiences and qualifications for licensing, i.e., documentation of internship and recommendations form supervisors, or equivalent supervised experience deemed acceptable by the Board.
2.	To have the Board act upon an application for a license at a scheduled meeting, the applicant must have filed a completed application with the Board at least 10 working day before that meeting. For good cause, the Board may allow an applicant to present material at its meeting in addition to the materials which were previously submitted to the Board.
3.	By submitting an application, an applicant grants the Board full authority to make any investigation or personal contact necessary to verify the authenticity of the matters and information stated within the application. If the Board so request, the applicant must supply such verification.
4.	The Board may appoint a subcommittee to examine an application and conduct interviews before the Board's meeting and to make recommendations for its action.
5.	The Board may require the personal appearance of the applicant.
6.	The same application which is filed for registration as an intern must be re-filed with the Board upon completion of the internship along with the completion of any portions of the application which are required for licensure.
641A.075 Degrees from accredited institutions required.
1.	For purposes of qualifying for licensure, each applicant's undergraduate and graduate degrees must be from an institution, which has been accredited by a recognized regional accrediting organization.
641A.095 Required areas of study.
1.	To Qualify for licensure, an applicant’s graduate education in marriage and family therapy must include the following areas of study:

Area of Study	Minimum Number of Courses	Minimum Number of Semester Hours of Credit	Minimum Number of Quarter Hours of Credit
Human Development (Including Human Sexuality)	2-4	6-12	8-16
Marital & Family Systems	2-4	6-12	8-16
Marital & Family Therapy	3-5	9-20	12-20
Ethics & Professional Studies	1	3	4
Supervised Clinical Practice	3	9	12
Diagnosis and Assessment	1	3	4
Research	1	3	4
Abuse of Alcohol or Controlled Substance	1	3	4

2.	The courses in supervised clinical practice required pursuant to subsection 1 must include three courses taken during three semesters or four quarters over a minimum of 1 year.

3.	The applicant must have completed at least 45 semester hours of graduate credit in courses relating to the areas of study described in subsection 1 before taking the written examination for licensure.

4.	The Board may consider graduate degrees which are comparable to degrees in marriage and family therapy, psychology or social work, and which meet the requirements for course content listed in subsection 1 regardless of the terminology used in the degree granted by the educational institution.

641A.146 Experience required for license; written reports from supervisor

	Except as otherwise provided in NAC 641A.111, Before an applicant is eligible for licensure as a Therapist, he must complete at least 3,000 hours of experience in an approved internship, including 300 hours under the direct supervision of a board-approved Supervisor. The program to provide the experience must be:
	Approved by the Board before the applicant begins the program (and) Completed within a maximum of 6 years after the Board approves the program (and) *Structured in such a way that an intern's client contact hours do not exceed 20 hours per week to be applied toward internship hours.*

	The composition of these required hours must meet Board approval. The registered Intern must perform the following activities in order to fulfill the requirements:
	*A minimum of 1500 direct client contact hours, performed after applicant has become a Registered Intern.* 300 hours of supervision, including a minimum of 160 provided by an Approved supervisor, and a minimum of 40 hours provided by a secondary supervisor(s).
	The remaining required hours may be met in the same way, up to the required minimum total hours; or the following activities may be submitted for consideration by the Board as fulfillment of the requirements:
	*A maximum of 300 hours as a group facilitator.* *A maximum of 150 hours of personal therapy, documented by a licensed mental health therapist.* A maximum of 200 hours of documented teaching by the intern in such formats as parent education, family education, workshops, or similar teaching activities, to be agreed upon by the Primary Supervisor. A maximum of 50 hours, documented, in additional training, such as university graduate work, a pre-approved workshop, or other training/education activities agreed upon by the Primary Supervisor. A maximum of 500 hours of direct client contact, performed in a graduate program of study, documented, with supervision of at least 100 hours provided by a University Supervisor.

MFT APPLICATION INFORMATION
MFT LICENSE APPLICATION (pdf)
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