Marriage and Family Therapist License Requirements in Nevada

Nevada’s marriage and family therapists are regulated by the State Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists. Candidates first come under board jurisdiction after they have completed the required education and are ready to begin their internships.

After supervised experience has been completed, a candidate may be credentialed as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, or LMFT.

Testing will be required at more than one point along the way.

Select a Nevada MFT License topic…

• Education Requirements
• Background Check
• Supervision Requirements
• MFT Exam
• MFT Applications & Related Materials (Link to Forms)
• Licensure by Endorsement
• Contact Information: Board, Professional Organizations and MFT Programs

LMFT / MFT Intern Requirements: Education

A candidate must earn a graduate degree from a regionally accredited institution. Coursework may be in marital and family therapy or a related field. The candidate will need at least 45 semester hours of coursework in core areas before applying to the board for intern status.

The candidate will need three to five courses in marriage and family therapy.

The candidate will need two to four courses in each of the following areas:

• human development
• marital and family studies

Additionally, the candidate will need a course in each of the following areas:

• Alcohol/ substance abuse
• Diagnosis and assessment
• Professional studies and ethics
• Research

The student should have three classes that provide supervised field experience; the practicum work should be spread out over the course of at least a year.

For documentation purposes, a class is considered to be three semester hours or four quarter hours.

An MFT candidate must register their supervision before beginning supervised practice. The candidate will need to provide transcripts from both graduate and undergraduate studies. (While there are no specific coursework requirements at the undergraduate level, the Board does stipulate that the degree come from an institution that holds regional accreditation.)

The required forms are available on the Board site (http://marriage.nv.gov/Internship/).

Criminal Background Check for Nevada MFT Licensure

An applicant will need two criminal background checks, one from the Nevada Department of Public Safety and one from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Instructions are found in a document on the board site (http://marriage.nv.gov/Applications/). Applicants should make sure that they have the most current information before initiating the process. The Nevada Board can be reached at (702) 486-7388.

The Nevada Board recommends that the fingerprint process be initiated at the time of application. Otherwise, it could cause delays.

LMFT Requirements: Supervised Work Experience

The supervised MFT intern will need to accrue at least 3,000 hours of work-related experience. At least 1,500 must be earned in direct service provision. At least 300 must be spent in supervisory sessions under the guidance of qualified professionals.

Many activities may be applied toward the remaining 1,200 hours. However, there is a maximum number of hours that counted in the following areas:

• Group facilitation: 300 hours
• Teaching (including family education and workshops): 200 hours
• Training (including pre-approved workshops): 50 hours

The intern may also count up to 150 hours of therapy that the intern personally receives. This will need to be documented.

The intern should not spend more than 20 hours a week providing services – this is the maximum that can be counted toward internship requirements.

The intern will need at least two supervisors during this time. The primary supervisor must be approved by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. The intern will need at least 160 hours of direct supervision by this individual. A minimum of 40 must be earned under a secondary supervisor. Secondary supervisors do not need to be AAMFT-approved. They do, however, need to be approved by the Nevada Board. It is generally expected that a secondary supervisor will also be an LMFT. However, the Board will sometimes approve a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker who has had training in supervision.

An intern may change or add secondary supervisors as needed, but must submit the necessary paperwork to the Nevada Board. The intern should stay with the primary supervisor for duration.

An intern is allowed to engage in private practice under certain conditions. There must be an LMFT, social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist on-site. The intern must accurately represent their status to clients.

The intern may work part-time. However, all requirements are to be completed within a six year time period.

Progress must be reported twice a year, in March and September. Forms are available on the Board site. The primary supervisor will report hours spent in various work-related activities. The supervisor will also indicate whether the intern is making adequate process; if the supervisor feels that further training is warranted, the supervisor will note that. Secondary supervisors will also report the supervision hours that they provided. A report must be made to the board every time, even if the candidate did not accrue hours during a given period.

The final report will be on a different form. Review will take place at the next board meeting, provided the documentation is received 10 business days prior.

MFT Examination

Nevada uses the national marriage and family therapy exam. A candidate can view upcoming dates on the board site. The candidate will need to turn in an application to the Nevada Board at least one to two months in advance of the time the candidate wishes to test.

The examinee will receive test scores approximately five weeks after testing. Assuming the candidate passes, the candidate will be scheduled for an interview/ oral exam.

If the candidate fails the written exam, the candidate may retake it. The candidate may take the next scheduled exam, but is allowed only one retake that year. The candidate may take the exam for the third time the following year. In the event of a third failure, the board may impose additional conditions.

If a candidate does not take an exam within a year of the time the candidate has been made eligible, or does not retake it within a year of a failed attempt, the candidate is considered to have a lapsed application. If the candidate still wants to be licensed or registered, the candidate will need to reapply.

Candidates may visit the site of the Association of Marital and Family Regulatory Boards to learn more about exam content (http://www.amftrb.org/exam.cfm).

The Nevada MFT Application Process

A candidate may request an application packet from the board or download materials (http://marriage.nv.gov/Applications/). The candidate will need three professional references; these are to be sent directly to the Board.

A $75 fee is required for application.

Out-of-State MFTs seeking Licensure in Nevada

A professional who is licensed as an MFT in another jurisdiction will need to provide evidence of having met Nevada’s supervision requirements. The Board notes that supervised experience that was completed while pursuing licensure in a field other than MFT will not be accepted.

The out-of-state candidate must submit an experience verification form and a copy of the license. The out-of-state candidate should request official license verification from their state board. The out-of-state candidate should request an official score report from the testing company as well.

Contacts and Additional Information

Nevada State Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists (http://marriage.state.nv.us/)

Nevada Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: http://www.nevadaamft.org/

Marriage and Family Therapy Programs in Nevada