Marriage and Family Therapist License Requirements in Wyoming

Wyoming marriage and family therapists are licensed by the Mental Health Professions Licensing Board.

A professional is eligible for licensure as a Provisional Marriage and Family Therapist, or PMFT, after he has completed a master’s degree in the field. This is a temporary status. The PMFT will become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, or LMFT, after completing a supervised practice requirement and passing a licensing examination. Out-of-state LMFTs may apply by reciprocity.

Select a Wyoming MFT License topic…

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

PMFT/ LMFT Requirement: Education

A prospective PMFT/LMFT should complete a program in marriage and family therapy or marriage and family counseling that is accredited by COAMFTE or CACREP. Other MFT programs are acceptable if they are offered by regionally accredited schools and meet standards that are equivalent to those of COAMFTE- and CACREP-accredited programs. Instructors and internship supervisors should possess similar credentials.

At least 48 total semester hours will be required.

The program must include nine semester hours in each of the following subject areas:

• Individual and family development: This course material should cover normal and abnormal development across the lifespan. Courses may cover child development, human sexuality, and personality development. Career development is acceptable, but tests and measurement is not.
• MFT theoretical knowledge: Material should cover the historical development of the profession and the major models. Courses may include systems theory, gender and cultural issues within a family context, and family subsystems.
• MFT clinical knowledge: Content should prepare the therapist to treat a range of presenting problems. Courses may cover various types of MFT treatment (for example, object relations family therapy or behavioral family therapy) but must focus on MFT – the Board does not accept survey courses in which MFT is treated as one of multiple mental health approaches.

The course of study must include three semester hours in each of the following subject areas:

• Professional knowledge and ethics: The AAMFT code of ethics should be covered, as well as other legal, ethical, and professional identity concepts. Religious ethics will not be accepted as meeting the requirement.
• Research: Research methodology and evaluation should be covered. MFT research should get substantial emphasis.

There must also be a practicum or internship in the graduate program. A full description of the required coursework is found in Chapter 10 of the Board’s rules and regulations (http://plboards.state.wy.us/mentalhealth/pdf/RulesRegs/Chapter10.pdf).

LMFT Requirement: Supervised Practice

The PMFT will need to work under supervision for a minimum of 18 months. He will need to accrue at least 3,000 hours of work experience. At least 1,200 must be direct service provision.

While the therapist holds this status, he must be under both administrative and clinical supervision. He is not authorized for private practice.

Over the course of the supervision period, the PMFT must have at least 100 hours of individual or triadic supervision by a Qualified Clinical Supervisor. This comes to one hour of supervision for every 30 hours worked. Wyoming does not accept supervision carried out in group settings where there are more than two supervisees in attendance. The PMFT must complete a supervision agreement and seek board approval before beginning. Assuming he has already been issued a license, he may email or fax his supervisory agreement. He must prepare a professional disclosure statement that delineates the nature of the supervisory relationship.

Changes in supervision must be reported to the Board. Supervision is to be completed within a three year period.

PMFTs Licensed Before January 2, 2011

PMFTs who were licensed before January 2, 2011 are allowed to carry over some experience hours from their graduate programs.

LMFT Requirement: Examination

The candidate will need to pass the national board examination developed by the Association of Marital and Family Therapists Regulatory Boards. Once approved by the Wyoming Board, he may schedule an examination through Professional Examination Service. There are four testing windows each year; it is necessary to register at least a week before the start of a testing window. The AMFTRB lists examination windows and deadlines for both the current and coming year (http://www.amftrb.org/exam.cfm). A candidate will need to pay a total of $295 in testing fees.

Wyoming allows three examination attempts. A fourth attempt may be permitted provided there is a remediation plan in place.

The Application Process

An in-state candidate will apply the first time after he has met educational requirements. The candidate does not have to submit a supervision agreement in order to be licensed, but must submit it before he begins work.

The candidate may download application materials from the Board site (http://plboards.state.wy.us/mentalhealth/instrguide.aspx). If the candidate did not graduate from a COAMFTE-accredited program, the candidate will need to fill out a transcript evaluation, listing which courses met particular content area requirements.

The candidate must remit a $150 fee. The candidate must also submit proof of citizenship or lawful presence. It is required that the candidate be a resident of the United States, but not necessarily a resident of Wyoming. All professional licenses and certifications, past or present, must be listed on the application form. However, the examination candidate should not submit license verification unless requested.

The Board will send an email upon receipt of these materials.

A candidate must request three professional references upon first application. Officials transcripts will be required as well.

The PMFT will submit the “completing provisional” application packet once all requirements have been met. The PMFT will pay a $200 fee at this time.

A candidate who completes supervision in another state and applies for the first time at the LMFT level will pay a $350 fee.

LMFT by Reciprocity

An LMFT who holds a current license that is in good standing in another state may apply by reciprocity. the LMFT will need to have official license verification submitted from the state of licensing. The LMFT will fill out the top portion of the verification form and submit it to the board along with whatever fee they require. The LMFT will also need to have references submitted to the Board.

A candidate for license by reciprocity will not submit official transcripts or fill out the transcript evaluation form unless the candidate is specifically requested to do so.

If the candidate was licensed on the basis of some exam other than the AMFTRB one, the Board may, at their discretion, choose to accept it.

Intermittent Practice by Out-of-State LMFTs

LMFTs who live in another state and hold licensing in that state may practice in Wyoming only on a limited/ occasional basis without seeking Wyoming licensure. Thirty days is the maximum that is allowed within a calendar year. LMFTs must be sure that they are practicing within the perimeters of one of the exception categories outlined in W.S. 33-38-103.

Contacts and Additional Information

Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board (http://plboards.state.wy.us/mentalhealth/).

The licensing specialist can be reached by phone at (307) 777-3628.

An additional resource is the Wyoming Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (http://wyamft.org)

MFT Programs in Wyoming