Licensed Marital and Family Therapist

Definitions and Acronyms

• BBHL          =      Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure
• LMFT          =      Licensed Marital and Family Therapist
• COAMFTE   =     Commission on Accreditation For Marriage and Family Therapy
• CCE             =     Center for Credentialing & Education

General

Neither the Board nor Board’s staff can provide academic advisement. Applicants with questions related to coursework availability, enrollment requirements, or qualifying coursework transfers, and all other program specific questions must contact an advisor at a qualifying degree program for additional information.

All applicants for licensure must submit a complete application to the Board to qualify for an academic review. The Board must receive an official transcript to verify that academic requirements have been met. Applicants may arrange for either of the following:

• The university bursar sends an electronic, password-protected transcript to info.behavioralhealth@bbhl.ok.gov; or
• A sealed transcript is mailed directly to the BBHL office.

If an official transcript is not yet available at the time of application, an applicant may apply using an unofficial transcript together with a Verification of Academic Standing. The following sequence then applies:

1. The applicant submits an unofficial transcript and a Verification of Academic Standing in place of the official transcript.
2. The Board may grant a conditional, Board-approved exam eligibility period on that basis.
3. The applicant must submit an official transcript before the application is deemed complete.

The regional accreditation requirement applies to all graduate degree programs and the regional accreditation requirements must be met for all academic pathways described below. All graduate coursework applied toward licensure must be accrued from a college or university that holds regional accreditation recognized by one of the following regional accrediting associations (or their predecessors or successors):

• New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE)
• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSCHE)
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
• WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

LMFT applicants must possess at least a master's degree in marital and family therapy, or in a related mental health, behavioral science, or counseling field deemed substantially content equivalent.

In order to qualify as a "content equivalent" degree, a graduate transcript must document the minimum number of graduate hours and knowledge areas listed below. Academic courses, three (3) semester hours or four (4) quarter credit hours, must include a minimum of 45 class hours for each course.

• Theoretical Foundations of Marital and Family Systems – at least three (3) courses which deals with one or more of the following areas: family life cycle; theories of family development; marriage and/or the family; sociology of the family; families under stress; the contemporary family; family in a social context; the cross-cultural family; youth/adult/aging and the family; family subsystems; individual, interpersonal relationships (marital, parental,sibling).
• Assessment and Treatment in Marital and Family Therapy - at least three (3) courses which deals with one or more of the following areas: family therapy methodology; family assessment; treatment and intervention methods; overview of major clinical theories of marital and family therapy such as: communications, contextual, experiential, object relations, strategic, structural, systemic, transgenerational.
• Human Development – at least three (3) courses which deals with one or more of the following areas: human development; personality theory; human sexuality, psychopathology. At least one (1) course must be in psychopathology or abnormal human behavior.
• Ethics and Professional Studies – at least one (1) course which deals with one or more of the following areas: professional socialization and the role of the professional organization; legal responsibilities and liabilities; independent practice and interprofessional cooperation; ethics; family law.
• Research – at least one (1) course which deals with one or more of the following areas: research design, methods, statistics; research in marital and family studies and therapy.
• Practicum/Internship - at least one (1) course of an organized practicum or internship with at least three hundred (300) clock hours in marital and family therapy with planned experiences providing classroom and field experience with clients under the supervision of college or university approved marital and family therapy professionals.

The Board of Behavioral Health Licensure provides four pathways for the review of academic requirements for licensure:

• Pathway 1 — National Accreditation
• Pathway 2 — Licensure by Endorsement
• Pathway 3 — Board Pre-Approved Degree Program (In-State Only)
• Pathway 4 — Designated Credentialing Agency Review

Pathway 1: National Accreditation

The Board accepts all programs certified by COAMFTE for LMFT applications. Programs accredited by COAMFTE do not require any additional academic review.

Pathway 2: Licensure by Endorsement

An application for licensure by endorsement does not require an additional academic review. However, the degree earned must be primary source verified through receipt of an official transcript.

Pathway 3: Board Pre-Approved Degree Program (In-State Only)

The Board has pre-approved certain in-state graduate degree programs intended for licensure, along with the coursework offered as part of those programs. To qualify for this pathway, a program must demonstrate that it is intended for licensure by meeting all the following criteria:

1. Provided by an in-state college or university.
2. Follows a planned, sequenced mental health program of study, reflected in the university catalog and approved by the college or university's governing authority.
3. Has a primary focus that is clearly to prepare the applicant for a career in counseling or therapy.
4. Is listed in the college or university catalog.

Requests for curriculum review are submitted to the license-appropriate licensure committee for initial review. All committee recommendations must be adopted by the full Board at an open Board meeting.

Degrees from pre-approved programs are accepted as qualifying without additional review of the degree requirements themselves. Current pre-approved curriculum apply to applicants who earned their degree on or after August 28, 2015. However, Board staff will complete an academic review of the official transcript to confirm that all academic knowledge area requirements have been met.

A list of Board pre-approved coursework from pre-approved in-state degree programs is maintained below.

Pathway 4: Designated Credentialing Agency Review

If an applicant's degree is from a program that is not nationally accredited by COAMFTE, has not been deemed equivalent or pre-approved by the Board, the applicant must apply for review by the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE). The CCE academic review must be completed before applying to the Board. 

Application procedures and any additional considerations will be addressed in accordance with the terms outlined in the contract between CCE and the Board.

*Applicants with degrees earned from institutions outside the United States must provide an acceptable comprehensive evaluation of the degree performed by a foreign credential evaluation service that is acceptable to the Board’s designated credentialing agency, and any other requirement(s) the Board deems necessary.

If the degree earned is from a program that is not nationally accredited by COAMFTE and has not been deemed equivalent and/or preapproved by the Board, the applicant will be required to apply for review by the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE). The CCE academic review must be completed prior to applying to the Board.

You may find the application and instructions at the link below:

• CCE Academic Review Application and Instructions