OAR 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 accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE); (2) A program fully accredited by the Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) in the marriage, couple, and family counseling specialty area; (3) A program at a regionally accredited institution that was accredited as of the date the degree was conferred; or (4) 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. (5) A graduate degree under sections (1) or (2) must have included at least two semester credit hours or three credit quarter hours of coursework in the diagnosis of mental disorders. (6) A graduate degree under sections (3) or (4) must have included all of the following requirements: (a) A master’s or doctorate degree field in marriage and family therapy or behavioral science relating to marriage and family therapy including mental health counseling, psychology, social work, or psychiatry. (b) A minimum of 60 semester credit hours or 90 quarter credit hours of graduate-level coursework; (c) At minimum, the following graduate-level core coursework: (A) Individual and Family Development- four semester hours or six quarter hours; (B) Couple and Family Theoretical Foundation Studies- six semester hours or nine quarter hours; (C) Couple and Family Therapy, Treatment, and Techniques Studies- six semester hours or nine quarter hours; (D) Diagnosis of mental disorders- two semester hours or three quarter hours; (E) Diversity studies that include issues related to diversity, power and privilege- two semester hours or three quarter hours; (F) Ethical and Professional Studies- two semester hours or three quarter hours; (G) Research Methods or Statistics- two semester hours or three quarter hours; (d) At least 20 semester hours or 30 quarter hours of supporting coursework focusing on counseling and/or systems approaches, not including clinical experience (practicum/internship) or independent research project (e.g. thesis/dissertation) supporting courses. (e) A supervised clinical practicum or internship experience that: (A) Included at least 280 direct client contact clock hours; (B) Had supervisory staff with a minimum of a master's degree in marriage and family therapy or a behavioral science field; (C) Made provision for faculty monitoring of operations; (D) Kept records of student-client contact hours including summary of student progress by the supervisor; (E) Had a written agreement with the program and student specifying learning objectives; and (F) Had a mechanism for program evaluation. (f) Deficiencies in the credit hour requirements of sections (b), (c), or (d) may be remedied by completing graduate-level coursework in the deficient area(s) at a regionally accredited institution. Continuing educational courses do not qualify. (g) Deficiencies in the supervised experience requirement of section (e) may be remedied by completion of: (A) Post-degree clinical experience completed in a Board-approved associate registration pursuant to OAR Chapter 833, Division 50, credited on an hour-for-hour basis for up to the full 280 required hours of direct client contact, with at least 40% of the deficient hours working with couples and families in the same session. This remedial experience is in addition to, and not a substitute for, the experience requirements (clock hours and duration) set forth in OAR 833-040-0021 or OAR 833-050-0071; or (B) At least five years of active licensure issued by another state credentialing entity to practice marriage and family therapy. (h) 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 (e) above.