Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (marriage and family therapist) · Texas · regulated by Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council) · high confidence
| Pre-license credential | LMFT Associate |
|---|---|
| Supervised experience | minimum of two years of work experience ... which includes a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice |
| Direct client contact | 1,500 hours direct clinical services; ≥500 with couples or families; ≤750 via technology-assisted services |
| Supervision | 200 hours by an LMFT-S; ≥100 individual |
| Minimum time | two years |
| Time limit | 60 months (LMFT Associate license expires 60 months from issuance; must reapply) |
| Exams | AMFTRB national MFT exam (or California MFT exam) plus Texas jurisprudence exam |
Supervision
- How much: 200 hours by an LMFT-S; ≥100 individual
- How often: minimum of one hour of supervision every week when providing services, except for good cause shown
- Group supervision: at least 100 of the 200 hours must be individual (so group ≤100)
- Who may supervise: LMFT-S: LMFT with ≥3,000 hours LMFT practice over ≥3 years plus supervision course (3-semester-hour, 40-hour CE, or AAMFT Fundamentals)
When hours count and what to keep
- Before your degree: up to 100 graduate internship supervision hours count toward the 200; for programs begun before 9/1/2025, excess internship hours (≤500 COAMFTE / ≤400 non-COAMFTE) may count toward 3,000
- Paperwork: Supervisory Agreement Form within 30 days of starting supervision; Supervised Experience Verification (SEV) Form for LMFT upgrade
Can you be supervised remotely in Texas?
Yes by video, but the supervisor needs a state-specific supervisor credential and the board must approve the arrangement first. What shapes this: state-only supervisor credential, prior board approval.
- Video supervision: Supervision may be in person or by live video; telephone only if the supervisor determines in-person or live video is not accessible. Technology-assisted supervision must meet in-person standards, and the supervisor decides whether it is appropriate for the supervisee.
- Phone only: limited: telephone only when the supervisor determines in-person or live video supervision is not accessible
- Supervisor licensed in Texas? required
- Supervisor credential: Texas LMFT-S (Council-approved supervisor status): LMFT in good standing with ≥3,000 h LMFT practice over ≥3 years + 3-semester-hour graduate supervision course, 40-hour CE course, or AAMFT Fundamentals of Supervision
- Supervisee cap: No numeric cap: supervisor 'may only supervise the number of individuals for which the supervisor can provide adequate supervision'; associate may have ≤2 supervisors at a time unless Council approves
- Board approval first: Supervisory Agreement Form must be submitted within 30 days of initiating supervision with any LMFT supervisor; supervisor file must hold proof of Council approval of the SAF; staff will not issue the Associate license until an SAF is submitted and approved.
- If you live outside Texas: Supervisor file must record all practice locations. Licensees supervising supervisees outside Texas must comply with Texas law and the out-of-state authority's rules. No rule bars an out-of-state LMFT Associate treating Texas clients; Texas practice is defined by client location.
The client’s location decides which state’s rules apply. This is not legal advice; confirm with the board before building a program. Compare every state on the remote-supervision map.
Recent and pending changes
Excess-internship-hours credit applies only to applicants who began their graduate program before September 1, 2025 (§801.142(4)).
Where the rules are unclear
Texas’s own documents disagree or are silent on these points. Ask the board if they affect you:
- Can a Texas LMFT Associate physically located in another state (serving Texas clients) be supervised by a Texas LMFT-S only, or must §801.58(a) other-state requirements also be satisfied?
In the board’s own words
“a minimum of two years of work experience in marriage and family therapy, which includes a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice” — 22 TAC §801.142(1)✓ matched in the source
“a minimum of 200 hours of supervision by an LMFT-S during the required 3,000 hours, and at least 100 of these hours must be individual supervision” — 22 TAC §801.142(3)✓ matched in the source
“must receive a minimum of one hour of supervision every week, except for good cause shown” — 22 TAC §801.142(3)(A)✓ matched in the source
“An LMFT Associate license expires 60 months from the date of issuance.” — 22 TAC §801.202(a)✓ matched in the source
“Supervision may be provided in person or by live video or, if the supervisor determines that in-person or live video supervision is not accessible” — 22 TAC §801.142(3)(B)✓ matched in the source
“Licensees who provide treatment, consultation, and supervision using technology-assisted services must meet the same standards of appropriate practice” — 22 TAC §801.58(b)✓ matched in the source
“if the supervisor determines that in-person or live video supervision is not accessible, by telephone.” — 22 TAC §801.142(3)(B)✓ matched in the source
“An LMFT Associate must obtain a minimum of 200 hours of supervision by an LMFT-S during the required 3,000 hours” — 22 TAC §801.142(3)✓ matched in the source
“documentation of the completion of at least 3,000 hours of LMFT practice over a minimum of 3 years” — 22 TAC §801.143(a)(2)✓ matched in the source
“A supervisor may only supervise the number of individuals for which the supervisor can provide adequate supervision.” — 22 TAC §801.143(f)(3)✓ matched in the source
“An LMFT Associate may have no more than two LMFT supervisors at a time, unless given prior approval by the council or its designee.” — 22 TAC §801.142(8)✓ matched in the source
“An LMFT Associate may practice marriage and family therapy in any setting under supervision, such as a private practice” — 22 TAC §801.142(5)✓ matched in the source
5 more quotes are in the state explorer.
Other licenses in Texas
- LPC (professional counselor)
- LCSW (clinical social worker)
- Psychologist
- All Texas licenses · every state
Sources
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code §801.142 (Supervised Clinical Experience Requirements and Conditions)
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code §801.202 (LMFT Associate license)
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code §801.143(a) (Supervisor Requirements)
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code §801.174 (Licensure and Jurisprudence Examinations)
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code §801.75, §801.76 (applications)
- BHEC Supervision FAQs
- BHEC MFT Rules and Statutes rulebook (updated 03/25/2026), 22 TAC §801.142(1)(A),(3)(B),(5),(7),(8), pp. 123-125
Checked against Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council)’s rules, statutes and publications on September 25, 2026. The board decides; if your situation is unusual, confirm with them.