Arkansas LMFT Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Arkansas is a two-stage process: you first become a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT), complete a substantial block of supervised clinical experience, and then upgrade to full LMFT status through the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling and Marriage & Family Therapy.

Below is a structured overview of what the Board itself requires, with an emphasis on how many hours you need, what kind of hours they must be, and how the Board defines them.

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1. Big-picture path to LMFT in Arkansas

To practice independently as an LMFT in Arkansas, you must:

1. Complete an approved graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) or a closely related field.
2. Obtain a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) license (or, if you have not passed the national exam yet, a one-time provisional LAMFT).
3. Under LAMFT status, complete 3,000 client contact hours (CCH) and 175 supervision hours of supervised marriage and family therapy practice, following the Board's specific breakdown of direct/indirect hours and supervision ratios.
4. Pass the national AMFTRB MFT examination and the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam, plus any oral interview the Board requires.
5. Apply for and be granted full LMFT licensure by the Arkansas Board.

The LAMFT license is explicitly not intended to be permanent; its purpose is to provide supervised training leading to LMFT. (17 CAR § 75-304)

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2. Educational requirements

2.1 Type of degree

For both LAMFT and LMFT, the Board requires a graduate degree in MFT or a related field from a regionally accredited institution:

• For LAMFT: the degree must be in marriage and family therapy or a related field, and the graduate semester hours must meet or exceed the national academic and training standards adopted by the Board or COAMFTE. (17 CAR § 75-304)
• For LMFT: you must meet the same LAMFT requirements (except the supervision-agreement requirement), so the same degree and COAMFTE-based standards apply. (17 CAR § 75-305)

2.2 Minimum graduate hours and core curriculum

Arkansas rules require a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours in counseling/therapy-related coursework for licensure. (17 CAR § 75-306)

For LAMFT/LMFT, the "Core Curriculum" includes foundations of relational/systemic practice, clinical treatment with individuals, couples and families, diverse and multicultural communities, research and evaluation, professional identity, law and ethics, lifespan biopsychosocial development, systemic assessment and diagnosis, practicum/internship (9 credits over at least 9 months), and technology-assisted counseling. (17 CAR § 75-306(f))

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3. Step One: Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT)

Before you can accrue qualifying LMFT hours, you must hold LAMFT status.

3.1 Basic LAMFT eligibility

To qualify as a LAMFT, you must: (17 CAR § 75-304)

• Hold the required graduate degree (MFT or related) meeting Board-adopted COAMFTE standards.
• Demonstrate professional competency by passing written examinations and/or oral interviews prescribed by the Board.
• Arrange supervision with a Board-approved LMFT supervisor and have a supervision agreement approved by the Board prior to license issue.
• Complete the required state criminal background check.
• Be a U.S. citizen or have documented legal authorization to work in the U.S.

The Board explicitly states the LAMFT license "is not intended to be a permanent license"; its purpose is supervised training on the way to LMFT. (17 CAR § 75-304)

If you meet the other requirements but have not yet passed the national exam, Act 231 of 2025 created a provisional LAMFT: valid for 1 year, with up to 3 attempts to pass the national exam, and not renewable. (A.C.A. § 17-27-305(e); 17 CAR § 75-906)

3.2 Time frame for LAMFT supervision

The current rules set no minimum time period and no fixed deadline for the 3,000 hours: 17 CAR § 75-305 asks only for 3,000 CCH and 175 supervision hours "acceptable to the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling," without the older "full-time" wording, and the older "Phases I to III within six calendar years" language does not appear in 17 CAR Part 75. Your hours count from the date the Board approves your supervision agreement, and you keep the LAMFT current by renewing it every two years (by May 31) and filing six-month reports. (17 CAR §§ 75-305, 75-402, 75-701)

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4. Step Two: Supervised experience requirements (the core numbers)

4.1 Total supervised hours required

To be eligible for LMFT, the Arkansas Board requires that you:

• "Provide evidence of three thousand (3,000) client contact hours and one hundred seventy-five (175) supervision hours of experience in marriage and family therapy" (for LMFT applicants). (17 CAR § 75-305)

This is stated in two complementary ways in the rules:

1. LMFT qualifications: 3,000 client contact hours and 175 supervision hours of experience in marriage and family therapy. (17 CAR § 75-305)
2. Supervision section: LACs and LAMFTs "must complete three thousand (3,000) client contact hours (CCH) with one hundred seventy-five (175) supervision hours" at specified ratios. (17 CAR § 75-401)

In practice, these refer to the same supervised practice requirement for movement from associate-level to full licensure.

4.2 Breakdown of the 3,000 hours: direct vs. indirect

Within the 3,000 total client contact hours for LAMFT/LMFT, the Board specifies: (17 CAR § 75-401)

• Minimum 2,000 hours must be direct client contact.
• No more than 1,000 hours may be indirect client contact, and these can only be counted in Level 2 (after the first 500 direct hours).
• During the first 500 direct client hours (Level 1), no indirect hours can be counted toward the 3,000.

Definitions used by the Board:

• A "direct client contact hour" is defined as contact with a client or clients in a therapeutic interaction (individuals or groups). (17 CAR § 75-401(d)(3))
• Indirect client contact includes activities such as consultation, case management, paperwork, staffing, billing, and test administration when the clinician is not working directly with clients, but the activities are related to the direct care of those clients. (17 CAR § 75-401(e)(2)(B))

4.3 Required family/relational hours

The Board places an additional requirement specifically on the type of direct hours for LAMFTs:

• At least 1,000 of your direct client contact hours must be in family/relational/group therapy. (17 CAR § 75-401(j))

This is expressed in the rules as a minimum of 1,000 direct hours in family, relational, or group therapy within the supervised experience. Group therapy sessions are counted in clock hours, not multiplied by the number of clients. (17 CAR § 75-401(k))

Note: Some secondary summaries (for example, AAMFT) describe this as 1,500 hours with families/couples/groups; however, the current Arkansas Board rule text specifies 1,000 hours, and that Board rule is what governs licensure decisions. (17 CAR § 75-401(j))

4.4 Supervision ratios and total supervision hours

The Board is very specific about the supervision structure for LACs and LAMFTs: (17 CAR § 75-401)

• You must complete 3,000 CCH with 175 supervision hours.
• Level 1 (first 500 direct CCH):
  • 1 hour of supervision for every 10 hours of client contact.
  • Indirect hours cannot be counted in this first 500 hours.
• Level 2 (remaining 2,500 CCH):
  • 1 hour of supervision for every 20 client contact hours (direct + allowable indirect).
• Total supervision over the entire 3,000 hours must equal 175 clock hours of supervision, conducted face to face or through telemedicine.
• Group supervision (3 to 6 supervisees) may not exceed half of the 175 supervision hours; dyadic supervision (1 supervisor, 2 supervisees) is counted as individual supervision. Group and technology-assisted supervision may both be counted in either level.
• Your supervisor must be an Arkansas LMFT with Board-approved supervisor status, fully licensed in Arkansas for 3 years, with no more than 12 supervisees at a time. (17 CAR § 75-403)

Put numerically:

• 500 direct hours × (1 supervision hour / 10 direct hours) = 50 supervision hours in Level 1.
• 2,500 hours × (1 supervision hour / 20 hours) = 125 supervision hours in Level 2.
• 50 + 125 = 175 total supervision hours.

4.5 How education and exams can reduce required hours

The rules allow limited substitution of post-master's coursework and the NCMHCE for a portion of the Level 2 hours: (17 CAR § 75-401(m))

• For graduate coursework beyond the master's:
  • 100 CCH and 5 supervision hours may be credited for each 3 graduate semester hours (or 4 quarter credits) beyond the master's, provided the hours are clearly related to counseling or marriage and family therapy and acceptable to the Board. Coursework you needed to qualify for the license does not count. (17 CAR § 75-401(l), (m)(1))
• For the NCMHCE examination (optional): after completing Level 1, an LAC or LAMFT may petition, with the supervisor's recommendation, to take the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination. A passing score reduces the required client contact hours by 500 and supervision hours by 25. (17 CAR § 75-401(m)(2))
• In total, no more than 2,000 CCH and 100 supervision hours may be reduced, and only from Level 2; no substitutions may be made for Level 1. (17 CAR § 75-401(m); LAC/LAMFT Supervision Agreement, revised 7/2026)

However, even with substitutions, you must still meet the Board's minimum direct practice requirements, including:

• The full 500 direct hours of Level 1, which cannot be reduced, and
• At least 1,000 direct hours in family/relational/group therapy, which is a minimum requirement that is not erased by education substitutions. (17 CAR § 75-401(j))

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5. Step Three: Examinations

5.1 Written (national) examination

For marriage and family therapists, Arkansas requires passing the national Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) examination, meeting the national cut score adopted by the Board. (17 CAR §§ 75-601, 75-602)

All applicants must also pass the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling Jurisprudence Exam. (17 CAR § 75-602(c))

5.2 Oral interviews

In addition to the written exams, LAMFT and LMFT applicants "demonstrate professional competencies by passing written examinations and/or oral interviews prescribed by the board." The Board may require an oral interview of any applicant, and your supervisor can recommend one on the License Change form. (17 CAR §§ 75-304, 75-603)

These are Board-run evaluations of your clinical judgment, ethics, and ability to practice within your scope.

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6. Step Four: Applying for full LMFT licensure

Once you have:

• Completed the required degree and 60+ graduate hours,
• Held an LAMFT license,
• Accrued 3,000 supervised client contact hours in MFT meeting the Board's breakdown (at least 2,000 direct, no more than 1,000 indirect, at least 1,000 direct family/relational/group hours, 175 hours of Board-structured supervision),
• Passed the AMFTRB MFT exam, the Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam and any oral interview the Board requires, and
• Satisfied background check and legal-status requirements,

you and your supervisor may petition the Arkansas Board to change your license from LAMFT to LMFT. (17 CAR § 75-305; License Change form, updated 7/2026)

The application will typically include:

• Official graduate transcripts showing compliant coursework and total hours,
• Documentation of your LAMFT licensure and supervision agreement(s),
• Your six-month supervision reports and evaluations signed by your approved LMFT supervisor(s), reflecting:
  • Total 3,000 CCH,
  • Direct vs. indirect hours,
  • Number of family/relational/group hours,
  • Supervision hours, format, and ratios,
• Proof of passing the required exams,
• Background check results, and
• Required fee(s) and any Board-specified references.

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7. Numeric summary of Arkansas LMFT supervised experience

Focusing just on the supervised experience and hours, Arkansas currently requires:

• Total supervised experience:
  • 3,000 client contact hours (CCH) in marriage and family therapy, under an approved LMFT supervisor.
• Direct vs. indirect hours:
  • At least 2,000 hours must be direct client contact (therapeutic interaction with clients).
  • Up to 1,000 hours may be indirect client contact (clinically related tasks when you are not working directly with clients).
  • No indirect hours can be counted during the first 500 direct hours.
• Family/relational practice minimum:
  • At least 1,000 direct client contact hours must be in family/relational/group therapy.
• Supervision:
  • 3,000 CCH must be completed with supervision.
  • First 500 direct hours: 1 hour supervision / 10 hours direct contact.
  • Next 2,500 hours (direct + indirect): 1 hour supervision / 20 hours contact.
  • Total supervision required: 175 clock hours, with group supervision no more than half of these hours.
• Time frame:
  • No minimum time period and no fixed deadline in the current rules (the "full-time" wording is gone from 17 CAR § 75-305); reports are due every six months. (17 CAR §§ 75-305, 75-404)

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Because Arkansas periodically revises its rules, it is wise to check the most recent Arkansas Administrative Rules for the Board of Examiners in Counseling and Marriage & Family Therapy (17 CAR Part 75), or contact the Board directly, before relying on any set of numbers for planning your own licensure path.