Delaware LAMFT Requirements & Hours Tracker

Licensing as a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) in Delaware

Delaware regulates Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapists (LAMFTs) through the Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Professionals under Title 24, Chapter 30 of the Delaware Code and the Board’s Rules and Regulations. (delcode.delaware.gov)

At the statutory level, Delaware defines a LAMFT as an individual who is licensed and “obtaining experience under professional direct supervision for the purpose of becoming licensed as a marriage and family therapist.” (delcode.delaware.gov) In other words, the LAMFT is the transitional license you hold while completing the post‑master’s experience required to become a full LMFT.

Below is a structured walkthrough of what Delaware requires to obtain the LAMFT, with specific attention to hours and official terminology.

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1. Educational foundation and internship hours

Graduate degree requirement

To qualify for LAMFT, you must meet the same education standard required for LMFT, minus the post‑degree experience:

• A master’s or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy with at least 45 semester credits, or
• A graduate degree in an allied field (counseling, social work, psychology, or psychiatry) plus graduate‑level work equivalent to a master’s in marriage and family therapy, as determined by the Board. (delcode.delaware.gov)

The Board’s regulations specify that all LAMFT applicants must have one of the following:

• A COAMFTE‑accredited MFT degree,
• A non‑COAMFTE MFT degree acceptable to the Board, or
• A graduate degree in an allied field from a nationally accredited institution, limited to counseling, social work, psychology, or psychiatry. (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)

Required supervised internship / practicum hours (pre‑licensure)

Within that degree, Delaware requires a clinical internship/practicum with a defined minimum of direct client hours:

• At least 9 graduate credits of clinical supervised experience in MFT. (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)
• The internship must include at least 300 hours of direct client counseling, of which at least 150 hours must be with couples and families. (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)

These internship hours are part of the educational requirement, not the post‑master’s experience you complete as a LAMFT. They must be documented on your official transcript.

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2. Exam requirement: AMFTRB

Delaware requires LAMFT applicants to pass the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) national examination, or another examination acceptable to the Board. (delcode.delaware.gov)

Board regulations on LAMFT licensure state:

• You may not sit for the exam without prior Board approval.
• Board approval is based on:
  • Proof of acceptable education (Reg. 6.2), and
  • Submission of a plan to acquire the required LMFT experience (Reg. 6.3). (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)
• Once you pass the AMFTRB exam and the Board receives official proof, you are eligible to be issued the LAMFT license. (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)

If you have already taken and passed the AMFTRB exam, Delaware’s online system (DELPROS) requires you to arrange an official score transfer from the AMFTRB/Interstate Reporting Service. (dpr.delaware.gov)

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3. Post‑master’s experience: required hours and Board terminology

While you apply to become a LAMFT, you are also planning how you will complete the full post‑master’s requirements for LMFT. You do not need to have these hours completed to get the LAMFT, but you must present a written plan to get there.

Statutory LMFT experience requirement

To become an LMFT, Delaware law requires:

• At least 2 years of supervised marriage and family therapy experience after the master’s degree.
• A minimum of 3,200 hours of experience over no more than 4 consecutive years.
• At least **1,600 hours of that total must be supervised clinical experience acceptable to the Board. (delcode.delaware.gov)

The Board’s regulations and guidance break this down in detail.

Board’s breakdown of the 3,200 post‑master’s hours

The Board’s Rules and Regulations (Section 5.1.2) and the “Post‑Masters Therapy Experience Requirements” page give a precise breakdown for these hours: (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)

• Total post‑master’s marriage and family counseling hours required (LMFT): 3,200
  • Must be obtained in no less than 2 and no more than 4 consecutive years.
• Required supervised portion: 1,600 hours under “professional direct supervision”
  • Supervision must be by a Board‑acceptable supervisor (see below).
  • Within these 1,600 supervised hours:
    • 500 hours must be couple and family therapy.
    • 500 hours must be individual therapy.
    • 500 hours must be any combination of couple/family or individual therapy (in addition to the two 500‑hour categories).
    • 100 hours must be face‑to‑face clinical supervision with the approved supervisor(s). (Live video counts, but no more than 50 of the 100 supervision hours may be by video.) (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)
• Remaining 1,600 hours: experience not required to be supervised
  • These are still hours of marriage and family therapy services (as defined in §3051(d)) but need not be under “professional direct supervision.” (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)

In other words, Delaware’s post‑master’s requirement is:

• 3,200 total hours of MFT practice,
• Including 1,600 supervised hours, of which:
  • 1,500 hours are direct therapy (500 couple/family + 500 individual + 500 either), and
  • 100 hours are face‑to‑face supervision.

Board definition of key concepts

From Delaware law and Board rules: (delcode.delaware.gov)

• “Marriage and family therapy” includes diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders within the context of interpersonal relationships and marriage/family systems, using psychotherapy, assessment, counseling, consultation, treatment planning, and supervision. (Paraphrased from 24 Del. C. §3051(d).)

• “Professional direct supervision” is regularly scheduled, face‑to‑face consultation between a supervisee and an LMFT or other Board‑approved behavioral health professional, where the supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the services provided match the supervisee’s education, training, and experience. (Paraphrased from 24 Del. C. §3051(e).)

The experience hours used for LMFT must meet these definitions and be documented accordingly.

Supervisors acceptable to the Board

For the 1,600 supervised hours, supervisors must meet Board requirements (Reg. 6.3.1 and DPR guidance): (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)

Acceptable supervisors include:

• A Delaware‑licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, or
• An AAMFT Approved Supervisor, or
• An AAMFT Approved Supervisor candidate acceptable to the Board, or
• A licensed MFT from another state with at least 5 years of licensure in good standing and a passing AMFTRB exam score.

If none of the above is available, the Board may approve:

• A licensed clinical social worker, psychologist, professional counselor of mental health, or psychiatrist with training in MFT supervision.

Delaware is explicit that hours under supervisors who do not fit these categories do not count toward the required 1,600 supervised hours, though they may count toward the 1,600 unsupervised experience hours. (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)

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4. What is unique to LAMFT versus LMFT?

Statutorily, a LAMFT applicant must:

• Meet all requirements for LMFT except for the post‑degree experience, and
• Submit a plan for professional direct supervision to the Board before beginning the experience. (delcode.delaware.gov)

That means, for LAMFT:

1. You must already meet the education + internship/practicum + exam requirements that would apply to an LMFT.
2. Instead of showing completed 3,200 hours, you show:
   • Any post‑master’s hours you already have, and
   • A written plan describing how you will complete the remaining supervised and unsupervised hours to reach the full 3,200.

From the DPR “Associate Marriage and Family Therapist Licensure” guidance: (dpr.delaware.gov)

• The purpose of the experience questions is to document how much acceptable post‑master’s MFT experience you already have.
• Your completed supervised hours + planned supervised hours (as stated in the Written Plan) must total at least the mandatory 1,600 hours of professional direct supervision.
• Your completed total experience hours + planned experience hours must total the full 3,200 hours required for eventual LMFT licensure.
• All required hours—whether or not supervised—must span at least two and no more than four years.
• You must calculate and enter actual numbers of hours (e.g., “1,250 hours”), not just “40 hours/week.”

To support this, the Board requires use of specific forms (uploaded or mailed via DELPROS): (dpr.delaware.gov)

• Verification of Supervision form – completed by supervisor(s) to verify the post‑master’s hours already accrued under professional direct supervision.
• LAMFT Planned Direct Supervision form – shows the remaining supervised hours you plan to complete (toward the 1,600 total supervised hours).
• LAMFT Unsupervised Experience form – shows the remaining unsupervised hours you plan to complete (toward the 1,600 unsupervised portion of the 3,200).

The Board explicitly instructs applicants to add completed and planned hours to ensure the totals satisfy the LMFT requirements.

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5. License term and renewals for LAMFT

By statute:

• A LAMFT license is effective for 2 years.
• The license may be renewed up to two times. (delcode.delaware.gov)

This means you can typically hold LAMFT status for a maximum of approximately 6 years (initial 2‑year term + up to 2 renewals), during which you must complete the 3,200 hours if you intend to move on to LMFT.

Delaware’s CE rules for MFT licensees require 40 hours of acceptable continuing education every two years for license renewal (specified in the Board’s regulations and summarized by AAMFT), so you should expect CE obligations while renewing, though the Board’s public summary emphasizes this requirement for LMFT license renewal in particular. (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)

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6. Application process and documentation

Delaware processes all LAMFT applications through its DELPROS online portal. (dpr.delaware.gov)

In addition to completing the online application and paying the fee, you must submit or arrange:

1. Criminal background checks (CBC)

   • A State of Delaware and FBI criminal background check, using the Board‑specified Service Code and the IdentoGO process.
   • Background checks for other purposes (employment, other states) do not satisfy this requirement. (dpr.delaware.gov)

2. License verification

   • Verification sent directly from every jurisdiction where you currently hold or have ever held a license. (dpr.delaware.gov)

3. Official transcripts

   • Sent directly from each college/university where you earned the qualifying master’s or doctoral degree. (dpr.delaware.gov)

4. COAMFTE Course Comparison Form

   • Required if your program is not COAMFTE‑accredited or your graduate degree is in an allied field rather than MFT, to demonstrate that your coursework matches Delaware’s required MFT curriculum (including the supervised clinical experience requirement). (dpr.delaware.gov)

5. AMFTRB exam score

   • Official score transfer from AMFTRB’s Interstate Reporting Service, if already passed. If not yet taken, you will need Board approval to sit for the exam. (dpr.delaware.gov)

6. Supervisor qualifications and documentation

   • Proof that any supervisor who is not a Delaware LMFT has passed the AMFTRB exam and has at least five years’ MFT experience (when required). (dpr.delaware.gov)
   • Completed Verification of Supervision forms for each supervisor/period of supervised practice. (dpr.delaware.gov)

7. Written plan for experience

   • LAMFT Planned Direct Supervision form – detailing future supervised hours.
   • LAMFT Unsupervised Experience form – detailing future unsupervised hours. (dpr.delaware.gov)

The Board also requires a signed, notarized affidavit with your application, attesting that you meet ethical and legal fitness requirements (no disqualifying criminal convictions, impairment, or prior serious discipline) and have not violated the Board’s rules. (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)

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7. Hour requirements at a glance (Delaware LAMFT/LMFT path)

Before LAMFT (degree stage)

• Graduate MFT or allied degree (minimum 45 credits). (delcode.delaware.gov)
• Internship/practicum with ≥ 300 hours direct client counseling, ≥ 150 hours with couples/families. (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)

After degree, for eventual LMFT (completed while you hold LAMFT)

• Total required post‑master’s MFT experience:

  • 3,200 hours of marriage and family therapy services over 2–4 consecutive years. (delcode.delaware.gov)

• Within 3,200 hours – supervised vs. unsupervised

  • 1,600 hours under professional direct supervision by an approved supervisor:
    • 500 hours couple and family therapy
    • 500 hours individual therapy
    • 500 hours any mix of couple/family or individual therapy
    • 100 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision
  • 1,600 additional hours of MFT services not required to be supervised, but still within the 3,200 hours and 2–4 year window. (archive.regulations.delaware.gov)

As a LAMFT applicant

• You do not need all 3,200 hours completed.
• You must:
  • Document any post‑master’s MFT hours already completed, and
  • Present a Board‑approved written plan to complete the balance (supervised and unsupervised) under acceptable supervision, so that your completed + planned hours equal the required totals. (dpr.delaware.gov)

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Because licensure rules can change, Delaware’s Board and the Delaware Code/Regulations should always be checked directly for the most current wording and forms before you apply.