Florida RMFTI Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Becoming a Registered Marriage and Family Therapy Intern (RMFTI) in Florida is the formal first step toward full licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. The Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling lays out very specific requirements for education, practicum hours, and post‑master’s supervised experience.

Below is a step‑by‑step guide organized around the kinds of hours and documentation the Board actually requires and the language it uses.

---

1. Big‑picture hour requirements

Florida distinguishes clearly between:

1. Graduate practicum / internship hours (completed in your degree program)

   • “A minimum of 400 hours supervised clinical practicum, internship, or field experience in a minimum of 12 months within a Marriage and Family Setting.” (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)
   • Of those 400 hours:
     • At least 300 hours of direct client services
     • A minimum of 200 hours must be relational (i.e., working with couples/families relationally). (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

2. Post‑master’s supervised experience hours (completed after the degree, while registered as an intern, to qualify later for full LMFT licensure)
   The Board states that two (2) years of post‑master’s supervised experience are required, and that this supervised experience “must consist of”: (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

   • At least 100 hours of supervision in no less than 100 weeks;
   • 1,500 hours of face‑to‑face psychotherapy with clients; and,
   • One (1) hour of supervision every two (2) weeks.

The 400‑hour practicum and the 1,500 hours of face‑to‑face psychotherapy are separate. The Board explicitly states that practicum experience “may not be used to satisfy the post‑master’s clinical experience requirement.” (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

---

2. Educational requirements to qualify for RMFTI

To become a Registered Marriage and Family Therapy Intern, you must first meet the Board’s graduate degree and coursework standards.

2.1 Acceptable master’s degree

The Board requires “a minimum of an earned master’s degree with major emphasis in marriage and family therapy, or a closely related field” from one of the following: (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

• A COAMFTE‑accredited marriage and family therapy program, or
• A CACREP‑accredited university program plus appropriate graduate coursework, or
• A degree conferred before September 1, 2027 from an institutionally accredited college or university with appropriate graduate‑level courses.

The degree must be from an institution recognized in the way described by the Board (e.g., meeting institutional accreditation standards listed on CHEA). (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

2.2 Required graduate coursework

You must have a minimum of 3 semester hours (or 4 quarter hours) of graduate‑level coursework in each of the following 11 content areas: (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

1. Dynamics of Marriage and Family Systems
2. Marriage Therapy and Counseling Theory and Techniques
3. Family Therapy and Counseling Theory and Techniques
4. Individual Human Development Theories Throughout the Life Cycle
5. Psychopathology
6. Human Sexuality Theory
7. Psychosocial Theory
8. Substance Abuse Theory and Counseling Techniques
9. Legal, Ethical, and Professional Standards Issues in the Practice of Marriage and Family Therapy
10. Diagnosis, Appraisal, Assessment, and Testing for Individual or Interpersonal Disorder or Dysfunction
11. Behavioral Research (focusing on interpretation and application of research data as it applies to clinical practice)

Partial completion allowance:
The Board notes that you may become a registered intern having met 10 of the 11 course content areas, as long as at least six semester or nine quarter hours are in marriage and family systems, theories, or techniques. Remaining coursework must be completed before you will be approved for the national exam and full licensure. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

---

3. Graduate practicum / internship hour requirements

To qualify for RMFTI, the Board requires documentation of your clinical training during graduate school.

3.1 Total hours and structure

The Board’s language for the practicum requirement is: (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

• “Completed a minimum of 400 hours supervised clinical practicum, internship, or field experience in a minimum of 12 months within a Marriage and Family Setting.”
• Experience must include “at least 300 hours of direct client services of which a minimum of 200 hours must be relational.”

Key points:

• Minimum 400 total practicum/internship/field hours
• Minimum 12 months in a marriage and family setting
• At least 300 hours must be direct client services
• At least 200 of those direct hours must be relational (e.g., couples and families, not only individual clients)

3.2 Supervisor qualifications (during practicum)

The practicum “must be supervised by a licensed MFT or equivalent as defined in Rule 64B4‑21.007, F.A.C.” (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

Your school must provide a letter (on university letterhead, from the dean/department chair or similar official) verifying: (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

• Course title of the practicum/internship/field experience
• Total number of hours completed
• That the practicum met the Board’s requirements

The Board repeats that this practicum experience “may not be used to satisfy the post‑master’s clinical experience requirement.”

3.3 If you did not complete all required practicum hours

If you lack some or all of the required practicum hours, the Board allows you to: (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

• Become a registered intern (assuming you otherwise meet requirements), and
• Complete the missing practicum hours while registered, documented on the MFT Graduate Practicum Attestation Form by a Board‑approved Qualified Supervisor.

However, all missing practicum hours must be completed before you can obtain exam approval and full licensure. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

---

4. Application requirements to become a Registered MFT Intern

Once your degree and practicum are in place (or you are eligible under the partial‑completion allowances), you apply to the Board for RMFTI status.

4.1 Core items the Board must receive

According to the RMFTI page, your registered intern number will not be issued until the Board office has received: (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

1. Completed application (online or paper, via the Board/MQA portal)
2. Application fee (exact amount listed on the Board site and forms)
3. Official transcript showing your qualifying degree
4. Practicum/internship verification letter from your school (as above)
5. Any required documentation of coursework gaps or practicum completion plans if you are using the pathway that allows missing course/practicum content
6. Fingerprinting / background screening:
   • Florida law (House Bill 975, 2024 session) now requires this profession “to complete electronic fingerprinting” before approval of the application. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

The Board notes that, upon submitting an application, you will receive a file number to track documents, but this is not your intern license number and cannot be used as such. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

4.2 Incomplete application rule

Under Chapter 456.013(1)(a), Florida Statutes, the Board explains that “an incomplete application shall expire one year after initial filing with the department.” In other words, if all required items are not received within a year, you may need to reapply. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

4.3 Time limit on intern registration

The Board states that an intern registration cannot be renewed and that, effective July 1, 2016, Florida law limits intern registration to 5 years. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

---

5. Supervised post‑master’s experience while registered as an intern

Once you are approved as an RMFTI, you begin accumulating the post‑master’s supervised experience that will allow you to qualify later as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

5.1 Required structure and hours

The Board describes this as “Two (2) years of post‑master’s supervised experience under the supervision of a Board approved Qualified Supervisor” and specifies that: (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

The supervised experience must consist of:

1. At least 100 hours of supervision in no less than 100 weeks;
2. 1,500 hours of face‑to‑face psychotherapy with clients; and,
3. One (1) hour of supervision every two (2) weeks.

In practical terms, this means:

• You must work under supervision for a minimum of 100 weeks (about two years).
• You must log 1,500 hours of direct, face‑to‑face psychotherapy (the Board’s terminology) with clients during that period.
• You must receive at least 100 hours of supervision, generally at least one hour of supervision every two weeks (individual or qualifying group/electronic formats per Rule 64B4‑2.002, F.A.C.).

5.2 Qualified Supervisor and Board approval

Before supervision hours count:

• You must verify that your intern registration number has been issued.
• You must verify that the Board Office has approved your Qualified Supervisor. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

The Board explicitly warns that supervised experience will not count towards licensure until the intern registration has been issued and the Board has approved your supervisor. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

If you change or add supervisors, the Board requires:

• A letter from the new supervisor sent to the Board Office (originating from the supervisor, with original signature, license number, the intern’s name, and a statement that they agree to provide supervision), and
• Written Board confirmation that the new supervisor has been approved; hours before that approval date do not count. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

5.3 Documentation of supervised experience

Your post‑master’s supervised experience must be documented on the Board’s Verification of Clinical Experience Form, completed and signed by each Qualified Supervisor. These forms are generally submitted later, when you apply for full LMFT licensure. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

Additionally, the Board emphasizes that registered interns must remain under supervision until fully licensed, citing Rule 64B4‑3.008, F.A.C. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

---

6. Distinguishing practicum hours from supervised experience hours

Because your question specifically asked about the types of hours and clear Board language, it is helpful to compare them side‑by‑side:

Graduate practicum / internship (pre‑licensure training, part of the degree)

• “Minimum of 400 hours supervised clinical practicum, internship, or field experience in a minimum of 12 months within a Marriage and Family Setting.”
• Within that: 300+ hours of direct client services; 200+ relational hours.
• Supervised by a licensed MFT or equivalent.
• Cannot be applied to the post‑master’s hours requirement. (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

Post‑master’s clinical experience (while registered as RMFTI, toward full LMFT)

• Two (2) years of post‑master’s supervised experience under a Board‑approved Qualified Supervisor.
• Must include:
  • “At least 100 hours of supervision in no less than 100 weeks;”
  • “1,500 hours of face‑to‑face psychotherapy with clients;”
  • “One (1) hour of supervision every two (2) weeks.” (floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov)

Taken together, Florida’s requirements for an MFT involve:

• 400+ hours of supervised practicum (with specific direct and relational client hour minimums), and
• Post‑master’s clinical experience of at least 1,500 hours of face‑to‑face psychotherapy, plus 100+ hours of formal supervision across at least 100 weeks, all completed under Board‑approved supervision while you are a Registered Marriage and Family Therapy Intern.

Those are the key numerical and definitional requirements used by the Florida Board for RMFTI registration and the supervised experience that follows it.