Kansas LAMFT Requirements & Hours Tracker

In Arkansas, the Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) credential is a transitional license designed to let you practice marriage and family therapy under supervision while you accumulate the hours needed to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). It is explicitly “not intended to be a permanent license.” (law.cornell.edu)

The Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling and Marriage & Family Therapy governs these requirements through statute (Ark. Code Ann. § 17‑27‑305) and its rules (007.33.21 Ark. Code R. 005).

Below is a step‑by‑step guide organized around what you need to qualify, apply, and then complete your supervised practice.

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1. Understand what the LAMFT license allows

The Board defines a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) as a person who:

• Has met the LAMFT qualifications in Section 3.4 of the Board’s rules,
• Offers “marriage and family therapy services to individuals, couples and families, singularly or in groups for monetary remuneration,” and
• “Holds a current, valid license to practice marriage and family therapy services under the supervision of a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.” (law.cornell.edu)

By statute, an LAMFT:

• “May practice only under direct supervision of a licensed marriage and family therapist,” and
• Must have a supervision plan “approved by the board before any actual performance of marriage and family therapy.” (codes.findlaw.com)

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2. Educational requirements

To be eligible for LAMFT, you must meet all of the following:

1. Graduate degree

   • You must have “received a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy or related field from a regionally accredited institution.” (law.cornell.edu)

2. Minimum 60 graduate semester hours

   • You must document completion of “a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours in course work… that meet the academic and training standards established by the Board.” (law.cornell.edu)

3. Program and curriculum standards

   • For LAMFT/LMFT, the Board adopts “the current Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education Standards (COAMFTE)” as its academic standard. (law.cornell.edu)
   • Core curriculum for LAMFT/LMFT must include specific graduate coursework (e.g., Foundations of Relational/Systemic Practice, Clinical Treatment with Individuals, Couples and Families, Research & Evaluation, Professional Identity, Biopsychosocial Health, etc., totaling at least 60 hours including 9 hours of practicum/internship over at least 9 months). (law.cornell.edu)

4. Grades

   • “All graduate course hours used in the application… must have a ‘B‑’ grade or above. Grades of ‘C+’ or below will not be accepted.” (law.cornell.edu)

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3. Examinations, background check, and legal eligibility

To qualify for LAMFT, the Board’s rules require: (law.cornell.edu)

1. Professional competency examinations

   • You must “demonstrate professional competencies by passing written examinations, and/or oral interviews prescribed by the Board.” (law.cornell.edu)
   • Arkansas LAMFT applicants typically must pass the AMFTRB national MFT exam and a Board oral interview.

2. Criminal background check

   • You must have “met the Criminal Background Check mandated by Ark. Code Ann. § 17‑27‑313.” (law.cornell.edu)

3. Citizenship or work authorization

   • You must be “a citizen of the U.S. or have current documentation of legal alien work status issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.” (law.cornell.edu)

4. Good ethical standing and references

   • The Board reviews ethics and typically requires multiple professional references (commonly including faculty and clinical supervisors) as part of the application, as summarized in Board‑derived guidance used by licensure resources. (counselingschools.com)

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4. Supervision agreement and initial application

Before you can practice as an LAMFT, you must secure supervision and have it approved:

1. Board‑approved LAMFT supervisor

   • “Supervision for the LAMFT must be provided by a LMFT, in Arkansas who holds approved supervisor status from the Board and whose license is in good standing.” (law.cornell.edu)

2. Supervision agreement approved before practice

   • You must “arrange supervision with a Board‑approved LAMFT supervisor and have the agreement for supervision approved by the Board prior to license issue.” (law.cornell.edu)
   • “All LAC and LAMFT must have a Board‑approved supervision agreement prior to providing any therapy services… No client may be seen prior to that date.” (law.cornell.edu)

3. Application packet (typical contents)
   Based on Board rules and standard summaries: (law.cornell.edu)

   • Completed LAMFT application and fees
   • Official graduate transcripts meeting COAMFTE‑equivalent curriculum
   • Proof of legal ability to work in the U.S.
   • Passing score report for the AMFTRB exam (or Board‑approved exam)
   • Background check results
   • Supervision agreement signed by you and your LMFT supervisor
   • Statement of Intent describing your scope of practice and population served
   • Required professional reference letters
   • Participation in a Board oral interview

Once the Board approves your application and supervision agreement, your LAMFT license is issued, and you may begin counting supervised experience.

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5. The core hours requirement: 3,000 supervised Client Contact Hours

The hours system that matters most for an LAMFT in Arkansas is the Client Contact Hours (CCH) requirement for moving from associate to full licensure.

The Board’s rules state:

• “Counselors or Marriage and Family Therapists licensed at the associate level must complete 3000 Client Contact Hours (CCH) with supervision.” (law.cornell.edu)

5.1 Total required hours and their breakdown

The Board is very specific about how these hours must be structured:

1. Total client contact hours: 3,000

   • You must obtain 3,000 Client Contact Hours (CCH) under supervision as an LAMFT. (law.cornell.edu)

2. Direct vs. indirect client contact

   • “The LAC and LAMFT are required to have a minimum of 3000 hours of client contact, 2200 hours defined as direct client contact. No more than 800 hours of indirect client contact may be counted in Level 2.” (law.cornell.edu)

   In plain terms:

   • 2,200 hours must be direct client contact.
   • Up to 800 hours can be indirect client contact (and only in Level 2 – see below).

3. Definition of a direct client contact hour

   • The Board defines a direct client contact hour as “face‑to‑face contact with a client(s) in a therapeutic interaction with individuals or groups.” (law.cornell.edu)

4. Definition of indirect client contact

   • “Indirect Client Contact means consultation, case management, paperwork, staffing, billing and test administration when the clinician is not working face‑to‑face… but the services are related to the direct care of the individual or groups.” (law.cornell.edu)

   Typical examples: treatment planning, documentation, case consultation, coordination with other providers.

5. Family/relational hour requirement specific to LAMFT

   • “LAMFTs must have a minimum of 1000 direct client contact hours in family/relational/group therapy.” (law.cornell.edu)

   In practice, that means:

   • At least 1,000 of your 2,200 direct hours must be relational/systemic sessions (couple, family, or group therapy with a systemic focus).

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6. Levels of supervised experience and supervision ratios

The supervised experience is divided into two levels, each with specific supervision ratios and rules.

Level 1 – First 500 direct hours

• You must complete 500 direct Client Contact Hours (CCH) in Level 1. (law.cornell.edu)
• Supervision ratio:
  • “One (1) hour of supervision for every ten (10) hours of client contact for the first five hundred (500) direct CCH (Level 1).” (law.cornell.edu)
• No indirect hours can be counted during Level 1:
  • “During the first 500 direct client hours (Level 1), no indirect hours can be counted.” (law.cornell.edu)

Practically, for Level 1 you must obtain:

• 500 direct hours only, and
• 50 supervision hours (500 ÷ 10).

Level 2 – Remaining 2,500 client contact hours

After Level 1, you move to Level 2:

• Remaining client contact hours: 2,500 CCH.
• Supervision ratio:
  • “One (1) hour of supervision for every twenty (20) CCH for the remaining twenty‑five hundred (2500) hours (Level 2).” (law.cornell.edu)

So for Level 2 you must obtain:

• 2,500 additional CCH (direct + indirect combined), and
• 125 supervision hours (2,500 ÷ 20).

Total supervision over both levels is fixed:

• “The total hours of supervised practice are 175 clock hours of supervision.” (law.cornell.edu)

Distribution of direct vs. indirect in Level 2

• You still must ensure that, across both levels:
  • Direct hours total at least 2,200.
  • Indirect hours are no more than 800, and only counted in Level 2. (law.cornell.edu)

In other words, an acceptable final profile might look like:

• Direct hours: 2,200 (or more)
• Indirect hours: up to 800 (all in Level 2)
• Total CCH: 3,000
• Supervision: 175 clock hours, with Level 1 and Level 2 ratios met
• Relational hours: at least 1,000 of the direct hours in family/relational/group therapy.

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7. How supervision itself must be structured

The Board prescribes not just how much supervision you need, but how it can be delivered: (law.cornell.edu)

• Dyadic supervision (one supervisor and two supervisees) “is recorded as individual supervision.”
• Group supervision:
  • May not exceed half of the 175 hours (no more than 87.5 hours).
  • A group is defined as 3 to 6 supervisees with the contracted supervisor.
• Technology‑assisted supervision:
  • Cannot exceed 50% of supervision hours in Level 1,
  • But may be used in both Levels 1 and 2.

You and your supervisor must also:

• Maintain a current, Board‑approved supervision agreement at all times.
• Submit Client Contact Hours reports and supervision evaluations every six months, with only a 30‑day grace period for late reports. (law.cornell.edu)

Failure to maintain an approved supervision agreement can lead to suspension or revocation of the LAMFT license. (law.cornell.edu)

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8. Options to reduce required Client Contact Hours

Arkansas allows limited substitutions that can reduce how many CCH you must personally accrue, but these are tightly controlled: (law.cornell.edu)

1. Graduate coursework beyond the master’s degree

   • You may gain 100 CCH for each 3 graduate semester hours earned beyond the master’s degree, if:
     • The hours are clearly related to counseling or marriage and family therapy, and
     • They are acceptable to the Board.
   • “Up to two thousand (2000) CCH may be gained for each sixty (60) graduate semester hours” beyond the master’s. (law.cornell.edu)

2. National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Exam (NCMHCE)

   • After completing Level 1, an LAC/LAMFT may, with supervisor recommendation, petition the Board to take the NCMHCE.
   • “A passing score on the NCMHCE will reduce the number of CCH required by 500.” (law.cornell.edu)

Even if you use these reductions, the Board still requires that the supervised experience be acceptable and consistent with your Statement of Intent, and you may not waive the entire supervised experience period.

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9. Transitioning from LAMFT to LMFT

Once you have:

• Completed the educational requirements (including any additional coursework the Board requires), (law.cornell.edu)
• Accrued the 3,000 supervised CCH with the required breakdown (2,200 direct, ≤800 indirect, ≥1,000 relational), (law.cornell.edu)
• Completed 175 supervision hours with proper ratios and structure, (law.cornell.edu)
• Met all reporting and ethical requirements,

you can apply for upgrade to LMFT.

By rule, an LMFT applicant must: (law.cornell.edu)

• Meet the requirements of Section 3.4 (the same as LAMFT requirements) except the ongoing supervision‑agreement requirement; and
• “Provide evidence of three thousand (3000) client contact hours of supervised experience, in marriage and family therapy acceptable to the Board.”

Statutorily, any LAMFT “may petition the board for licensure review for licensed marriage and family therapist,” once the supervised‑experience requirements in § 17‑27‑304(1)(B) are met. (law.justia.com)

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10. Condensed checklist of hour‑related requirements for Arkansas LAMFTs

When you interpret the Arkansas Board’s language into concrete numbers, the supervised‑practice requirements for an LAMFT working toward LMFT licensure are:

• 3,000 Client Contact Hours (CCH) with supervision, of which: (law.cornell.edu)
  • 2,200 hours must be direct client contact (face‑to‑face therapeutic interaction).
  • Up to 800 hours may be indirect client contact (consultation, documentation, etc.), counted only in Level 2.
  • At least 1,000 direct hours must be family/relational/group therapy.
• Supervision requirements:
  • Level 1: First 500 direct hours with 1 hour of supervision per 10 hours of client contact (50 hours of supervision; no indirect hours counted).
  • Level 2: 2,500 additional hours with 1 hour of supervision per 20 hours of client contact (125 hours of supervision).
  • Total supervision: 175 clock hours.
  • Group supervision ≤ 50% of supervision; technology‑assisted supervision ≤ 50% in Level 1. (law.cornell.edu)

These numbers, along with the degree, examination, and legal‑status requirements above, form the complete picture of what Arkansas expects for an LAMFT on the path to independent LMFT licensure.