Kentucky Marriage and Family Therapy Associate Requirements & Hours Tracker

In Kentucky, the Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (MFTA) permit is the required bridge between graduate education and independent licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). The associate period is where you earn your post‑master’s supervised hours and clinical experience under the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Marriage and Family Therapists.

Below is a step‑by‑step outline of what the Board actually requires, including the specific hour counts and the terminology used in statute and regulation.

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1. Meet the educational requirements first

Kentucky law requires you to meet the full educational standards for LMFT licensure before you can even apply for an associate permit.

Degree requirement

Under KRS 335.330, an applicant must have:

• A master’s or doctoral degree program in marriage and family therapy from a regionally accredited institution,
  or a master’s/post‑master’s/doctoral program approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE),
  or an “equivalent course of study” as defined in 201 KAR 32:020. (law.justia.com)

If your degree is in a “related field” (psychology, community mental health, social work, or professional counseling), you must show that your coursework meets the detailed equivalency standards in 201 KAR 32:020 (core areas like marriage and family studies, therapy, assessment, ethics, research, etc.). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

Graduate practicum / internship hours

The regulations define a required clinical practicum or internship as:

• “A minimum of one (1) year or 300 hours of supervised direct client contact with individuals, couples, and families for family therapy.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

If you did not complete such a practicum during graduate school, the regulation allows you to satisfy this with your first 300 post‑master’s client contact hours, but it then adds that these hours:

• “shall not be counted toward the two (2) years of required post master’s experience or the 200 hours of clinical supervision.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

In other words, you must have a 300‑hour supervised practicum (either in grad school or immediately after), and those specific hours do not count toward your later associate hours for licensure.

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2. When you become eligible for the Associate permit

Once you meet the education requirements of KRS 335.330, you are expected to apply for an associate permit in order to earn your supervised post‑master’s experience.

KRS 335.332 states that:

• A person who fulfills all requirements of KRS 335.330 “shall apply to the board for a marriage and family therapist associate permit in order to practice and earn the experience required for license application.” (codes.findlaw.com)

This means you are not “pre‑associate.” You must already have the qualifying graduate education (and practicum) in place to get the associate permit.

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3. Applying for the Marriage and Family Therapist Associate permit

Application, fee, and supervisory contract

The governing regulation for associates is 201 KAR 32:025 – Marriage and family therapist associate.

It requires that:

• A person desiring to be a marriage and family therapist associate must submit an “Application for Permit as a Marriage and Family Therapist Associate” to the Board.
• A fee of fifty (50) dollars for the first year must accompany this application. (regulations.justia.com)
• The initial application must include a copy of a supervisory contract (or contracts) with the designated supervisor(s) for Board approval. (regulations.justia.com)

Under KRS 335.332, you also must:

• Contract in writing with an “approved supervisor” as defined by Board regulations.
• The supervisor “shall assume responsibility for and supervise the marriage and family therapy associate’s practice as directed by the board.”
• No marriage and family therapy associate may enter into the practice of marriage and family therapy until this contract has been approved by the board, and the associate must cease practice immediately upon termination of the contract. (codes.findlaw.com)

So functionally, you cannot see clients as an MFTA until:

1. The Board issues your associate permit, and
2. Your supervisory contract has been approved.

Length of time you can remain an associate

201 KAR 32:025 sets a strict time cap:

• “Effective January 1, 2016, all current and future associate permits shall be limited to a total of five (5) years as a marriage and family therapist associate to meet the requirements for licensure as a marriage and family therapist.” (regulations.justia.com)

You must therefore complete all supervised experience needed for LMFT licensure within five total years of being an associate (counting renewals).

Permit renewal and logs

For each year you remain an associate:

• You must pay an annual renewal fee of fifty (50) dollars. (regulations.justia.com)
• You must file a Marriage and Family Therapist Associate Permit Renewal Application and submit your completed supervision log(s) with the fee. (regulations.justia.com)
• If you miss renewal, you have 30 days to renew with a $50 renewal fee plus a $20 late fee; failure to do so results in termination of the permit. (regulations.justia.com)

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4. Required supervised experience and hours while you are an Associate

The associate period is where you earn the “qualifying experience” required for LMFT licensure. The hours are specified across statute and regulations.

Statutory minimum: experience and supervision

KRS 335.330 requires that an applicant for full LMFT licensure must have:

1. “At least two (2) years’ experience in the practice of marriage and family therapy, acceptable to the board and subsequent to being granted a master’s degree;” and
2. “A minimum of two hundred (200) hours of clinical supervision acceptable to the board and subsequent to being granted a master’s degree.” (law.justia.com)

That experience and supervision are expected to be obtained as a Marriage and Family Therapist Associate under Board‑approved supervision.

Board’s clarification of “client hours”

201 KAR 32:030 (Fees) ties LMFT licensure directly to experience as an associate, and it quantifies the required client contact:

• An applicant “shall document professional experience obtained as a marriage and family therapy associate, including 1,000 client hours over a minimum of two (2) years, and verify clinical supervision as required by 201 KAR 32:035.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

Putting the statute and regulation together:

• Direct client contact (“client hours”) required for licensure:
  • 1,000 client hours over at least two (2) years, obtained while you hold the associate permit.
• Clinical supervision required for licensure:
  • Minimum of 200 hours of clinical supervision, all post‑master’s and acceptable to the Board.

These are not separate “types” of experience; rather, your 1,000 client hours are clinical work you perform as an associate, and the 200 supervision hours are the formal supervisory sessions discussing that work.

How supervision must be structured

The supervision regulations are in 201 KAR 32:035 – Supervision of marriage and family therapy associates.

Key requirements:

1. Frequency and distribution

   • Clinical supervision must be “equally distributed throughout the qualifying period” and must average at least four (4) hours per month, as specified in the supervision contract. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

2. Total hours and supervision format

   While the 200‑hour minimum is set in statute, 201 KAR 32:035 further specifies how those supervision hours are allocated:

   • “The use of raw data in a supervision session shall constitute a minimum of fifty (50) hours of the 200 hours of required supervision.” (“Raw data” means video‑recorded sessions, live observation, or co‑therapy with your supervisor.) (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
   • “No more than 100 hours of supervision shall take place in group supervision.”
   • “At least 100 hours shall take place in individual supervision.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

   In effect, your 200 supervision hours must include:

   • At least 100 hours of individual supervision (1–2 supervisees with the supervisor).
   • No more than 100 hours of group supervision (3–6 supervisees).
   • At least 50 supervision hours that directly use raw data (session recordings, live observation, or co‑therapy).

3. Ongoing supervision until licensure

   The regulation states that clinical supervision “shall…continue until the supervisee is licensed by the board.” (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

   Practically, that means you remain under supervision as an associate until you obtain LMFT licensure (or until your associate permit expires or is terminated).

4. Supervisory log requirement

   Both the supervisor and the associate must maintain a Supervisory Log documenting:

   • Frequency and type of supervision provided, and
   • Methods used (observation, discussion, instructional techniques).

   These logs are submitted to the Board with your associate renewals and when you apply for full licensure. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

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5. Ongoing obligations while you hold the Associate permit

Continuing education as an associate

Under 201 KAR 32:060, associates must complete:

• A minimum of ten (10) approved continuing education hours during each one‑year renewal period.
• All hours must be in “the practice of marriage and family therapy” as defined in KRS 335.300(4). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• Three (3) of these hours must be in professional marriage and family therapy ethics each renewal cycle. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• Six (6) hours of continuing education in suicide assessment, treatment, and management every six (6) years, as required by KRS 210.366. These are in addition to the annual minimum unless pre‑approved as overlapping content. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• Within three (3) years of initial licensure or certification, each associate must complete a three (3) hour training covering domestic violence, elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including dynamics, effects, legal remedies, risk issues, protocols, available resources, and reporting requirements. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

Telehealth‑specific training (if you practice via telehealth)

If you will provide services via telehealth as an associate, 201 KAR 32:110 requires that:

• You complete fifteen (15) hours of board‑approved training in the practice of telehealth, including three (3) hours of ethics in the practice of telehealth, before providing telehealth services. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• After the initial training, you must complete at least two (2) credit hours of telehealth‑related continuing education during each subsequent renewal period; these may count toward your total CE requirement. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

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6. Transitioning from Associate to fully licensed LMFT

Once you have:

• Completed the required 1,000 client hours over a minimum of two (2) years as an associate, (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
• Accrued at least 200 hours of clinical supervision that meets the distribution and “raw data” requirements, (law.justia.com)
• Maintained your associate permit in good standing and met all CE requirements,

you then:

1. Apply for LMFT licensure using the Board’s LMFT application. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
2. Have your supervisor(s) verify your hours and supervision via the Board’s forms and supervisory log. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
3. Pass the National Marital and Family Therapy Examination administered through the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

Your associate status continues (within the five‑year limit) while you complete the exam and licensing process, so long as your supervisory contract and permit remain active and in good standing. (law.cornell.edu)

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Hour requirements summarized

To put the numbers in one place:

• Graduate practicum/internship (before or right at the start of associate status)

  • 300 hours of supervised direct client contact with individuals, couples, and families.
  • These hours cannot be counted toward your post‑master’s two years of experience or 200 hours of clinical supervision. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Post‑master’s experience as an Associate (required for LMFT licensure)

  • At least two (2) years of post‑master’s experience in the practice of marriage and family therapy. (law.justia.com)
  • 1,000 client hours over a minimum of two (2) years, obtained as a marriage and family therapy associate. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  • 200 hours of clinical supervision, meeting all of the following:
    • Average at least four (4) hours per month during the qualifying period.
    • At least 100 hours must be individual supervision.
    • No more than 100 hours may be group supervision.
    • At least 50 hours must use raw data (video, live observation, or co‑therapy). (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

• Associate permit timeframe

  • Maximum of five (5) years total as a Marriage and Family Therapist Associate to complete these requirements. (regulations.justia.com)

• Continuing education while an associate

  • 10 CE hours per year, including 3 hours ethics;
  • 6 hours suicide assessment/treatment/management every six years;
  • 3 hours domestic violence / elder abuse training within three years of initial licensure/certification;
  • Additional telehealth CE if you provide telehealth. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

Taken together, Kentucky’s Board expects an LMFT candidate to progress from a completed graduate MFT education and 300‑hour practicum to a tightly supervised associate period, during which you accumulate 1,000 hours of direct client work and 200 hours of structured clinical supervision under a Board‑approved supervisor within a five‑year window.