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Maryland licenses Marriage and Family Therapists through the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists. Licensure generally requires a master’s or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy (or a closely related field with MFT coursework), a period of post-degree supervised clinical experience, and a passing score on the National Marriage and Family Therapy Examination. Verify current licensing, MFT Licensure Compact, supervised-experience, renewal, and continuing-education requirements directly with the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists.
Maryland generally requires a master's degree (reportedly 60+ graduate semester credit hours) or doctoral degree in a marriage and family therapy field from an accredited institution, including specified coursework. Maryland issues the Licensed Graduate Marriage and Family Therapist (LGMFT) at the pre-independent stage and the Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist (LCMFT) at the independent stage. Verify the current education requirements with the Board.
Applicants generally must pass the National Marriage and Family Therapy Examination administered by the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) and a Maryland law/jurisprudence examination. Verify the current examination requirements with the Board.
Maryland generally requires post-graduate supervised clinical experience (reportedly approximately 2,000 hours, including a substantial number of face-to-face client-contact hours, completed over about two years) for the LCMFT, in addition to a graduate practicum. Verify the exact required hours, direct-contact minimum, and supervision rules with the Board.
The state has not enacted the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensure Compact. Marriage and family therapists must hold a license issued by this state to practice here, and any compact privilege held elsewhere does not authorize practice in this state.
Maryland has not been confirmed as having enacted the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensure Compact (mftcompact.org); the compact is newly emerging and few states have enacted it. (Maryland's separate MFT license-portability/endorsement provisions are distinct from the compact.) Verify the current compact status with the Board.
License portability may be available by endorsement and, where the state participates, through the MFT Licensure Compact. Verify endorsement eligibility and compact participation with the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists.
Telehealth marriage and family therapy practice is governed by state law and board rules. Verify current telehealth requirements with the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists.
This guide is for general informational purposes only and should not be treated as legal, licensing, or employment advice. Marriage and family therapist licensing laws, board rules, education and examination requirements, MFT Licensure Compact participation, supervised-experience rules, and renewal/continuing-education requirements vary by state and may change. Always verify current requirements directly with the official state licensing board.