Effective Aug. 1, 2021
Masters of Family Therapy
Post-Graduate Requirements
Marriage and Family Therapy is regulated by each individual state. While regulations vary from state to state, each state requires an acceptable graduate degree such as the MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from Friends University, successful completion of the National Marriage and Family Therapy Exam, professional references, and attestation of the applicant’s “merit for public trust,” and the completion of supervised post-graduate hours. Students are directed to the Kansas Behavioral Science Regulatory Board website (www.ksbsrb.ks.gov) to access the complete instructions and requirements for licensure. Information about licensure requirements for any other state may be found by searching the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards website (www.amftrb.org). Basic requirements for a basic license as well as an independent license in the state of Kansas include the following:
Basic Licensure Requirements for the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in KS
- Be over the age of 21 years of age
- Masters or Doctorate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy OR a related field which contained coursework considered to be equivalent to the Marriage and Family Therapy program
- Merits public trust as demonstrated by professional references and attestations
- Passed a nationally standardized exam at the basic level
- Basic Licensing Requirements for Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapists (Independent License)
- Completion and approval of LCMFT Clinical Training Plan
- Licensed as an LMFT or meet same qualifications
- 3000 hours of supervised clinical experience under an approved clinical training plan
- Pass the nationally standardized exam at the clinical level
Basic Licensure Requirements for the Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in MO
Missouri has two MFT licenses, Provisional Licensed Marital and Family Therapist (PLMFT), and Licensed Marital and Family Therapist (LMFT). There is also a Supervised Marital and Family Therapist designation (SMFT).
Provisional License Requirements
- A minimum of a master’s degree in marital and family therapy or a related subject with equivalent coursework from a regionally accredited program. Must include a practicum.
- Passed the exam approved by the board. Must have an application for supervision or licensure already filed with the State Committee.
- This license is valid for two years and may be extended at the discretion of the State Committee. It is not required to have a Provisional license to obtain supervision hours. May also complete supervised experience without a license, under the title, Supervised Marital and Family Therapist (SMFT). The SMFT must still register with the State Committee.
Marital and Family Therapist License Requirements
- Completion of the requirements for the PLMFT. Master’s Level: Completion of 3,000 hours of supervised experience as an MFT.
- 1,500 hours of which must be direct client contact. One hour a week, or two hours every two weeks must be individual face-to-face supervision.
- Completion of 200 hours of direct supervision, 100 of which must be individual.
Radiologic Technology
The 2 + 2 Radiologic Technology program between Friends University and Hutchinson Community College requires that, students who have no credits from other schools must complete at least 64 credits of coursework from Friends University (a 4-year institution) and at least 60 credits from Hutchinson Community College (a 2-year institution), making a total of 124 credits. With these credits, you will earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Radiologic Technology.
Professionals then have to be licensed in their state. Here is the link to the KSBHA webpage, which provides information about obtaining a Radiologic Technology license in Kansas. Students who intend to seek licensure in other states should review the information and disclosures provided by Hutchinson Community College, as it relates to their program.
Teacher Education Program
The Teacher Education Program at Friends University is accredited by the Kansas State Department of Education (900 SW Jackson Street, Topeka, Kansas 66612); and by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), www.ncate.org (now known as Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), www.caepnet.org). This accreditation covers the Teacher Education Program at Friends University; however, the accreditation does not include individual education courses that the institution offers to P-12 educators for professional development, re-licensure, or other purposes.
Licensure Disclosure
Friends University prepares future teachers for licensure in the state of Kansas. Completers of the program of study within the Teacher Education Program will earn recommendation for licensure in Kansas. The program requirements may not meet licensure requirements for other states. Students planning to seek teacher licensure outside of Kansas are strongly encouraged to meet with the Friends University Licensure Officer to discuss future plans. It is generally recommended that out-of-state licensure be obtained by first earning a Kansas teaching license and then transferring that license to another state. For information on how the Friends University Teacher Education Program meets educational requirements for licensure in other states, download the teacher education program licensure disclosure PDF.
Student location
For purposes of professional licensure disclosure, a student’s location is the state where the enrolled student resides and is based on the permanent home address entered into the Banner system. For a prospective student, this is the state of the prospective student’s residency at the time the student has applied for admission, intends to enroll, and is then entered into the student management system. For students whose permanent address does not include a U.S. state or territory (e.g., students living outside the United States), their location will be considered the State of Kansas. The student location designation will remain in effect unless and until a student changes the U.S. state or territory listed in the student’s permanent address; The university will consider that date of entry as the effective date of a student’s revised location for the purposes of this policy. All other university policies that determine Kansas residency for the purpose of tuition assessment, including the Kansas Board of Regents Definitions of Kansas Residency based upon the 2007 HB 2185 amendment to K.S.A. 76-729, will not be superseded by this policy.
Reason for Policy: This policy is required to assure compliance with the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 34 CFR § 668.43 as amended, particularly paragraph (c), Institutional Information – Individual Disclosures for all programs leading to professional licensure or certification to prospective students if the institution makes a determination that the program does not meet state educational requirements or the institution has not made a determination where the student is located before enrolling in the program (before a financial transaction occurs.) The institution must provide an individual disclosure to enrolled students if the institution determines that the curriculum no longer meets educational requirements where the student is located; the disclosure must occur within 14 days of the institution making that determination. Further, the federal regulations require that each institution has a policy that defines student location for purposes of complying with the disclosure requirements.