LMFT Licensure in Louisiana: Requirements, Hours and Exams
Louisiana licenses marriage and family therapists through the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners, acting on the recommendation of its marriage and family therapy advisory committee.
Graduates start on a Provisional LMFT (PLMFT) — supervision required, no independent practice — and build 3,000 hours of clinical services plus 200 hours of qualified supervision toward the LMFT and the national MFT exam.
Clinicians licensed elsewhere qualify by endorsement under §3701.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
LMFT — Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
PLMFT — Provisional Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, held under board-approved supervision.
Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners, on the marriage and family therapy advisory committee's recommendation.
A COAMFTE-accredited master's or doctorate, or the CACREP and related-degree routes of §3309, plus six credit hours in diagnostic psychopathology.
3,000 hours of clinical services including 2,000 direct (at least 1,500 post-graduate), plus 200 hours of qualified supervision (at least 100 individual), over at least two years.
The national marriage and family therapy examination; the rule accepts no other examination.
Available with an out-of-state LMFT plus at least one year of active practice, 40 CEHs within two years of application, and good standing.
LMFT renews every two years in December with 40 clock hours of CE, including three hours of MFT-specific ethics.
The Louisiana credential ladder
- Provisional Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist(PLMFT)Pre-licensure
The entry license: it lets a graduate render marriage and family therapy under board-approved supervision while working toward independent licensure, but a PLMFT may not practice independently or receive direct payment for services rendered.
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist(LMFT)Independent
The independent license, issued on the recommendation of the marriage and family therapy advisory committee once the hours, supervision and national exam are complete; an LMFT renews every two years in the month of December.
- LMFT-Registered Supervisor Candidate(Supervisor candidate)Supervisor
A licensed LMFT approved to supervise while completing candidacy — at least 2 supervisees for at least 9 months each, with at least 90 supervision hours provided over at least 1 year — toward the board-approved supervisor designation.
- Approved Board Supervisor(LMFT-S)Supervisor
The supervisor designation: an active LMFT for at least 2 years with supervision coursework and 36 hours of supervision-of-supervision, recertified every 4 years with 6 CE hours in clinical MFT supervision.
One combined board, two MFT licenses, two supervisor designations
Louisiana issues counselor and MFT credentials through the same body: the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners, which licenses MFTs upon recommendation of the marriage and family therapy advisory committee under R.S.
37:1101-1123.
The MFT ladder has two licenses.
The PLMFT is the entry license, held "under board-approved supervision (i.e. may not practice independently)"; the LMFT is the independent license.
Above the LMFT sit two supervisor designations — the LMFT-S board-approved supervisor and the LMFT-registered supervisor candidate, a licensed LMFT accumulating supervised supervisory experience toward the LMFT-S.
Per the board's pages, an LMFT renews every two years in December and a PLMFT renews every two years in October.
For how pre-licensure titles line up across states, see the LMSW, LPC-A and AMFT title alphabet.
“under board-approved supervision (i.e. may not practice independently)”
Four degree routes, and a six-credit diagnosis floor since 2018
Section 3309 lists the academic routes.
Option 1 is a COAMFTE-accredited master's or doctoral degree, or a COAMFTE-accredited post-graduate institute certificate.
Option 2 is a CACREP marriage and family therapy, marriage and family counseling, or related clinical mental health degree "with a minimum of six courses in marriage and family therapy, including coursework on the AAMFT code of ethics".
Option 3 is a related degree the board finds substantially equivalent to COAMFTE, and option 4 covers board-approved programs completed before 2010.
Section 3311 requires a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours for the non-COAMFTE options (2, 3 and 4) and counts one course as 3 semester or 4 quarter hours.
Separately, §3305.C has required, since January 1, 2018, "a minimum of six credit hours in diagnostic psychopathology" (Act 736 of 2014).
For why boards write program accreditation into the degree rule, see CSWE vs CACREP vs COAMFTE accreditation.
“with a minimum of six courses in marriage and family therapy, including coursework on the AAMFT code of ethics”
3,000 hours of clinical services, 2,000 of them direct, in a six-year window
Section 3315.C.1 requires a PLMFT to complete qualified postgraduate clinical experience including at least 3,000 hours of clinical services to individuals, couples, families, or groups.
At least 1,500 hours must qualify as direct work experience, and up to 500 direct hours from a systemically oriented graduate program may be counted toward what the rule calls "the required 2000 hours".
Read together, the subsection's arithmetic is 2,000 direct hours — at least 1,500 post-graduate plus up to 500 graduate — plus the remaining 1,000 indirect or other professional activities, reaching the 3,000 total.
The "2000" is verbatim rule text, so confirm the split with the board if graduate hours approach the cap.
The minimum is two years of post-graduate clinical experience, and a PLMFT must apply and be approved for licensure within six years of provisional approval or forfeit the hours.
Out-of-state hours transfer at a 2,100-hour cap (1,200 direct, 815 indirect, 85 supervision).
The board's PLMFT page says "a minimum of 3,200 hours ... before they may be considered for LPC licensure" — cite the rule, not the page.
For what counts as a supervised hour, and what changes at independent licensure, see associate vs. independently licensed therapists.
“A PLMFT must complete qualified postgraduate clinical experience ... that includes at least 3,000 hours of clinical services to individuals, couples, families, or groups.”
One exam, and only one: the national MFT examination
Section 3313.A fixes a single examination for licensure: the national marriage and family therapy examination as determined by the advisory committee, and the rule adds "No other examination will be accepted."
The board's pages direct candidates to AMFTRB, which administers the National MFT Exam through PTC.
Two timing rules matter for planning: an applicant is not exam-eligible until the advisory committee has approved the application (§3313.B), and a PLMFT who has not yet passed must sit the exam at least once per renewal period until passing — holding the provisional license does not pause that clock.
For how the counselor, social work and MFT licensing exams compare, see ASWB vs NCE vs NCMHCE vs the MFT national exam.
“The examination for licensure shall be the national marriage and family therapy examination as determined by the advisory committee. No other examination will be accepted.”
200 supervision hours — at least 100 of them individual — and the supervisor defined in the rule
Section 3315.C.2 requires at least 200 hours of qualified supervision, of which at least 100 must be individual supervision; the remaining 100 may be group supervision.
Up to 100 supervision hours earned during the graduate program count, of which only 50 may be individual.
The rule defines group supervision as more than two but no more than six PLMFTs, and individual supervision as one or two supervisees; consultation is not supervision, and a supervisor may not be a relative, a household member, or the supervisee's employee (unless paid only for actual supervisory hours).
Telesupervision is expressly allowed: "100 percent of the face-to-face supervision hours may be conducted via synchronous videoconferencing on a HIPAA compliant platform."
The board's pages add the cadence it calls Active Supervision: one hour of face-to-face supervision for every 20 hours of direct client contact, or at least once every three-month period.
Whether you or your employer pays for that supervision is covered in who pays for clinical supervision.
“at least 200 hours of qualified supervision, of which at least 100 hours must be individual supervision. The remaining 100 hours may be group supervision.”
What a provisional license does not let you do
The board's PLMFT page is direct: PLMFTs work under the active supervision of a board-approved supervisor while working toward independent licensure, and they may not practice independently or receive direct payment for services rendered.
Section 3315.B adds a title discipline: a PLMFT shall not identify or represent themselves by any other term or title, including "licensed", "fully licensed", "licensed marriage and family therapist", "LMFT", or "therapist".
Non-face-to-face contact does not count as qualified supervision unless the board pre-approves it.
And §3303's definitions decide what counts as direct: telephone contact, case planning, observation, record review, travel, administration and consultation are excluded from direct client contact, while psychoeducation counts, and a client contact hour is a 50-minute face-to-face period.
“may not practice independently or receive direct payment for services rendered”
Endorsement for experienced LMFTs; the exam route for newer licensees
Section 3701.A: on the recommendation of the board and the marriage and family therapy advisory committee, the board shall issue a license to any person who has been licensed as an MFT and has actively practiced marriage and family therapy for at least one year in another jurisdiction.
The applicant must also document at least 40 CEHs, under the Chapter 35 requirements, within two years of the application, and be in good standing and undisciplined in every jurisdiction of licensure.
Section 3701.B covers licensees with less than one year: substantially equivalent (or exceeding) requirements, plus proof of passing the AMFTRB examination or one the advisory committee finds substantially equivalent.
Out-of-state hours transfer subject to the §3315.C caps (2,100 total), and there is no MFT compact — movement into Louisiana runs through this endorsement route.
For how endorsement works when you move, see moving states as a therapist: license transfer and endorsement.
“the board shall issue a license to any person who has been licensed as a marriage and family therapist and has actively practiced marriage and family therapy for at least one year in another jurisdiction”
40 CE hours every two years, with MFT-specific ethics, diagnosis and social/cultural slices
An LMFT renews every two years in the month of December per the board's page, and §3503 requires a licensee to accrue 40 clock hours of continuing education by every renewal period every two years.
The rule shapes the 40: three clock hours must be training in ethics that specifically addresses MFT practice — "A generic ethics class will not be acceptable" — six clock hours must be in diagnosis (DSM), and three clock hours in social and cultural foundations; for licensees holding both the LPC and MFT licenses, 20 of the 40 must be MFT-systemic and include the ethics and diagnosis slices.
No more than 20 CEHs may be obtained online.
A PLMFT renews on a November 1–October 31 cycle with 20 clock hours (1.5 ethics, 1.5 social and cultural foundations, 1.5 diagnosis) and a 10-hour online cap.
“A licensee must accrue 40 clock hours of continuing education by every renewal period every two years”
Amendments on the books: §3315 and CE rules effective April 1, 2027
Three amendment trails matter here.
Section 3309 was amended at LR 49:1086 (June 2023), and the endorsement section's historical note records its most recent amendment at LR 50:1850 (December 2024).
The historical note closing §3315 — the section holding the 3,000 hours, the 200 supervision hours, the six-year window and PLMFT renewal — carries LR 50:1848 and LR 50:1851 (December 2024), effective April 1, 2027; §3317's own historical note ends at LR 45:1205 (September 2019), with no such amendment.
The §3503 continuing-education historical note records LR 50:1849 and LR 50:1852 (December 2024), with the latter effective April 1, 2027.
The content of the 2027 amendments was not parsed for this page, so anyone relying on §3315 or §3503 requirements after that date should check the board's current rules.
One inconsistency to keep in view: the board's PLMFT page still carries figures ("3,200 hours", "LPC licensure") that contradict the rule text, which says 3,000 hours — the rule is the source of record.
Definitions and process limits that catch graduates
Three practical points sit outside the hour counts.
First, §3303 defines a client contact hour as a 50-minute face-to-face period, and its exclusions decide what is "direct" work.
Second, hours do not accrue from a job offer: a PLMFT's qualified experience counts only after the board's official approval letter, there are no retroactive hours, and a concurrent PLPC/PLMFT accrues toward each license only after both approvals.
Third, movers should know §3703: the board does not issue temporary practice permits; however, expedited application processing is available, with a response from board staff within five business days of receiving the completed application, the expedited processing application, and the required fee.
What This Page Does — and Doesn’t — Cover
This page summarizes the Louisiana statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above, as read for this state-by-state MFT licensure series, current as of September 2026.
It does not list application forms, fees beyond those cited above, or processing times, and it is not a substitute for the instructions the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners publishes.
Nor does it cover counselor licensure in Louisiana, social work licensure in Louisiana, or what therapists earn in Louisiana.
Hour totals, exams and supervision rules change by statute and by board rule; for how the counselor, social work and MFT licences differ, see LCSW vs. LPC vs. LMFT: which therapy licence to get.
Confirm every requirement with the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners before you count hours, register for an exam or apply — and before you take one of the marriage and family therapist jobs in Louisiana that asks for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many supervised hours do you need for LMFT licensure in Louisiana?
Section 3315.C requires a PLMFT to complete at least 3,000 hours of clinical services to individuals, couples, families, or groups.
Of those, 2,000 must be direct work experience — at least 1,500 post-graduate, with up to 500 direct hours from a systemically oriented graduate program counted toward the rule's required 2000 hours — and the remaining 1,000 may be indirect work experience or other professional activities.
Separately, 200 hours of qualified supervision are required, at least 100 of them individual.
The experience must span at least two years post-graduate, and you must apply and be approved for licensure within six years of provisional approval.
Can a PLMFT practice independently in Louisiana?
No. The board's PLMFT page states that PLMFTs may not practice independently or receive direct payment for services rendered, and that they work under the active supervision of a board-approved supervisor.
Section 3315.B also restricts the title: a PLMFT may not identify by any term implying full licensure, including "licensed", "LMFT", or "therapist".
A PLMFT who has not yet passed the national MFT exam must sit it at least once per renewal period until passing.
Does Louisiana endorse out-of-state marriage and family therapists?
Yes, through §3701.
If you have been licensed as an MFT elsewhere and have actively practiced for at least one year in another jurisdiction, the board shall issue a Louisiana license on the advisory committee's recommendation, provided you document 40 CEHs within two years of application and are in good standing.
With less than one year of practice, §3701.B requires substantially equivalent requirements plus the AMFTRB examination.
Out-of-state experience transfers subject to a 2,100-hour cap.
There is no MFT compact, so endorsement is the route.
What exam does Louisiana require for MFT licensure?
Only one: the national marriage and family therapy examination as determined by the advisory committee — the AMFTRB National MFT Exam, administered through PTC.
The rule states that no other examination will be accepted.
Note the sequencing: you are not exam-eligible until the marriage and family therapy advisory committee has approved your application, and once you hold a PLMFT you must sit the exam at least once every renewal period until you pass.
Can supervision hours for the Louisiana LMFT be completed by video?
Yes.
Section 3315 allows 100 percent of the face-to-face supervision hours to be conducted via synchronous videoconferencing on a HIPAA compliant platform.
The format rules still apply: individual supervision means one or two supervisees, group supervision means three to six PLMFTs, and the board's pages describe Active Supervision as one hour of face-to-face supervision for every 20 hours of direct client contact, or at least once every three-month period.
More Louisiana & Marriage and Family Therapist Resources
Sources
- Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 46, Part LX — board PDF 46v60_August-2026.pdf (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Louisiana LPC Board of Examiners — LMFT licensure page (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Louisiana LPC Board of Examiners — PLMFT page (retrieved 2026-09-24)
Sourced from the statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above.
Verified September 2026.
This is career information, not legal or clinical advice — confirm current rules with the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners.