I am 45 years old and have attended college classes throughout my life
but have not graduated from any one university.  I may or may not have
enough credits for a B.A. since my range of interests was wide and I
may not have fulfilled the requirements for a specific major.  I would
like to become a marriage and family counselor in Pasadena, CA.  I
would hope to be able to be licensed to do this within 1 to 2 years. 
I can attend day-time classes (hopefully in the Pasadena area) or earn
credits through a distance learning program.  My question is this: 
what is the minimum requirement to become a licensed marriage and
family counselor (I am not necessarily wanting to earn a B.A. or M.A.
in psychology if there is another way to do this)in California and
where can I pursue this?  If a Masters is the only way, where can my
varied college credits be evaluated and accepted toward a B.A. and is
there a way to earn life-credit that can apply toward this goal?

Hello workingmom-ga,

I admire your ambition to earn a college degree and start a new
profession as a marriage and family therapist in about two years. I’m
afraid that the requirements for licensing as an MFT in California
make this goal unrealistic – maybe even impossible.

This is a licensed profession and the licensing requirements are
tough. You must have a master’s degree from and accredited/approved
educational institution, you must perform 3000 supervised hours of
work and pass both a written and an oral examination before qualifying
for your license.

I’ve collected information about the licensure requirements, lists of
approved colleges and universities (including some in or near
Pasadena), sample course work and graduation requirements and some
additional resources. You might be able to get credit for some/all of
your prior coursework and for life experience but this determination
is made by each school according to its own criteria.

I’m sorry to have to tell you that if you want to be a Marriage Family
Therapist in California it will take more than two years. I hope this
doesn’t discourage you from pursuing this path.

Good luck with your quest.

czh

==========================================
STATE OF CALIFORNIA LICENSING REQUIREMENTS
==========================================

http://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/lawsregs.pdf
Board of Behavioral Sciences
Laws and Regulations Relating to the Practice of Marriage and Family
Therapy, Licensed Clinical Social Work, and Licensed Educational
Psychology
***** This is a 110 page document dated June 2003.

http://www.bbs.ca.gov/Exam-mn.htm
Examinations 
Applicants seeking licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker or
Marriage and Family Therapist must pass a written and oral
examination, then pay a prorated initial license fee.

http://www.bbs.ca.gov/lic-req2.htm
MFT Intern and License Information
This information is being provided to help outline the requirements
for registration as a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern and
licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) in California.
In order to qualify for an intern registration, an applicant must
possess a qualifying doctor's or master's degree with specific
coursework requirements as specified in Business and Professions (B&P)
Code Section 4980.40. Intern registrations are valid for one year and
interns may maintain their registration status for a total of six
years. The experience requirements for licensure are 3,000 hours of
supervised experience gained in not less than two calendar years
obtained over a period of not less than 104 weeks. All experience must
be gained within the six years immediately preceding the date the
application for licensure was filed, except that up to 500 hours of
clinical experience gained in the supervised practicum shall be exempt
from the six-year requirement. Specific experience requirements are
defined in B&P Code Sections 4980.40(f), 4980.42 through 4980.45 and
California Code of Regulations (CCR) Section 1833. The requirements
for supervisors are defined in CCR Section 1833.1. After the
experience requirements are met, applicants must take and pass a
written and oral examination.Applicants should not submit MFT
licensing applications until they have completed the 3000 hours of
supervised experience. Any applications submitted with less than 3000
hours will be returned to the applicant.

http://www.bbs.ca.gov/mfc-schl.htm
MFT Accredited and Approved Schools
For California licensing purposes:
Accredited schools are those institutions that are accredited by the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Degree programs
completed at WASC accredited institutions are generally recognized by
other state licensing boards.
Approved schools are those institutions that are approved by the
Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE).
Degree programs completed at BPPVE institutions meet the same MFT
educational requirements as the WASC accredited institutions, however,
they may not be recognized by other state licensing boards.
***** See links to both sets of schools.


===================================
MFT APPROVED AND ACCREDITED SCHOOLS
===================================

http://www.bbs.ca.gov/mfc-schl.htm
MFT Accredited and Approved Schools

http://www.camft.org/StaticContent/1/members_schools.html
Schools with MFT Programs


===================
SAMPLE MFT PROGRAMS
===================

http://www.pacificoaks.edu/aboutPOC/aboutPOC.html
Pacific Oaks, located on campuses in Pasadena, California, Seattle,
Washington, and Oakland, California, as well as online, is a unique
educational institution offering upper division and graduate-level
college programs in human development and counseling and teaching
credentials.
Office of Admissions 
5 Westmoreland Place 
Pasadena, CA 91103 
(626) 397-1349 or (800) 684-0900 

http://www.pacificoaks.edu/programs/mfcc.html
M.A. in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling (MFCC) and Latino Family
Studies Sprecialization (LFS)
The Marriage, Family and Child Counseling Program is a unique
educational masters program for developing clinically skilled,
culturally competent child and family therapists.
The MFCC Department oversees two M.A. programs in Marriage, Child and
Family Counseling. The self-paced program allows the student to work
at her/his own pace, taking the number of classes that fit into
her/his schedule.

http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/psych/html/mfcc.htm
California State University, Los Angeles
The Department of Psychology
The Marriage and Family Therapy Program
This program meets the educational requirements for State licensure as
a Marriage and Family Therapist as set forth by the State of
California. Our program is designed to be completed in a minimum of
two years. However, the applicant should be aware that before being
eligible to sit for the State licensing examination a candidate for
the MFT license must, in addition to completing the educational
requirements, acquire 3,000 hours of acceptable supervised experience
in State approved settings.
Of the entire 3,000 hours of required supervised experience, the State
requires that a minimum of 1,500 hours be acquired after receipt of
the Master's Degree with an option in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Further, no credit can be given for experience gathered prior to
enrollment in an acceptable educational program. Additionally, the
State requires that the total 3,000 hours of acceptable supervised
experience may not be accrued in less than 104 weeks (two complete
years).
Therefore, the applicant who looks forward to MFT licensure must
anticipate a commitment of three and one-half to four years from entry
into this program to eligibility to sit for the state licensing
examination.

http://www.bbs.ca.gov/MFCSCHL1.HTM
Accredited Schools with MFT Programs
California State University, Los Angeles
Division of Administration and Counseling
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90032-8141
(213) 343-4250

University of Southern California
School of Ed., Counseling Psychology
Waite Philips Hall #1004
Los Angeles, CA 90089
(213) 740-8313

Fuller Theological Seminary
Graduate School of Psychology
180 North Oakland Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
(818) 584-5331

http://www.bbs.ca.gov/MFCSCHL2.HTM
Approved Schools with MFT Programs

California Graduate Institute
Los Angeles Campus:
Graduate School of Professional Psychology
1145 Gayley Ave., Suite 322
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-4240

Ryokan College
11965 Venice Blvd., Ste. 304
Los Angeles, CA 90066-3993
(310) 390-7560


=================================
MARRIAGE FAMILY THERAPY RESOURCES
=================================

http://www.camft.org/ScriptContent/Index.cfm
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
CAMFT is an independent professional organization representing the
interests of licensed marriage and family therapists. It is dedicated
to advancing the profession as an art and a science, to maintaining
high standards of professional ethics, to upholding the qualifications
for the profession and to expanding the recognition and awareness of
the profession.

http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/mft/
Counseling, Marriage & Family Therapy

http://www.mftlicense.com/OtherResources/StateResourceslinked.html
MFT License Regulations -- U.S. State-by-State



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