Becoming a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in New Hampshire

When deciding to become a licensed marriage family therapist in the state of New Hampshire a person should realize that the process is a long one. It will require time and dedication in order to become licensed in the state.

Marriage family therapists provide mental health counseling to individuals, couples, and families. The focus of the therapy will be on relationships and how each member of the family plays a role in the client’s mental health. The marriage family therapist will conduct sessions with each individual as well as in group settings with the entire family or with the couple.

Educational Requirements for Marriage Family Therapists in New Hampshire

The educational requirements for licensure in the state of New Hampshire include:

• The applicant may have a two year master’s or doctoral degree in the field of marriage family therapy. The degree must be from a program that has been accredited by the COAMFTE.
• The applicant may have a two year master’s or doctoral degree in another area of the mental health field and complete a post graduate training program that has been approved by the COAMFTE.
• The applicant may have a two year master’s or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution with the concentration being in marriage family therapy.
• The applicant may have clinical membership with the AAMFT that was obtained through the traditional track.

Learn more about New Hampshire MFT degrees.

The required coursework for marriage family therapists includes:

1. At least three courses in family development, family studies, and family interaction as well as topics from the following areas:
   1. Theories of family development
   2. Family life cycle
   3. Family and/or marriage sociology
   4. Families under stress
   5. Families in a social context
   6. Contemporary families
   7. Aging in the family
   8. Cross cultural families
   9. Interpersonal relationships such as siblings, parents, marital
   10. Family subsystems
2. At least three courses in one of following subject areas:
   1. Family assessment
   2. Treatment and intervention methods
   3. Family therapy methodology
   4. Major clinical theories including contextual theory, communications theory, strategic theory, object relations theory, systemic theory, Tran’s generational theory, and structural theory.
3. One course in diagnosis
4. Completion of three or more courses in human development from the following subject areas:
   1. Personality theory
   2. Human development
   3. Psychopathology
   4. Human sexuality
   5. Behavior pathology
5. One course in professional studies in one of these subject areas:
   1. Family law
   2. Ethics
   3. Interprofessional cooperation and independent practice
   4. Legal responsibilities
   5. Professional socialization
6. One course of research in one of the following areas:
   1. Statistics
   2. Methods
   3. Research design

Applicants must complete a one year practicum or internship that is supervised by a supervisor that has been approved by the AAMFT before the master’s degree has been completed. The practicum must include at least 300 hours of client contact that is face to face. Clients may consist of individuals, couples, and families. At least 150 hours must be with couples and families.

Experience Requirements for Licensure in New Hampshire

Each applicant must complete at least two years of supervised experience after they have completed their graduate degree. At least one hour per week must be supervised individually. One year of experience can be no less than 1500 hours that are completed in no less than twelve months but no more than twenty-four months. Each applicant must have 1000 hours of supervised contact hours with clients face to face.

Applicants are required to have 200 hours of supervision from an AAMFT supervisor or an alternate supervisor that has been approved.

Individuals that have completed a graduate degree in a program that was accredited by the COAMFTE can use up to 100 hours of their practicum supervision towards their experience requirement.

Examination requirements for Licensure

Those applying for their marriage family therapy license in New Hampshire will need to pass the national examination in marriage family therapy that is given by the Association of Marital and Family Regulatory boards. The applicant will receive a packet from the board from the Professional Examination Service. This packet must be completed and sent to the PES and a time and date will be set for the examination.

The passing score for the examination is set by the AAMFRB and the applicant will be notified of their success or failure of the examination. Those that fail the exam can submit a notice in writing to the board requesting re-examination.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Career Outlook In New Hampshire

The job outlook for those interested in becoming marriage family therapists is very good with an expected increase of 14% from 2021 through 2031. In May of 2022 there were 260 marriage family therapists in New Hampshire.

The average salary for marriage family therapists in New Hampshire was $56,630 in May of 2022. The national average salary for these positions was $63,300 during this same time.

Research Additional Psychology Professional Licenses Granted by New Hampshire:

• New Hampshire Psychologist Licensing
• New Hampshire Counselor Licensing
• New Hampshire Social Work Licensing
• Learn More About The Career of an LMFT

2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics job market trends and salary figures for marriage and family therapists are based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2023.

Schools with MFT Degree Programs Accepting Students from New Hampshire