Supervised hours earned as an associate MFT may or may not count in a new state, depending on that state's rules and how well the hours are documented. Access MFTs does not help, because it applies only to licensed clinicians. Before leaving, get hour verifications, supervisor credentials and site details, then ask the new board how it evaluates out-of-state hours.
Licensure portability for marriage and family therapists has improved for fully licensed clinicians. It has improved very little for associates. If you are partway through supervised experience and a partner's job, family need or better opportunity takes you to another state, the hours you have earned are the most fragile thing you own professionally.
Why associates sit outside the new portability tools
Access MFTs, the model law now adopted in 17 confirmed states, streamlines licensure by endorsement for applicants who hold an unrestricted independent license in good standing. It skips re-review of coursework and supervised hours for those people. An associate does not have that license yet, so the new state evaluates your education and hours under its standard route. There is no MFT interstate compact that would change this.
Your associate credential also does not move with you. It was issued under your current state's supervision rules. In the new state you will generally need to apply for that state's pre-licensed credential, under whatever title it uses, before seeing clients.
How boards look at out-of-state hours
Boards commonly check whether your supervisor held a qualifying license and supervisor status, whether your hours fall into the categories the state requires, such as direct client contact and relational or couples and family hours, whether the supervision ratio met their standard, and whether the hours were earned within any time window the rules set. A mismatch on one of these can mean a portion of your hours is not credited. The specifics are state rules, so ask the board you are moving to.
Documenting before you leave
Assemble the record while you still work down the hall from your supervisor. You will want a signed verification of total hours with the category breakdown, copies of your own hour logs, your supervisor's full name, license type, license number and issuing state, the dates supervision began and ended, the name and address of each practice site, and any supervision agreement or plan your current board approved.
If you had more than one supervisor, collect the same items from each. Supervisors retire, move and become hard to reach, and sites close. Clinicians who come back for verification years later often find the person or organization gone.
Also get your current board's official record of your associate registration and its dates. Some boards will verify directly to another board, which the new state may require.
Timing the move
If you can, contact the new board several months ahead with your documentation in hand and ask how it would evaluate your hours. Some associates find it worth finishing a milestone, such as a particular category of hours or a full supervision period with one supervisor, before leaving. Others arrange to continue with the same supervisor remotely, which a new state may or may not accept. Get that answer in writing before counting on it.
Common questions
- Will my supervised hours transfer if I move to another state?
- They may count toward the new state's requirement, but there is no guarantee. Boards evaluate out-of-state hours against their own rules on supervisor qualifications, hour categories and timeframes. Ask the new board before you move.
- Does Access MFTs help associates who relocate?
- No. Access MFTs streamlines endorsement for clinicians who already hold an unrestricted independent license. Pre-licensed therapists apply under the new state's regular associate rules.
- What should I get from my supervisor before I leave?
- Get a signed verification of your hours broken down by category, the supervisor's license number and state, the dates of supervision and the site where the work occurred. Get it while the supervisor is available and the details are fresh.
- Could I have to start my hours over?
- Some clinicians lose part of their hours when a new state will not accept certain categories, supervisors or older experience. Starting completely over is less common when documentation is thorough, but only the new board can say how your file will be treated.
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