Georgia MFT Licensure Requirements: Hours, Exam, and Fees

Georgia MFT licensure requirements run through four stages: a qualifying master’s degree, an associate license (LAMFT) that lets you practice under supervision, a block of supervised clinical hours, and the national MFT examination, followed by a formal application to the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists. The specific hour counts depend on which route you take, and the order matters because the Board does not grant associate licenses by reciprocity and only reviews applications that are already complete.

The Degree You Need

Every applicant needs at least a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation. The degree can be in marriage and family therapy, counseling, social work, psychology, psychiatric nursing, pastoral counseling, or a related behavioral health field.¹ A program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) also qualifies.²

If your program is not COAMFTE-accredited, your transcript needs to cover specific ground: at least three courses in marriage and family studies, three in marriage and family therapy, three in human development (one covering psychopathology or diagnosing mental health conditions), one in MFT ethics, and one in research.³ Confirming the coursework before you apply is cheaper than discovering a gap later.

The Associate License (LAMFT)

Most people don’t go straight to full LMFT. You apply first for an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist license, which lets you practice under supervision while you build the clinical hours for full licensure. The associate application takes a completed form, official transcripts, practicum and internship verification, a supervision verification form, and a contract affidavit laying out the planned supervisory arrangement.⁴

If you’ve already passed the national MFT exam, you can apply for the associate license by exam waiver. If you haven’t, you apply through the examination pathway. Either way, a fingerprint-based background check runs through Fieldprint, the Board’s designated vendor.⁵

A few hard rules about the LAMFT: the Board does not grant it by endorsement or reciprocity from other states, it cannot go on inactive status, and if it lapses it can only be reinstated once. The license has a five-year lifespan from initial issuance, so there’s a built-in clock on completing your supervised hours.⁴

Supervised Clinical Hours for Full LMFT

Hour requirements depend on which pathway you’re on. Pick the wrong one on your application and it will come back to you.

With an Active LAMFT License

Two years of full-time post-master’s supervised experience in marriage and family therapy, including at least 2,000 hours of direct clinical work. Supervision runs 100 hours total, with at least 50 of those in individual supervision; the rest can be group. You must also log at least five supervision hours for every 100 hours of direct clinical experience.¹ Part-time work can be spread over up to five years.

Master’s Degree Without an LAMFT

The requirements are steeper if you never held a Georgia associate license: three years of full-time post-master’s experience, at least 2,500 hours of direct clinical work, and 200 hours of supervision. At least 100 of those supervision hours must come from an AAMFT-approved supervisor, a Georgia Board-approved MFT supervisor, or someone receiving supervision-of-supervision toward either designation. Up to one year of approved practicum can count toward the three-year total.¹

Doctoral Degree Holders

Two years of post-master’s or post-doctoral MFT experience with a minimum of 1,500 hours of direct clinical experience. One year may come from an approved internship completed before or after the doctorate was conferred.²

Who Can Supervise

Your supervisor must be a licensed marriage and family therapist, professional counselor, clinical social worker, psychiatrist, or psychologist who has been licensed and in good standing for at least three years. They can also hold an AAMFT-approved supervisor designation or Georgia Board-approved MFT supervisor status.¹ Hours logged under someone who doesn’t meet the standard won’t count, so vet the supervisor before you start.

The National MFT Examination

Georgia requires passing the national MFT Examination, developed by the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB).⁶ It covers clinical knowledge, therapeutic techniques, ethics, and professional practice.

Registration runs through the Professional Testing Corporation (PTC), which handles the application, fees, and scheduling. The exam fee is $370.⁶ Once PTC processes your application and payment, you receive an identification number and testing information. The exam is computer-based and delivered at Prometric centers. If you don’t pass, you reapply through the PTC website.⁷

If you already hold an LAMFT and are upgrading to full LMFT, you do not retake the exam.¹

Application Package and Fees

Once education, experience, and exam requirements are met, the application goes to the Georgia Composite Board. The Board only reviews completed applications, so missing documents stall the review.⁴ Your package should include:

The signed, notarized application with the $100 fee plus a $10 processing fee, totaling $110.⁸
Official transcripts sent directly from your graduate institution.
Verification forms documenting your clinical hours and supervisory arrangement.
A fingerprint background check processed electronically through Fieldprint.⁵
Citizenship verification: a secure and verifiable document plus an affidavit of citizenship, with immigration documents if applicable.

Any history of disciplinary action from another licensing board has to be disclosed.

Renewal, Continuing Education, and Lapses

Every Georgia MFT license expires September 30 of even-numbered years, regardless of when you were first licensed. Renewal takes 35 hours of continuing education completed during the two-year cycle. The composition is prescribed: at least five hours in MFT-specific professional ethics, which must be synchronous; at least 15 hours in content directly related to marriage and family therapy; up to 15 hours in allied fields such as counseling, social work, psychiatry, or psychology; no more than 10 hours from asynchronous or self-paced courses; and a cap of five hours of independent study, which cannot count toward ethics or core hours.⁹

Renewal costs $100 plus a $10 processing fee.⁸ Keep your CE documentation for four years; the Board audits a fixed percentage of renewals each cycle. If audited hours are disqualified, you get six months to make up the shortfall before possible disciplinary action.⁹

Missing the deadline is serious. If you don’t renew by October 31 of the renewal year, the lapse has the same effect as a revocation, and continuing to practice after that date counts as unlicensed practice.¹⁰ Reinstatement within five years of expiration takes 35 CE hours for each missed cycle (with at least 35 completed in the two years before you apply) plus a late renewal penalty fee. After five years, you also have to retake and pass the national MFT exam, unless you’ve been continuously licensed and practicing in another state with equivalent requirements.¹¹ LAMFT associate licenses, as noted, can only be reinstated once.

A Note on Practicing Across State Lines

Georgia has enacted the Professional Counselors Licensure Compact, which eases interstate practice for Licensed Professional Counselors.¹² That compact applies to LPCs, not to MFTs.¹³ If you hold only an LMFT and want to see clients in another state, you generally need to meet that state’s licensure requirements as well. There is no MFT-specific interstate compact in effect as of 2026.

1
Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Rules and Regulations 135-5 – Requirements for Licensure
2
Justia. Georgia Code 43-10A-13 – Requirements for Licensure in Marriage and Family Therapy
3
Legal Information Institute. Georgia Rules and Regulations 135-5-.05 – Associate Marriage and Family Therapists
4
Georgia Secretary of State. How to Guide – Marriage and Family Therapist
5
Georgia Secretary of State. Instructions for Applicants to Obtain Fingerprints for a Background Check
6
Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards. Your Exam Roadmap
7
Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards. FAQs
8
Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Composite Board Fee Schedule
9
Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Rules and Regulations 135-9 – Continuing Education
10
Legal Information Institute. Georgia Rules and Regulations 135-6-.03 – Biennial Renewal Cycle
11
Georgia Secretary of State. Rule 135-6-.04 – Revocation of Expired Licenses and Reinstatement of Expired Licenses
12
Justia. Georgia Code 43-10A-51 – Text of Compact
13
Georgia Secretary of State. The Counseling Compact