(1) A person seeking licensure as a marriage and family therapist licensure candidate must apply on the board's official forms which may be obtained through the department. All requirements with documentation must be met at the time of application. Incomplete applications will not be considered by the board.

(2) A completed marriage and family therapist licensure candidate application must include:

(a) the application fee;

(b) official transcripts provided directly from the institution documenting the applicant's completion of a master's degree or doctoral degree in:

(i) marriage and family therapy from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE);

(ii) marriage and family counseling from a program accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP); or

(iii) a closely related field, for example, marriage and family counseling with an educational program consisting of a minimum of 48 semester hours (or 72 quarter hours) that includes at least 36 hours of courses comprised of human development, family development/family dynamics, marriage and family systems/systems theory, marriage and family therapy, ethics in marriage and family therapy, and research in marriage and family therapy;

(c) documentation of all supervised marriage and family therapy experience completed prior to completion of the academic degree. Experience must be completed and documented pursuant to the requirements of ARM 24.219.704; and

(d) the licensure candidate's proposed training and supervision plan.

(3) A training and supervision plan is subject to board approval, must be in a form approved by the board, and must include:

(a) identification of the candidate and qualified supervisors;

(b) the supervisors' license types, license numbers, and amount of post-licensure experience or training in clinical supervision;

(c) verification that any and all licenses held by the supervisors in all jurisdictions are unrestricted with no pending discipline;

(d) a proposed record of supervision in a form approved by the board that will address and document the licensure candidate's experience for the purpose of meeting the requirements of 37-37-201(1)(c), MCA, and satisfy the requirements of ARM 24.219.704; and

(e) a signed supervision agreement between the candidate and supervisors addressing the duties of the candidate and supervisors, the obligations of the candidate and supervisor under ARM 24.219.704, confidentiality, frequency and method of supervision, and duration and termination of the supervision agreement.

(4) All applicants must submit the fingerprint and background check required by the board.