Marriage and Family Therapist - Training License

To obtain the Marriage and Family Therapist Training License, applicants must meet the education requirements and have a qualified supervisor.

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. You do not need to have all documents ready to submit.

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

The education requirement may be met in one of the following ways:

• Enrollment in or completion of a COAMFTE accredited program, verified by submission of form 1972 directly by the school to DSPS.

• The Department preapproved program through UW-Whitewater.  The school must submit the official transcript to DSPS.

• If the applicant's degree does not fit into either category above then form 2238 and course descriptions must be submitted by the applicant, as well as an official transcript directly from the school to DSPS.  The degree will require Section approval.

All training license applicants must upload a completed form 2571 Employment Form for Supervised Marriage and Family Therapy Practice to their application.  Before filling in the form, review the information below regarding who may supervise.  Please note that all Wisconsin licenses are in XXXX-XXX format, with the three numbers after the dash corresponding to what license is held, such as 124 for a Marriage and Family Therapist.

Supervision of the supervised practice of marriage and family therapy may be exercised by any of the following:

• An individual licensed as a marriage and family therapist who has received a doctorate degree in marriage and family therapy.

• An individual licensed as a marriage and family therapist who has engaged in the equivalent of 5 years of full-time marriage and family therapy practice.

• A psychiatrist.

• A psychologist licensed under ch. 455, Stats.

• A person who is an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy approved supervisor or supervisor candidate.

• An individual, other than an individual specified above, who the marriage and family therapy section approves in advance based upon:

  • Evidence of 5 years of experience in full-time systemic therapy, and

  • Completion of 30 hours of clinical supervision training through coursework and continuing education that meets the criteria established in ch. MPSW 19 or is otherwise approved by the board.

Passing the AMFTRB examination is not required to obtain the training license. An approval code is provided as part of the initial review of a full Marriage and Family Therapist application by an associate.

If a Marriage and Family Therapist Training License holder is not yet ready to apply for full licensure, but is interested in registering for the AMFTRB exam, they may submit a support ticket through their LicensE account to request an approval code.

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.