District of Columbia Marriage and Family Therapist License Requirements
What the state board actually requires: fees, renewal cycle, and requirements from official records.
Specializes in treating relationship and family issues.
What the District of Columbia data shows for Marriage and Family Therapists
To practice as a marriage and family therapist in District of Columbia, the state licensing board requires 3,073 documented education or training hours, a passing score on MFT National Examination, and 2 years of supervised work experience. A criminal history background check is also part of the application. Applicants must be at least 18 years old. The regulation sits under District of Columbia's professional licensing framework, which classifies the training track as "Masters or Doctoral Degree".
Upfront cost is $204, with renewal running $175 on a 2-year cycle. The license also carries an ongoing 36-hour continuing-education requirement per 2-year cycle that adds to the true cost of staying licensed.
On reciprocity, marriage and family therapists should know: MFT Licensure Compact: adoption underway.
Licensing Ease Score
A higher score means this specific license is LESS burdensome to obtain and maintain here than the national requirement corpus, based on education hours, fees, continuing education, and experience requirements, not an overall judgment of the profession or the state.
Licensing Requirements in District of Columbia
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Frequently Asked Questions
What license do I need for Marriage and Family Therapist in District of Columbia? ▼
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Related Guides
What to do with this marriage and family therapist license
Marriage and Family Therapist in District of Columbia, with a documented reciprocity path, is one requirement row in a marriage and family therapist-wide, 50-state comparison.
- See how District of Columbia's marriage and family therapist requirements compare to every other state before relocating. Marriage and Family Therapist in every state
- Confirm whether your out-of-state marriage and family therapist license transfers under an interstate compact before starting a new application. Reciprocity guide
- See how District of Columbia's overall licensing burden compares to other states, not just this one profession. District of Columbia overview
Requirements shown are compiled from NCSL and Institute for Justice research; verify current rules with the District of Columbia licensing board before making career decisions.
Source: NCSL Occupational Licensing Database, Institute for Justice License to Work (3rd Ed.), state licensing board websites
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Institute for Justice, the PlainCredential comparison corpus (current as of May 15, 2026) maps 4,947 state licensing requirement records; see the methodology.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.