Virginia 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 Virginia data shows for Marriage and Family Therapists
Becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist in Virginia means clearing a defined set of hurdles: 2,905 training hours, a passing score on MFT National Examination, and 2 years of supervised work experience, plus a background history check once the applicant turns 18. Virginia regulators place this credential inside their licensing framework, which classifies the training track as "Masters or Doctoral Degree".
The initial price tag is $166, and renewal costs $146 every 2 years. Maintaining the license requires 36 hours of continuing education per 2-year cycle, an ongoing cost applicants often underestimate when budgeting the career.
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 Virginia
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Frequently Asked Questions
What license do I need for Marriage and Family Therapist in Virginia? ▼
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Related Guides
What to do with this marriage and family therapist license
Marriage and Family Therapist in Virginia, with a documented reciprocity path, is one requirement row in a marriage and family therapist-wide, 50-state comparison.
- See how Virginia'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 Virginia's overall licensing burden compares to other states, not just this one profession. Virginia overview
Requirements shown are compiled from NCSL and Institute for Justice research; verify current rules with the Virginia 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.