MFT Licensure in Arizona: What LAMFTs Need to Know About Supervision

Arizona licenses pre-licensed marriage and family therapists as Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapists (LAMFTs) through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners. This guide covers the supervised experience Arizona requires for full LMFT licensure and the supervision rules that most affect telehealth.

The figures below come from Arizona statute and the board's rules, checked in October 2026. Confirm current requirements with the board before you plan your hours.

Pre-licensed title: Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT). The associate license requires the degree and the national exam, with no experience requirement (R4-6-601, R4-6-603).

Direct client contact: 1,600 hours over at least 24 months, at least 1,000 of them with couples or families (A.R.S. 32-3311). The board rule still lists an older 3,200-hour total. The statute controls, but confirm with the board which figure it applies to your application.

Supervision: at least 100 hours, at least 25 of them individual (R4-6-212). Up to 75 hours can come from a group of two supervisees, and up to 50 from a group of three to six.

Arizona allows remote supervision with a cap. No more than 90 of the 100 supervision hours may be by videoconference or phone, and no more than 15 of those 90 by phone (R4-6-212(D), effective January 3, 2021).

In practice, at least 10 supervision hours need to happen in person. If your primary supervisor works with you by telehealth, plan those in-person hours early, either with the same supervisor or with a qualified local supervisor.

At least 50 supervision hours must come from an LMFT, or from an independently licensed professional who holds the AAMFT Approved Supervisor designation (R4-6-604). The rest can come from other independently licensed behavioral health professionals who meet the board's supervisor training requirements. Arizona does not run a separate supervisor registration, but supervisors must meet the training standards in the rules.

• Track couples and family hours separately from the start, since 1,000 of the 1,600 must be relational
• Keep a running count of supervision by format (in person, video, phone) so you stay inside the 90-hour remote cap
• Record individual and group supervision separately, along with group size
• Confirm with the board whether your application will be reviewed under the 1,600-hour statute

Arizona LAMFTs work across very different settings, from Phoenix and Tucson to rural and tribal communities, and queer and trans clinicians in many of those settings have few affirming supervisors nearby. Telehealth supervision covers most of the requirement and keeps the relationship consistent, and the in-person hours can be planned around it.

I hold an active Arizona LMFT license and supervise by telehealth. See the Arizona supervision page or request a session.

Mx. Love C. Dialogos is an LMFT and AAMFT Approved Supervisor offering queer-affirming clinical supervision via telehealth, licensed in thirteen states. Verify credential in the AAMFT directory.

• Arizona MFT supervision
• MFT Licensure Hours by State
• Does Telehealth Supervision Count for MFT Licensure Hours?
• How to Track Your MFT Supervision Hours
• How to Choose a Queer-Affirming MFT Supervisor