MFT Licensure in Wisconsin: What Training License Holders Need to Know About Supervision

Wisconsin licenses pre-licensed MFTs through the marriage and family therapist training license. Its requirements are built around a 3,000-hour total and a supervision ratio rather than a fixed supervision count. This guide covers what Wisconsin requires.

The Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board oversees MFT licensure through its MFT section, with administration by the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS). The figures below come from Wis. Stat. 457 and Wis. Admin. Code MPSW 16, checked in October 2026. Confirm current requirements with the board before you plan your hours.

Pre-licensed title: marriage and family therapist training license. It's valid for 48 months and can be renewed at the section's discretion (Wis. Stat. 457.11).

Experience: 3,000 hours of supervised practice completed while holding the training license, including at least 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact (Wis. Stat. 457.10; MPSW 16.04).

Supervision: one hour of face-to-face supervision for every ten client contact hours, which works out to about 100 hours across 1,000 client hours. Wisconsin doesn't set a minimum number of individual supervision hours (MPSW 16.04(3)).

Group supervision: no more than eight supervisees per supervisor. Each supervisee earns an hour of credit for each hour the group meets, less time not spent on cases (MPSW 16.04(4)).

Exams: the national MFT exam and the Wisconsin statutes and rules exam. The training license itself doesn't require an exam.

Wisconsin accepts supervision from an LMFT with a doctorate, an LMFT with five years of full-time practice, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, an AAMFT Approved Supervisor or Supervisor Candidate, or another person the section approves in advance. Supervisors in the listed categories don't register separately (Wis. Stat. 457.10; MPSW 16.04(2)).

MPSW 16.04 calls for "face-to-face supervision," and Wisconsin treats live video supervision as face-to-face. The board's 2025 telehealth rulemaking describes face-to-face supervision as "in person or remotely." Use a secure platform with live audio and video, and log the format of each session.

• Keep the one-to-ten supervision ratio as client hours accumulate
• Track client contact separately from other supervised practice
• Note group size and case time for group supervision credit
• Watch the 48-month training license period and renew in time

Outside Madison and Milwaukee, queer-affirming supervision in Wisconsin can be hard to find. Because live video supervision counts, you can work with a supervisor who understands your clinical context wherever you practice.

I hold an active Wisconsin LMFT license and supervise by telehealth. See the Wisconsin 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.

• Wisconsin 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