Who can supervise an MFTC in Colorado?
Four kinds of supervisors can sign off on your MFTC hours in Colorado: a Colorado-licensed LMFT, an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, a psychiatrist with marriage and family therapy experience, or another licensed mental health professional who gets equivalency approval from the Board first. That list comes from DORA's Post-Degree Experience and Supervision form, and it's shorter than most candidates expect. I'm Allie Evans, LMFT, an AAMFT Approved Supervisor in Colorado — here's how each pathway works and what to check before you commit two years of hours to someone.
The four qualifying pathways
A Colorado-licensed LMFT. The most common route. Fully licensed LMFTs can supervise your hours — though being licensed and being trained in supervision are different things, so it's fair to ask any prospective supervisor how they learned to supervise.
An AAMFT Approved Supervisor. A supervisor credentialed by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy specifically in the practice of supervision. This is a named checkbox on the DORA form, whether or not the supervisor also holds a Colorado LMFT.
A psychiatrist with MFT experience. Rare in practice — most psychiatrists don't do systemic supervision — but it's on the form.
Another licensed professional, with Board-approved equivalency. This is the pathway that trips people up, and it deserves its own section.
Why your LPC supervisor probably can't sign your MFTC hours
If a supervisor isn't an LMFT, an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, or a qualifying psychiatrist, they have to petition the Board with an equivalency form before your hours count — documenting thousands of MFT-specific post-degree clinical hours, MFT coursework, and their own supervision training. Some experienced clinicians clear that bar. Many don't, or don't want to do the paperwork.
The practical risk sits with you, not them: hours supervised by someone who doesn't qualify are hours you may not be able to count. That's a conversation to have before session one, not at application time.
What to ask a prospective supervisor before you commit
"Which pathway on the DORA supervision form do you qualify under?" A qualified supervisor answers this in one sentence.
"Have you supervised MFTCs through to licensure before?" Experience with the actual paperwork matters.
"How will we track my couples-and-families hours?" See below — this is the trap.
"What's the individual vs. group mix, and what does it cost?" You need at least 50 individual supervision hours; budget for the whole arc, not the first month.
The 1,000-hour trap: couples and families
Colorado requires at least 1,000 of your face-to-face hours to be with couples and families. If your placement feeds you a mostly individual caseload, you can hit 2,000 total hours and still be short where it counts. A supervisor who's watching that number from your first month — and helping you adjust your caseload before the gap becomes a year — is worth more than one who just signs forms. It's one of the first things I set up with new supervisees.
Where to actually find a qualified supervisor
Start with the AAMFT Approved Supervisor directory and Psychology Today's supervision listings, and ask recent LMFT graduates from your program who they used. The honest picture: the pool of AAMFT Approved Supervisors in Colorado is small, so expect some full caseloads before you find a fit.
I supervise MFTC and LPCC candidates across Colorado — online, individual ($150) and group ($50). You can read about my approach to supervision or what the AAMFT Approved Supervisor credential means for your paperwork.
