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Education & training · California

Choose an MFT program, practicum, CE, or specialty training.

Start with the decisions that create the legal path: compare 82 California MFT programs and understand how graduate practicum works. Then use the same hub for required continuing education, 25 psychology doctorates, and optional specialty training — without confusing an institute certificate with a qualifying degree or a California license.

Compare California MFT programs →
82  California MFT programs compared25  decision guides and directories25  California PsyD programsReviewed 24 Aug 2026 · source ↗

Start with the decision that changes the whole path: which qualifying degree you enter and how its practicum placement works. The California MFT comparison, student practicum guide, Bay Area site evidence, PsyD directory, continuing-education rules, and specialty-training registry are gathered here so a graduate program, a legal requirement, and an optional certificate are never presented as interchangeable.

The order matters. A school determines whether the degree qualifies and how you reach practicum. The Board determines the hours and continuing education required for licensure and renewal. Gestalt, psychedelic, trauma, perinatal, and couples/family programs may add useful competence or community, but their institute certificates do not create a California license, expand scope of practice, or automatically count as graduate practicum.

25 pages, in 6 sections: Choose an MFT program · Understand and find practicum · Continuing education and specialty decisions · Specialty and modality training · Psychology doctorates · Degrees that lead to BBS licensure. Every figure below is computed or cited, and links to the page that carries it.

Most askedHow do I organize California MFT applications and compare practicum uncertainty?Which California MFT program has the lowest real financial exposure for me?Which California schools may offer degrees toward LMFT, LCSW, or LPCC licensure?

Key insights

78 institutions, 12 COAMFTE accredited

Every program the Board lists plus one out-of-state COAMFTE degree, on published facts only, with real forum discussion

78institutions, 12 COAMFTE accredited
What you should know about this figure

This figure comes from Which California MFT program should I apply to?, on what each institution publishes about itself. Your own number will differ — the page shows the working and, where there is a calculator, runs it on your figures.

29 of 78 programs publish nothing about placement

The seven trainee rules, all 78 programs compared on who finds your site, and the 1,300 hours only one of the three licenses lets you bank

29of 78 programs publish nothing about placement
What you should know about this figure

This figure comes from How does the practicum work for a California MFT student?, on what each institution publishes about itself. Your own number will differ — the page shows the working and, where there is a calculator, runs it on your figures.

28 sourced entries

A no-signup renewal planner and 28 dated specialty-program records

28sourced entries
What you should know about this figure

This figure comes from Which training or CE path fits my California license and goal?, on what each institution publishes about itself. Your own number will differ — the page shows the working and, where there is a calculator, runs it on your figures.

Choose an MFT program

DirectoryWhich California MFT program should I apply to?Every program the Board lists plus one out-of-state COAMFTE degree, on published facts only, with real forum discussion78 institutions, 12 COAMFTE accreditedCalculatorCheck source dateWhich California MFT program has the lowest real financial exposure for me?Three programs compared on published facts, personal costs, earnings given up, and an optional payback scenario78 programs · 3 at a time · 0 data sentCalculatorCheck source dateHow do I organize California MFT applications and compare practicum uncertainty?A saved application board, sourced practicum questions, next deadline, and consequence-of-delay comparison78 programs · up to 8 applications · 0 personal values sentDirectoryWhich online California MFT program fits how I need to attend?Live attendance, practicum responsibility, residencies and licensure scope comparedOnline and hybrid optionsDirectoryWhich Los Angeles MFT program should I compare?Format, tuition evidence, placement responsibility and complete school profilesLos Angeles CountyDirectoryWhich San Diego MFT program should I compare?Campus, format, practicum structure, published cost and portabilitySan Diego areaDirectoryWhich Northern California MFT program should I compare?Programs from the Bay Area through Sacramento and the far northNorthern CaliforniaDirectoryWhich California public or CSU MFT program should I compare?Published cost, admissions, schedule and practicum evidencePublic programsDirectoryWhich California MFT programs are COAMFTE accredited?Exact accreditation status, renewal context and complete profilesCOAMFTE programsDirectoryWhich California MFT programs publish the lowest tuition?School-published prices only, without estimates for withheld costsPublished tuition onlyDirectoryWhich California MFT programs do not require the GRE?Verified no-GRE policies plus the admissions factors used insteadVerified no-GRE optionsGuideCheck source dateWhat does it take to become an LMFT here?Five requirements, each tied to its code section, with every fee priced3,000 hours over at least 104 weekscomparisonWhich Bay Area MFT program fits the path I am actually on?15 Board-listed Bay Area programs compared on degree, length, format, tuition, practicum support, COAMFTE status and LPCC eligibility15 programs

Understand and find practicum

ReferenceCheck source dateHow does the practicum work for a California MFT student?The seven trainee rules, all 78 programs compared on who finds your site, and the 1,300 hours only one of the three licenses lets you bank29 of 78 programs publish nothing about placementAnswerHow do I actually find a practicum site?Where your program stands, the settings the law forbids, the four places seats actually exist, and the questions that protect your hoursAt least six applications, starting the term before your practicumReferenceCheck source dateWhere can a Bay Area trainee actually do practicum hours?Every trainee-eligible setting the public files can name in the core Bay Area plus Santa Cruz, with the rules that define the list5 program clinics, 10 county plansReferenceWhich Bay Area agencies publish a clinical training program?Ten agencies with a published trainee or associate program, the terms each one states, and the page every fact came from10 of 24 large Bay clinical agencies publish a program

Continuing education and specialty decisions

DirectoryWhich training or CE path fits my California license and goal?A no-signup renewal planner and 28 dated specialty-program records28 sourced entriesCalculatorWhat will a specialty-training path actually require and cost?A browser-only full-cost model plus four primary-source specialty evidence records8 editable cost inputs · 0 data sentCalculatorWill a therapist training ever pay for itself?Full cost, break-even sessions, payback period and first-year returnTravel and missed work includedGuideCheck source dateWhat CE do I actually owe, and what counts?36 hours, the mandated topics, and the cheapest compliant path62% failed audit

Specialty and modality training

DirectoryWhich California Gestalt therapy training route fits what I actually need?8 verified routes separated by legal and educational function, with credential and availability boundaries8 verified entriesDirectoryCheck source dateWhich psychedelic training is worth paying for?Sixteen trainings priced, and exactly what each lets you do in California16 programs, $1,047 to €15,000

Psychology doctorates

ReferenceWhich PsyD programs are there in California?Every PsyD in the state, grouped by what its accreditation actually gets you20 of 25 are APA-accredited

Degrees that lead to BBS licensure

ReferenceCheck source dateWhich California schools may offer degrees toward LMFT, LCSW, or LPCC licensure?The BBS education table made searchable by license path, with no invented rankings or eligibility claims84 schools in the BBS table

The other four areas

MoneyWhat the practice pays you, and what you can keep.LicensureThe route to LMFT, and how long it really takes.Getting paidWhat a session is worth, and who actually pays it.PracticeFilling the week, and running the admin behind it.

Everything on the site → · Every question →

Start with the degree

Eighty-two California MFT programs come first. Practicum, required CE, and optional specialty training are different decisions.

Use this hub in that order: choose a qualifying program, understand placement, meet Board requirements, then compare optional certificates without mistaking one for a degree or license.

Page date6 August 2026All updates →
Source notes

Use the citations and any dated evidence records to check the claims relevant to your task. This label is not a verification status.

Cite this pageTherapist Support, “Education & training”, checked 8 August 2026, therapistsupport.org/training/

Free to reuse with attribution. If you are a program or a professional association linking to a figure, link to the page that carries it rather than copying the number — it will change.

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