The Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling shall issue a license as a licensed marriage and family therapist to each applicant who files an application upon a form and in the manner as the board prescribes accompanied by a fee as set by the board and who furnishes satisfactory evidence of the following to the board:
(1) The applicant is not a minor under the laws of Arkansas;
(2) The applicant is highly regarded in professional ethics;
(3) The applicant is not in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter and the rules adopted hereunder;
(4) The applicant has received a graduate degree in either marriage and family therapy or a related field with specific course work in marriage and family therapy as approved by the board; and
(5) The applicant has at least five (5) years of clinical experience in the practice of marriage and family therapy or clinical membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy or the National Academy of Certified Family Counselors or certification by an appropriate professional organization, as defined by the board.