(1) |
Definitions:
(a) |
Approved Practicum or Internship Program means supervised experience obtained while enrolled in graduate level courses designated as a practicum or internship at an educational institution which, at the time, was accredited by a regional body recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). |
(b) |
Board Approved Graduate Level Course means a course in Marriage and Family Studies, Marriage and Family Therapy, or Marriage and Family Therapy Ethics which is offered by a training institute, is comparable to a graduate level course offered by an accredited educational institution, and has received prior approval by the Board. To obtain such approval, the training institute shall submit a course outline, a reading list, a bibliography, a curriculum vita for each instructor, and the required fee to the Board. Applications must include evidence that: the course content is organized around at least one major accepted comprehensive book and additional ancillary readings; the readings represent the current state of thinking in the field of marriage and family therapy and are of a depth comparable to a graduate level course; the course includes a minimum of 45 hours of classroom instruction; the course includes at least one comprehensive examination on which students must achieve a score of 80% or better in order to receive credit; and the instructor is licensed as either a marriage and family therapist, professional counselor, clinical social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist, demonstrates specific training in the field of marriage and family therapy, and has at least five years post licensure experience in the practice of marriage and family therapy. Such approval shall be for a period of three years, and shall expire unless renewed prior to the end of that period. |
(c) |
Board Approved Marriage and Family Therapy Supervisor means a person who is licensed as a marriage and family therapist and who has been approved by the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists to provide supervision of the practice of marriage and family therapy. To obtain such approval the person shall submit documentation of the following: five years of full-time post-licensure experience in the practice of marriage and family therapy; 180 hours of experience providing marriage and family therapy supervision for at least two supervisees during a period of no less than two years and no more than five years; 36 hours of supervision received from an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor or a Georgia Board Approved Marriage and Family Therapy Supervisor, specifically in the skill of providing marriage and family therapy supervision, a minimum of 24 hours of which shall have been individual supervision-of-supervision; and a recommendation from each of the supervisors who provided supervision-of-supervision attesting to the applicant’s competence as a supervisor. In addition, the Board may, at its discretion, accept a supervisor who is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in another jurisdiction and who has been designated an Approved Marriage and Family Therapy Supervisor by the Board that licenses Marriage and Family Therapists in that jurisdiction. |
(d) |
Contract for Post-Graduate Experience and Supervision means a statement on forms provided by the Board, made by a person who has completed one of the degree programs required for licensure as either an associate marriage and family therapist or a marriage and family therapist, specifying that person’s plan for obtaining the remaining experience and supervision required for licensure as a marriage and family therapist. Such a statement, once reviewed and approved by the Board, shall be considered a registered contract. A registered contract may be amended, so long as any changes have been approved by the Board. |
(e) |
Course in Clinical Content Area means a graduate level course in the etiology, dynamics, evaluation, assessment, or treatment of emotional or behavioral problems and conditions. |
(f) |
Course in Marriage and Family Studies means a graduate level course in the principles, concepts or history of marriage and family life, family systems, family relations and family development. |
(g) |
Course in Marriage and Family Therapy means a graduate level course in the theory and practice of various treatment modalities in marriage and family therapy. |
(h) |
Course in Marriage and Family Therapy Ethics means a graduate level course in professional ethics, legal responsibilities and liabilities, standards of practice, licensure regulation, and professional socialization relevant to the practice of marriage and family therapy. |
(i) |
Direct Clinical Experience means time spent in client contact as therapist or cotherapist, in supervision, in case staffing, or in case consultation. |
(j) |
Direction means ongoing oversight by an employer or superior of the work of a person practicing professional counseling, social work or marriage and family therapy. The director shall be responsible for assuring the quality of services rendered by that practitioner, and shall ensure that qualified supervision or intervention occurs in situations which require expertise beyond that of the practitioner. In order to be acceptable to the Marriage and Family Therapy Standards Committee of the Board, a director must attest to having performed the functions specified in this paragraph, and when not an employer must have entered into a contractual agreement with the practitioner to perform these functions. |
(k) |
Full-time Experience means a minimum of 20 hours per week spent in direct clinical experience. |
(l) |
Group Supervision means a maximum of six supervisees meeting with one supervisor. |
(m) |
Individual Supervision means a maximum of two supervisees meeting with one supervisor. |
(n) |
One Year means twelve months, or any periods of time which sum to twelve months. |
(o) |
Practice of Marriage and Family Therapy means evaluating and treating emotional and mental problems and conditions, whether cognitive, affective or behavioral, resolving intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts, and changing perception, attitudes and behavior; all within the context of marital and family systems. Marriage and family therapy includes, without being limited to, individual, group, couple, sexual, family and divorce therapy. Marriage and family therapy involves an applied understanding of the dynamics of marital and family therapy systems, including individual psychodynamics, the use of assessment instruments that evaluate marital and family functioning, designing and recommending a course of treatment, and the use of psychotherapy and counseling. |
(p) |
Supervision means the direct clinical review for the purpose of training or teaching, by a supervisor of the interactions with clients of a person practicing professional counseling, social work or marriage and family therapy. Supervision may include, without being limited to, the review of case presentations, audio tapes, video tapes, and direct observation in order to promote the development of the practitioner’s clinical skills. Both supervisors and supervisees are required to maintain a contemporaneous record of the date, duration, type (individual, paired, or group), and a brief summary of the pertinent activity for each supervision session to be submitted to the Board upon request. If there are any discrepancies in hours, contemporaneous documentation of supervision will be requested. |
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