Response to COVID-19

March 19, 2020 @ 3:35 PM

 

Dear GAMFT Members,

We are reaching out to MFTs across the state of Georgia, wishing you and your family both health and safety while coping with the impact of COVID-19. As your professional organization, we are here to support, guide, and link you to the resources we have available during this difficult time. For those in clinical practice, we know that social distancing might be contributing additional strain to your professional life. With the focus on preventing the spread of the virus, this has led to additional questions about providing telemental health, ensuring ethical practice, earning continuing education, and obtaining telemental health approval from insurance/third party payers.

We have been in conversation with members of the composite board over the last week. Many of you have contacted GAMFT with similar questions and concerns, such as: how to earn CEs, what CEs can be online vs. in-person, what training is appropriate for the 6 hour telemental health rules in Georgia, and whether the composite board will adjust any expectations this coming September (license renewal). We are confident that the composite board is aware of these issues and they are actively discussing ways to accommodate the unique issues brought by COVID-19. Once we hear anything “official” we will share that information with you. Please consider attending the March GAMFT Town Hall to get some of these questions answered directly.

Currently the GAMFT Board is working to organize several live synchronous webinars to help members gain access to training on telemental health and to replace the opportunities that are no longer available due to cancelling our spring conference. We are awaiting clarification from the composite board on whether these can count towards your regular core CEs, not the 10 hours of online. We will send out information as soon as possible when these events become available. Please contact us with any additional suggestions on how we can best provide this support at office@gamft.org. We want to do our best to support you during this challenging time!

March GAMFT Town Hall

Please join Dr. Andrea Meyer Stinson (GAMFT President) and Dr. Steve Livingston (former FAMFT President, GAMFT Member, and MFT Composite Board Member) for a candid discussion about current concerns in clinical practice. We will discuss Georgia telemental health requirements, online vs. in-person continuing education, earning ethics hours, and more!

When: Friday March 27th at 12pm

Where: Zoom (Virtual): https://mercer.zoom.us/j/204834968

NO COST TO ATTEND!

 

GAMFT Resource Guide

AAMFT Updates and Resources for Coronavirus

Georgia TeleMental Health Rules and Regulations

Georgia Continuing Education Requirements

NCFR Resources about the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Best Practices in the Online Practice of Couple & Family Therapy

An Introduction to Setting up a Telebehavioral Health Practice: Competencies and Considerations

Notification of Enforcement Discretion for telehealth remote communications during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency

Health Insurance Providers Respond to Coronavirus (COVID-19) – AHIP

Talking with Children about Coronavirus

 

Sincerely,

Andrea S. Meyer Stinson, Ph.D. LMFT
GAMFT President

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