Rule 135-5-.05 - Associate Marriage and Family Therapists(1)Definitions and Requirements:(a) 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:1. Three years of full-time post-licensure experience in the practice of marriage and family therapy;2. 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;3. 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, minimum of 24 hours of which shall have been individual supervision-of-supervision;4. A recommendation from each of the supervisors who provided supervision-of-supervision attesting to the applicant's competence as a supervisor; and,5. The Board may, in its discretion, approve a supervisor who is licensed, in good standing, as a Marriage and Family Therapist and designated an approved marriage and family therapy supervisor in another jurisdiction.(b) 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 an associate 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 an approved contract. An approved contract may be amended, so long as any changes have been approved by the Board.(c) Course in Human Development means a graduate course in any aspect of human development across the life span, including but not limited to theories of individual development, theories of learning, theories of personality, theories of normal and abnormal behavior, gender, human sexuality, and either psychopathology or the diagnosis of mental problems and conditions.(d) Course in Marriage and Family Studies means a graduate course in the principles, concepts or history of marriage and family life, family systems, family relations and family development.(e) Course in Marriage and Family Therapy means a graduate course in the theory and practice of various treatment modalities in marriage and family therapy.(f) Course in Marriage and Family Therapy Ethics means a graduate 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.(g) Course in Research means a graduate course in research design, methods and statistics.(h) Direct Clinical Experience means time spent in client contact as therapist or co-therapist, in supervision, in case staffing, or in case consultation.(i) 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. 1. Directors may not provide direction to family members. In addition, directors shall not provide direction for any practitioner when that practitioner has, or any of that practitioner's family members have, an ownership interest in, operate, or manage the business entity in which the director is employed and/or where the professional marriage and family therapy services are to be provided by that practitioner.2. Family member means a member of a person's immediate or extended family, by direct descent or by marriage, including intimate or cohabitation relationships.(j) One Year Practicum means twelve months of supervised experience obtained while enrolled in graduate courses designated practicum at an educational institution which, at the time, was accredited by a regional body recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).(k) Practice of Marriage and Family Therapy means evaluating, diagnosing, 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.(l) Program Equivalent to a Marriage and Family Therapy Degree Program means an organized course of study at an accredited educational institution consisting of a master's degree and additional post-master's degree coursework which includes three courses in marriage and family studies; three courses in marriage and family therapy; three courses in human development, one of which must be a course in either psychopathology or the diagnosis of mental problems and conditions; one course in marriage and family therapy ethics; and one course in research.(m) Program in Marriage and Family Therapy means a master's degree program at an accredited educational institution which includes three courses in marriage and family studies; three courses in marriage and family therapy; three courses in human development, one of which must be a course in either psychopathology or the diagnosis of mental problems and conditions; one course in marriage and family therapy ethics; and one course in research.(n) 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. 1. Supervisors may not provide supervision to family members. In addition, supervisors shall not provide supervision for any practitioner when that practitioner, or any of that practitioner's family members have, an ownership interest in, operate, or manage the business entity in which the supervisor is employed and/or where the professional marriage and family therapy services are to be provided by that practitioner.2. Family member means a member of a person's immediate or extended family, by direct descent or by marriage, including intimate or cohabitation relationships.(2)Requirements for Licensure:(a) Education. The applicant must have earned a master's degree from a program in marriage and family therapy, from a program equivalent to a marriage and family therapy degree program, or from any program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). Such program shall be in an educational institution which, at the time the degree was awarded, was accredited by a regional body recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).(b) Practicum. The applicant must have completed a one year practicum in the practice of marriage and family therapy before or after the granting of the master's degree. 1. Such practicum shall include a minimum of 500 hours of direct clinical experience.2. Such practicum shall include 100 hours of supervision provided by a licensed marriage and family therapist, professional counselor, clinical social worker, psychiatrist or psychologist, who was also an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor, a Georgia Board Approved Marriage and Family Therapy Supervisor, or a person who was receiving supervision-of-supervision in order to qualify for either designation.(c) Contract. The applicant must submit and obtain the Board's approval of a Contract for Post-Graduate Experience and Supervision. 1. Applicants who have not yet secured employment or begun supervision at the time of submission of their application for licensure shall so indicate on the Contract for Post-Graduate Experience and Supervision. The applicant shall submit an updated Contract for Post-Graduate Experience and Supervision to the Board for approval within thirty (30) days of securing post-graduate employment or beginning post-graduate supervision;2. Once the Contract for Post-Graduate Experience and Supervision is approved by the Board, any change in the contract must be submitted to the Board within thirty (30) days for approval;3. The Board, at its discretion, may request that the applicant and/or licensee submit verification of the information in the Contract for Post-Graduate Experience and Supervision and, if necessary, submit a revised Contract for Post-Graduate Experience and Supervision; and,4. Any post-graduate experience or supervision obtained by an associate marriage and family therapist without Board approval may not be applied toward licensure as a marriage and family therapist.(d) Examination. The applicant shall register and sit for the Examination in Marital and Family Therapy following Board review of his/her application for licensure as an associate marriage and family therapist and approval to take the examination. Passing the examination is a requirement for licensure.(3)Restrictions on Practice:(a) A person who holds a license as an associate marriage and family therapist may only use the title "associate marriage and family therapist."(b) A person who holds a license as an associate marriage and family therapist may engage in the practice of marriage and family therapy, but only while under direction and supervision, and only for a period not to exceed five years while obtaining the post-master's experience and supervision required for licensure as a marriage and family therapist.Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 135-5-.05
O.C.G.A. §§ 43-1-25, 43-10A-3, 43-10A-3(5), 43-10A-3(8), 43-10A-3(15), 43-10A-3(16), 43-10A-5(c)(1), 43-10A-8(b), 43-10A-13(a)(1) and (2), 43-10A-13(b) and 43-10A-13(c).
Original Rule entitled "Associate Marriage and Family Therapists" adopted. F. Oct. 8, 1996; eff. Oct. 28, 1996.Amended: F. Aug. 29, 1997; eff. Sept. 18, 1997.Amended: F. July 6, 1998; eff. July 26, 1998.Amended: F. Oct. 11, 2002; eff. Oct. 31, 2002.Amended: F. July 12, 2005; eff. August 1, 2005.Amended: F. Mar. 21, 2006; eff. Apr. 10, 2006.Amended: F. Aug. 2, 2007; eff. Aug. 22, 2007.Amended: F. Nov. 9, 2011; eff. Nov. 29, 2011.Amended: F. Jul. 24, 2012; eff. Aug. 13, 2012.Amended: F. June 27, 2019; eff. July 17, 2019.Amended: F. Oct. 8, 2019; eff. Oct. 28, 2019.