Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 135 - RULES OF GEORGIA COMPOSITE BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS, SOCIAL WORKERS AND MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS › Chapter 135-5 - REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE › Rule 135-5-.06 - Marriage and Family Therapists

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
(1)
Definitions and
			 Requirements:
(a) Approved Practicum or
			 Internship Program means supervised experience obtained while enrolled in
			 graduate courses designated 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 course offered by an accredited educational
			 institution, and has received prior approval by the Board. No new requests or
			 applications for Board approval of graduate courses offered by training
			 institutes will be accepted as of the effective date of this rule amendment.
			 Individuals enrolled in, or who plan to enroll in, prior approved courses must
			 complete the courses by January 1, 2020 for the courses to be considered for
			 licensure purposes.
(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:
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 who is designated as an approved marriage and
			 family therapy supervisor in another jurisdiction.
(d) Course in Clinical Content Area means a
			 graduate course in the etiology, dynamics, evaluation, assessment, diagnosis,
			 or treatment of emotional or behavioral problems and conditions.
(e) 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.
(f) Course in Marriage and Family Therapy
			 means a graduate course in the theory and practice of various treatment
			 modalities in marriage and family therapy.
(g) 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.
(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, 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) Full-time Experience means a minimum of
			 20 hours per week spent in direct clinical experience.
(k) Group Supervision means a maximum of six
			 supervisees meeting with one supervisor.
(l) Individual Supervision means a maximum of
			 two supervisees meeting with one supervisor.
(m) One Year means twelve months, or any
			 periods of time which sum to twelve months.
(n) 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.
(o) 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.