Washington Administrative Code › Title 246 - Health, Department of › PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND LICENSING › Chapter 246-809 - Licensure for mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and social workers › LICENSED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS AND LICENSED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY ASSOCIATES › Section 246-809-121 - Program equivalency

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) To meet the
				  program equivalency requirement, an applicant must have course work equivalent
				  to a master's or doctoral degree in each area of study described in subsection
				  (2) of this section.
(2) A total of
				  forty-five semester credits or sixty quarter credits are required in the nine
				  areas of study as described in this subsection. A minimum of twenty-seven
				  semester credits or thirty-six quarter credits are required in the first five
				  areas of study: Marital and family systems, marital and family therapy,
				  individual development psychopathology, human sexuality, and research.
				  Distribution of the course work is as follows:
(a) Marital and family systems. An applicant
				  must have taken a minimum of six semester or eight quarter credits in marital
				  and family systems.
Marital and family systems is a fundamental introduction
					 to the systems approach to intervention. The student should learn to think in
					 systems terms on a number of levels across a wide variety of family structures,
					 and regarding a diverse range of presenting problems. While the most intense
					 focus may be on the nuclear family (in both its traditional and alternative
					 forms), models should be taught which integrate information regarding the
					 marital, sibling, and individual subsystems, as well as the family of origin
					 and external societal influences. Developmental aspects of family functioning
					 should also be considered of the family system; it also provides a theoretical
					 basis for treatment strategy. Some material may be drawn from familiar sources
					 such as family sociology, but it should be integrated with recent clinically
					 oriented systems concepts. Supplemental studies may include family simulation,
					 the observation of well families, and study of the student's family of
					 origin.
(b) Marital and
				  family therapy. An applicant must have taken a minimum of six semester or eight
				  quarter credits in marital and family therapy.
Marital and family therapy is intended to provide a
					 substantive understanding of the major theories of systems change and the
					 applied practices evolving from each orientation. Major theoretical approaches
					 to be surveyed might include strategic, structural, experiential, neoanalytical
					 (e.g., object relations), communications, and behavioral. Applied studies
					 should consider the range of technique associated with each orientation, as
					 well as a variety of treatment structures, including individual, concurrent,
					 collaborative, conjoint marital, marital group, transgenerational, and network
					 therapies.
(c) Individual
				  development. An applicant must have taken a minimum of two semester credits or
				  three quarter credits in individual development.
A course in this area is intended to provide a knowledge
					 of individual personality development and its normal and abnormal
					 manifestations. The student should have relevant course work in human
					 development across the life span, and in personality theory. An attempt should
					 be made to integrate this material with systems concepts. Several of the
					 courses in this category may be required as prerequisites for some degree
					 programs.
(d)
				  Psychopathology. An applicant must have taken at least one course in
				  psychopathology. Course work required is a minimum of two semester credits or
				  three quarter credits.
Psychopathology is the assessment and diagnosis including
					 familiarity with current diagnostic nomenclature, diagnostic categories and the
					 development of treatment strategies.
(e) Human sexuality. An applicant must have
				  taken at least one course in human sexuality. Course work required is a minimum
				  of two semester credits or three quarter credits.
Human sexuality includes normal psycho-sexual development,
					 sexual functioning , physiological aspects , sexual dysfunction and its
					 treatment.
(f) Research. An
				  applicant must have taken at least one course in research methods. Course work
				  required is a minimum of three semester credits or four quarter credits.
The research area is intended to provide assistance to
					 students in becoming informed consumers of research in the marital and family
					 therapy field. Familiarity with substantive findings, together with the ability
					 to make critical judgments as to the adequacy of research reports, is
					 expected.
(g) Professional
				  ethics and law. An applicant must have taken at least one course in
				  professional ethics and law. Course work required is a minimum of three
				  semester credits or four quarter credits.
This area is intended to contribute to the development of a
					 professional attitude and identity. Areas of study will include professional
					 socialization , the role of the professional organization, licensure or
					 certification legislation, legal responsibilities , legal liabilities, ethics
					 and family law, confidentiality, independent practice and interprofessional
					 cooperation.
(h) Electives.
				  An individual must take one course in an elective area. Course work required is
				  a minimum of three semester credits or four quarter credits.
This area will vary with different institutions but is
					 intended to provide supplemental and/or specialized supporting areas.
(i) Supervised clinical practice.
				  An applicant may acquire up to nine semester credits or twelve quarter credits
				  through supervised clinical practice in marriage and family therapy under the
				  supervision of a qualified marriage and family therapist as determined by the
				  school.
Applicants who completed a master's or doctoral degree
					 program in marriage and family therapy, or a behavioral science master's or
					 doctoral degree with equivalent course work, before January 1, 1997, may
					 substitute the supervised clinical practice educational component by
					 documenting a minimum of three years of postgraduate experience in marriage and
					 family therapy. These hours are in addition to the two years supervised
					 postgraduate experience required under
					 RCW
					 18.225.090.