AAMFT approved supervisors and prospective supervisors are subject toAAMFT Code of Ethicsand the responsibilities and policies contained in the Rules and Responsibilities Manual for Appointing Approved Supervisors.
Supervision for AAMFT clinical membership or MFT license
AAMFT-approved supervisors and supervisor candidates can mentor interns who wish to become clinical members of the AAMFT. If a supervisor candidate provides supervision, he or she must receive ongoing supervisory guidance from a supervisor currently approved by the AAMFT.
AAMFT-approved supervisors are often required to supervise individuals seeking MFT accreditation. ThatResponsibilities and PoliciesProvide instructions for conducting clinical surveillance. When supervising an apprentice for licensure, licensed supervisors must also obtain information from the appropriate state/provincial regulatory agency to familiarize themselves with the specific requirements of that state/provincial regulation. This includes criteria, if specified, for who can tutor in that state/province and the requirements the intern must meet. Approved supervisors are consulted and are responsible for being familiar with the relevant policies and therefore being able to advise supervisees accordingly.
The following characteristics of supervision in marriage and family therapy are expected:
- One-on-one conversations between the MFT/MFT intern and the supervisor, usually at approximately one-hour intervals.
- The learning process must be sustained and intense.
- Appointments are usually scheduled once a week, three times a week is usually the maximum, and once every two weeks is the minimum.
- Supervision focuses on the unprocessed data from an MFT/trainee’s ongoing clinical practice, which is available to the supervisor through a combination of direct live observation, cotherapy, written clinical notes, audio and video recordings and supervision ao vivo.
- It is a procedure that must be clearly distinguished from personal psychotherapy and is charged with serving professional goals.
- It is usually completed over a period of one to three years.
The following features arenoAcceptable as supervision of family and marriage therapy:
- peer supervision, d. h Supervision by a person of equivalent, not superior, qualifications, status and experience.
- Tutoring by family members or former family members or others when the nature of the personal relationship prevents or hinders the development of a professional relationship.
- Administrative supervision by a director or manager of an institution, undertaken, for example, to assess job performance or case management, not the quality of therapy provided to a client.
- A primarily didactic process in which techniques or procedures are taught in a group, classroom, workshop, or seminar.
- Counseling, staff development or guidance for a field program or role-playing of family contexts as a substitute for current clinical practice in an appropriate clinical setting.
A licensed supervisor or prospective supervisor will not supervise family members, former family members, clients in therapy or others with whom the nature of the relationship prevents or makes it difficult to develop a professional supervisory relationship. refer toAAMFT Code of Ethicsfor more information and guidance on multiple relationships in supervision.
Supervisors are responsible for an initial screening to assess the MFT/MFT intern's knowledge of systems theory, family development, special family issues, cultural and gender issues, systemic approaches and interventions, human development, human sexuality, and responsibility ethic.
A supervisory contract should be drawn up specifying fees, time, time and place of meetings, case responsibility, verification of case counts, handling of suicidal threats, other dangerous clinical situations, etc. Supervisors must recognize their legal responsibility for cases seen by supervisees.
The supervision fee results from the contract between the supervisors and the MFTs/interns, including the values and procedures for charging. Rates must be in line with community standards. Certified supervisors and prospective supervisors are encouraged to dedicate a portion of their supervisory practice to providing free or reduced-fee supervision to deserving MFTs/interns.
The focus of supervision should be on the MFT/Intern's work with marriage/partnership and family processes, whether the MFT/Intern is working with individuals, couples or families. The supervisory session should discuss the MFT/intern's cases, not the supervisor's.
To count as a member of the AAMFT,individual serviceshould be limited to one or two MFT/interns in face-to-face meetings with supervisor.group supervisionIt will be limited to six supervisees. Trainees in group supervision cannot count time as individual supervision, even if they file a file. You can count time as individual supervision, providing therapy while the supervisor and a group observe therapy.
The progress of the MFT/interns should be reviewed regularly against pre-established supervisory goals and assessments shared and discussed with the interns. If a supervisor develops significant concerns about an MFT/trainee's skills, philosophical beliefs, or practices, the concerns should be communicated to the MFT/trainee and documented in writing as soon as possible. Supervisors do not disclose confidential information about MFT/interns, except in certain circumstances described in theAAMFT Code of Ethics. Supervisors and MFTs/Interns need to clearly understand the responsibility for reviews, as well as the specifics of how the review will be shared.
Supervisors must provide supervisory reports as needed for MFTs/trainees, such as those required for AAMFT members. The supervisor's signature on the forms verifies the accuracy of the reported information, so the supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the MFT/intern has actually completed the reported clinical and supervisory hours. If supervision is being conducted by a Supervisor candidate who has not yet received an Approved Supervisor designation, a completed form must be submitted to the MFT/InternSupervisor Candidate Review FormVerification that the candidate is in continuous supervisory tutoring.
The role of the approved supervisor in relation to the AAMFT membership requirements and admissions requirements:Supervisors should ensure they are familiar with current AAMFT membership requirements. Because applicants for AAMFT membership must meet the standards in effect at the time of their application, they should be encouraged by their supervisor to apply for AAMFT membership at the level for which they currently qualify (student, associate, affiliate, or clinical membership). . This way, supervisors and MFT/interns know exactly what additional requirements must be met for the MFT/intern to be eligible for clinical membership.
If the MFT/intern intends to apply for an MFT license and use the supervision provided to meet the licensing requirements, the approved supervisor must also be familiar with the licensing requirements in that state/province.
AAMFT member requests and files are confidential. Therefore, AAMFT membership reviewers may only discuss its content with the membership applicant, not the applicant's supervisor. Supervisors must inform MFTs/trainees that, despite their responsibility to assess trainees' knowledge, only the AAMFT can determine when membership requirements have been met.
Licensed supervisors who choose not to maintain clinical membership with the AAMFT should make extra efforts to stay current with the latest AAMFT membership requirements, as these non-members will not be made aware of membership changes through traditional channels of communication. from members (ie members - emails and postal). All AAMFT approved supervisors are strongly encouraged to maintain their clinical membership with the AAMFT.
Supervision for AAMFT Approved Supervisor designation
AAMFT licensed supervisors may be asked to mentor a marriage and family therapist who wishes to become a licensed supervisor. Before assuming the responsibility of mentoring a Supervisor candidate, the Approved Supervisor must be thoroughly familiar with the current requirements for becoming an Approved Supervisor.
Approved supervisors must have accumulated a total of 300 hours of MFT supervisory experience before offering supervisory guidance to supervisor candidates. The 300 hours may include the 180 hours of supervision provided by the approved supervisor during his own training for the appointment.
Approved supervisors are responsible for an initial screening to assess the potential supervisor candidate's familiarity with relevant literature on MFT, supervisory theories, supervisory practice, and professional ethics. Supervisor candidates must be able to apply a systems perspective effectively. If supervisor candidates are not clinical members of the AAMFT, the approved supervisor supervisor must refer them to the AAMFT for evaluation to ensure they can meet clinical membership requirements at the time they intend to apply for appointment.
Before a prospective supervisor candidate begins training for appointment, he and his approved mentor supervisor must review the requirements for appointment as an approved supervisor, ensure that the candidate meets the requirements to become a candidate supervisor, and has a reasonable plan for meet the request requirements. requirements
A contract should be drawn up between the approved supervisor-mentor and the supervisor-applicant specifying fees, time, time and place of meetings, case responsibility, verification of case counts, handling of suicidal threats and other dangerous clinical situations, etc. The session schedule should be such that the mentor candidate can complete the requirements within the established training timeframes.
The supervisory tutoring fee is based on the contract between the approved supervisors and the supervisor candidate, including fees and billing procedures. Rates must be in line with community standards. Approved supervisors are encouraged to provide supervisory guidance to deserving supervisor candidates, free of charge or at a reduced rate.
Responsibilities of the Passed Supervisor in Orienting Candidates for Supervision:
When an Approved Supervisor agrees to mentor a Supervisor candidate through their training towards the Approved Supervisor designation, the Approved Supervisor mentor assumes responsibility for supervising the training, providing supervisory guidance, evaluating the candidate's progress, and assisting the candidate with application final for the designation. . This requires the Approved Supervisor to be fully familiar with the eligibility criteria, supervisor training requirements, and application processes outlined in the Approved Supervisor Appointment Standards and Responsibilities Manual, October 2007. It is the Approved Supervisor's responsibility to encourage the candidate for Supervisor through an intense emphasis onnine learning objectives.
The approved supervisory mentor must maintain a strict supervision protocol and review the supervisor candidate's supervision protocol, which the candidate makes available to MFTs/learners. For an audit log example, click hereHere. The Approved Mentor Supervisor is required to review these hours at the time of the candidate's appointment request. The Approved Supervisor Supervisor must ensure that the hours reported by the Supervisor candidate were actually dedicated to reviewing the case and developing the candidate's supervisory skills. Hours spent discussing nomination requirements or completing the Approved Supervisor application packet shall not count towards supervisory orientation requirements.
Supervisory mentoring should have the following characteristics:
- It should focus primarily on live or tape/video recordings of the supervisor candidate's work with an MFT/intern.
- You cannot include more than two supervisor candidates at the same time. Supervising a group of supervisor candidates does not count towards meeting the requirements.
- Must consist of a face-to-face interview between the Approved Supervisor mentor and the Supervisor candidate, usually at hourly intervals.
- The focus should be on developing the supervisor candidate's supervisory skills, as opposed to an exclusive focus on clinical therapy skills.
Supervised work must be carried out in a suitable professional environment with adequate facilities. The Supervisor Approved Supervisor must be available to the Supervisor candidate in emergency situations or arrange in advance for a colleague to provide emergency advice if the Supervisor candidate needs it.
The Approved Supervisory Mentor must periodically assess and provide periodic feedback to the Supervisor candidate on progress, strengths, and areas of professional development. It is recommended that the approved supervisor conduct an interim assessment in the middle of the required supervisory hours. (You can find some evaluation suggestions with one clickHere.) Any concerns that may affect the candidate's eventual candidacy for appointment as an approved supervisor must be documented, along with a proposed plan for resolving them, both of which must be communicated to the supervisor candidate. Approved supervisors and supervisor candidates must have a clear understanding of accountability for assessments and reports and the specific details of how they are shared.
As the evaluation and feedback process must continue, the Approved Supervisory Mentor must complete a written reportApproved Supervisor Qualificationof the candidate when you are ready to apply for the nomination. If the approved supervisor scores the candidate below an acceptable level on any of the assessment criteria, the mentor and candidate must develop a specific recovery plan. This may include additional reading or specific discussions in supervised tutorial sessions.
If, at any time, a concern arises between an Approved Supervisory Mentor and a Supervisor candidate regarding their relationship or their competence or conduct, the matter should be documented and discussed between the two. If the discussion does not result in an amicable plan and all other means to resolve the matter have been exhausted (e.g. institution or agency grievance procedures), the approved mentor supervisor and supervisor candidate may consider communicating with another supervisor advisory approved by the AAMFT. If the matter still cannot be resolved, the mentor and/or candidate should consult with AAMFT supervisors before proceeding with additional sessions.
Managers do not disclose confidential manager information, except in certain circumstances as described inAAMFT Code of Ethics.
Licensed supervisors may not provide supervisory guidance to family members, former family members, clients in therapy, or others with whom the nature of the relationship prevents or makes it difficult to develop a professional supervisory relationship. While providing supervision to peers and collaborators within the same organization is common practice, licensed supervisors must ensure that their judgment is not distorted by context. For example, a supervisor supervising another supervisor can confuse the hierarchy and put the employee at risk.
If the Candidate Supervisor has met the requirements for appointment and is ready to apply for an Approved Supervisor, the Approved Supervisor must approve and sign the application before the Candidate Supervisor submits it to the AAMFT. The Approved Supervisor's signature shows he believes thisEMnomination requirements have been met and the supervisor candidate has been successfully onboardednine learning objectivesto a coherent theory and practice of MFT supervision.
With the Approved Supervisor mentor's signature on the Approved Supervisor application, the AAMFT team performs a quantitative review to ensure all deadlines were met and reasonable hours were earned. In such event, AAMFT will grant the supervisor candidate the Approved Supervisor designation.
Announcement
Promotion of Approved Supervisors:Approved supervisors may publish their appointment in the Yellow Pages, on business cards, letterhead, etc., provided it complies with the principles ofAAMFT Code of Ethics. An example of a suitable list is "AAMFT Approved Supervisor". Approved supervisors may also include the designation in programs, records, trade publications and newsletters. The designation must not be presented as an advanced clinical state.
Clinical members of the AAMFT will receive a listing on the AAMFT online referral service,TherapistLocator.net. Licensed supervisors who are clinical members are encouraged to update their TherapistLocator profile to describe their supervisory practice and attract potential mentees.
Application for Candidate Supervisor:Candidates for supervisors cannoIndicate this status in the Yellow Pages, business cards, stationery, programs, records, magazines, etc. The term “Candidate Supervisor” is used to describe individuals actively training for the Approved Supervisor designation, but it is not a title or credential and should not be used as such. Candidates for supervisors should be careful not to imply that they have received an assignment or that they definitely will at some point. Candidates may indicate on resumes that they are in training to become an Approved Supervisor, but only if it is clear that the candidate is not an AAMFT Approved Supervisor but is in training for appointment. The term “approved supervisor” should not be used until the supervisor candidate has been officially nominated.
If prospective supervisors need to contact potential MFTs/MFT interns to provide supervision, the communication must be clearly directed to marriage and family therapists, not clients. The focus of the communication should be on the fact that, since the supervisor candidate will be under the ongoing supervision of an AAMFT accredited supervisor, quality training is assured for the potential MFT/intern. If supervisor candidates are asked to demonstrate that they are actually training for the assignment, they can use theSupervisor Candidate Review Form.
useful definitions
AAMFT Approved Supervisoris an MFT who has met the guidance requirements for education, experience, and supervision established by the AAMFT. The Approved Supervisor designation identifies to the MFT community those professionals who have met the AAMFT's requirements to provide MFT supervision. It is a designation used to identify qualified supervisors and not an advanced clinical credential.
Recognized Mentor Supervisoris an AAMFT approved supervisor who has agreed to provide supervision and guidance to a supervisor candidate who wishes to become an AAMFT approved supervisor.
individual attentionis the personal contact between a mentor and a maximum of two MFT/trainees. If more than two people are assisted, this is group supervision.
Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT):MFTs are primarily concerned with relationships and interactions from a systems perspective. Therefore, the practice of TFM requires special concepts and procedures that differ from individually oriented therapies. It is specific expertise in interpersonal relationships, interaction, and systems theory that qualifies a practitioner as an MFT.
Clinical experience with MFTthese are face-to-face sessions with clients, usually for periods of about an hour at a time, and are conducted in accordance with the profession's ethical standards, state regulations, and AAMFT. The therapy is sustainable and intensive as it results from the needs of the clients.
MFT Supervisionshould be the surveillance of MFT cases. Direct supervision provided to an MFT or MFT intern and may be through live observation of the MFT/intern and/or face-to-face contact between the supervisor and the MFT/intern. (If the Approved Supervisor or prospective Supervisor intends to receive credit for this supervisory experience, he or she must have clear supervisory responsibility during this period. Observing another Supervisor at work will not count towards this requirement.)
Supervises (or interns)are MFTs or MFT students in training who are supervised by an Approved Supervisor or candidate Supervisor.
supervisory tutoringis a service provided by an approved supervisor to a prospective supervisor as part of the training requirements for the approved supervisor designation. This is also known as supervisor oversight. The primary focus of supervisory tutoring is on developing the supervisor candidate's supervisory skills rather than an exclusive focus on clinical skills. This experience must focus on live or recorded sessions and must not exceed two supervisor candidates.
Supervisor Candidate:A supervisor candidate is a marriage and family therapist who is in the process of completing the education, experience, and supervision requirements for the AAMFT Approved Supervisor designation. Supervisor candidates are authorized to mentor interns preparing for AAMFT clinical membership, provided the supervisor candidate receives ongoing supervision from an AAMFT-approved supervisor.