Get Involved

Become An Eligibility Criteria Reviewer

COAMFTE is seeking program directors, faculty and doctoral students to fill four (4) open positions: one (1) doctoral student and three (3) educators in Marriage and Family Therapy, for its Eligibility Review Committee (ERC)! This is a great opportunity for MFT professionals and doctoral students in academia to become a part of the changing landscape in the accreditation field and enhance the MFT accreditation process. Learn about COAMFTE accreditation and how other programs do it!

ERC Description

The Eligibility Review Committee (ERC) is a subcommittee of a minimum of seven (7) members, appointed by the COAMFTE chair. The ERC is responsible for conducting reviews of Eligibility Criteria documents and determining when a program has demonstrated, through a substantially complete response, that it is prepared to proceed in the accreditation process to the Self-Study stage.

ERC Member Qualifications

• Educators in marriage and family therapy or Doctoral students enrolled in COAMFTE-accredited programs;
• Possess a minimum of a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy or a related mental health field; and familiarity with COAMFTE’s accreditation standards, policies and processes.
• ERC members cannot be concurrently serving on COAMFTE, any committees of COAMFTE, the AAMFT Board or any committees or task forces of the AAMFT Board. ERC members serve terms set forth by the COAMFTE chair and are eligible for reappointment by the Chair.
• ERC members are required to complete training before each ERC member begins the first term.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Educators will serve as Primary and Secondary Reviewers
• Doctoral Students will serve as Tertiary Reviewers
• Review Eligibility Criteria documents
• Provide timely and quality reviews
• Identify areas of compliance and non-compliance in the Eligibility Criteria documents
• Provide recommendation to the Commission on program’s substantial compliance 

Committee Structure and Expectations

• Length of term: Appointees will serve two-year terms. Doctoral Students will serve one-year term
• Work Environment: On-line forums and conference calls.
• Time commitment: Bi-annual reviews begin May 1st and November 1st. Committee members will have four weeks to complete the review of the assigned Eligibility Criteria documents.

Training

All selected ERC members will be required to complete the training. Subsequent training may be offered by the Commission and Staff to update the ERC members on any changes and clarification to the review process.

Please feel free to share this announcement in your professional circles. If you have any questions, please email coa@aamft.org.

Become an Accreditation Reviewer

COAMFTE is looking for additional Accreditation Review Committee (ARC) Members to get involved in a committee where they review accreditation materials (self-studies, annual reports, etc.) and provide recommendations to the Commission. ARC Members are the primary drivers in ensuring the Commission is accurately and sufficiently informed to make accreditation decisions for programs. This is a hands-on experience for program directors, faculty, and doctoral students who may be considering or are in the process of accreditation, to learn how the analysis and standards of accreditation are applied to determine a program’s eligibility status. This is a great opportunity for MFT professionals in academia to become a part of the changing landscape in the accreditation field and enhance the MFT accreditation process. Learn about COAMFTE accreditation and how other programs do it!

Description

Accreditation Reviewers will be responsible for conducting reviews of accreditation program documents and providing recommendations to the Commission on programs' compliance with COAMFTE accreditation requirements.  All appointments are made by the COAMFTE Chair.

Member Qualifications

• Educators in marriage and family therapy who have a minimum of a doctoral degree in Marriage and Family Therapy or a related mental health field
• Doctoral Students who have a minimum of a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy or a related mental health field
• Familiarity with COAMFTE’s accreditation standards, policies and processes
• Accreditation Review members cannot be concurrently serving on COAMFTE, the Eligibility Review Committee, the AAMFT Board or any committees or task forces of the AAMFT Board. Reviewers serve terms set forth by the COAMFTE chair and are eligible for reappointment by the Chair
• Reviewers are required to complete training before conducting reviews

Roles and Responsibilities

• Educators will serve as Primary and Secondary Reviewers
• Doctoral Students will serve as Tertiary Reviewers
• Review Accreditation documents (including Self-Study materials, Annual Reports and Initial/Renewal of Accreditation documents)
• Provide timely and quality reviews
• Identify areas of compliance and non-compliance in the accreditation documents
• Provide recommendation to the Commission on program's substantial compliance 

Structure and Expectations

• Length of term: Educators will serve two-year terms. Doctoral Students will serve one-year term. 
• Work Environment: On-line forums and conference calls.
• Time commitment: Bi-annual reviews begin in the Spring and Fall. Committee members will have four to six weeks to complete the review of the assigned accreditation documents.

Training

All selected members will be required to complete the virtual training. Subsequent refresher training may be offered by the Commission and Staff to update the members on any changes and clarification to the review process.

Become a Site Visitor

Who is a Site Visitor?

• Volunteers their time on behalf of the Commission on Accreditation
• Serves as the 'Eyes and Ears' of the Commission
• Verifies quality in academic programs
• Contributes to the MFT Profession

Why Become a Site Visitor?

• Help expand the MFT field by providing on-site review of prospective COAMFTE accredited programs.
• Meet other peers in the field and broaden your network.
• Develop a wider knowledge base of the inner workings of a program.
• Get to see firsthand how accreditation brings value and validation to the MFT field.
• Help to ensure quality instruction of Marriage and Family Therapy.

What does it take to become a Site Visitor:

• Minimum of five (5) years of advanced experience as a licensed MFT practitioner and/or educator/researcher in the field of marriage and family therapy (which includes but is not limited to: experience in a university, clinical, or related setting)
• AAMFT Approved Supervisor and/or State Approved Supervisor
• Current knowledge of the standards for marriage and family therapy education
• Successful completion of COAMFTE Site Visitor Training
• Licensed marriage and family therapist
• Current knowledge and experience in the profession of marriage and family therapy
• Participation in a site visit or site visitor refresher training every two (2) years to maintain 'active' status

How to become a Site Visitor?

• Submit Eligibility Application for Site Visitors  
• Engage in Self-Paced Online Site Visitor Training.
• Complete a Site Visitor Training Survey: complete a short survey of your experience and provide feedback on the training.

COAMFTE Network Communities

• Commissioner Community
• Eligibility Review Committee Community
• Program Director Community
• Site Visitor Community
  
• Standards Review Committee Community
• Accreditation Review Program Community

Active Site Visitors

Programs are required to complete and submit the Conflict of Interest Form with their self-study materials. Full disclosure of all potential and actual Conflicts of Interests with any of the active site visitor listed below must be noted on the Conflict of Interest Form. Please note that the completion of the Conflict of Interest Form does not guarantee a site visit. Site visits are scheduled based on the review of the program’s self-study materials by Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE).

To maintain active site visitor status, site visitors must:

• Participate in a site visit within two years from their site visitor training; and 
• At least once every two years.

Site visitors who do not participate in a site visit every two years will be considered inactive and must retake the site visitor training prior to participation in a site visit (COAMFTE Accreditation Manual: Policies and Procedures).

Eligibility Review Committee

The Eligibility Review Committee (ERC), a subcommittee appointed by the COAMFTE chair, is responsible for conducting reviews of Eligibility Criteria documents and determining when a program has demonstrated, through a substantially complete response, that it is prepared to proceed in the accreditation process. The ERC is comprised of marriage and family therapy educators and doctoral students enrolled in COAMFTE-accredited programs, who have a minimum of a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy or a related mental health field and familiarity with COAMFTE’s accreditation standards, policies and processes.

COAMFTE is looking forward to working with the following of ERC Members:

Nicholas Newstrom, PhD, LMFT
Maya Iturra
Alice Genkins, M.Ed, LPC
Erica Wilkins, PhD
Dale Bertram, PhD
Leonard Bohanon, PhD
Megan L. Chapman
Kami Gallus, PhD
Heather Katafiasz, PhD
G. Bowden Templeton, PhD

Standards Review Committee

The Standards Review Committee (SRC), a subcommittee appointed by the COAMFTE chair, is responsible for: (1) implementing procedures for the review process every five (5) years and (2) providing the COAMFTE with on-going feedback reflecting the state of accreditation standards and interpretations throughout the five-year cycle. 

COAMFTE is looking forward to working with the following SRC Members:

• Suzanne Bartle-Haring, PhD
• Elizabeth Fawcett, PhD
• Jennifer Hodgson, PhD
• Heather Katafiasz, PhD
• Daniel Lord, PhD
• Carol Messmore, PhD
• Craig W. Smith, PhD

Accreditation Reviewer Program

The Accreditation Reviewer Program, appointed by the COAMFTE Chair, is responsible for conducting reviews of COAMFTE accreditation documents (including self-study materials, annual reports and initial and renewal of accreditation documents) to identify areas of program’s compliance and non-compliance with COAMFTE accreditation standards and provide recommendations to the Commission regarding accreditation actions

COAMFTE is looking forward to working with the following members who will be part of the inaugural cohort of the pilot Accreditation Reviewer Program: