Public Member
COAMFTE Mission
The Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Educations (COAMFTE) mission is to promote best practices for Marriage and Family Therapy educational programs through the establishment, review and revision of accreditation standards and policies, and the accreditation of graduate and post-graduate educational programs.
COAMFTE is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors.
COAMFTE Scope of Accreditation
COAMFTE’s scope of accreditation includes master's degree, doctoral degree, and post-degree clinical training programs in marriage and family therapy.
Purpose of Public Member on COAMFTE
Individuals interested in applying for the public member position must not be an educator in or a member of the profession of marriage and family therapy. Public members of COAMFTE shall represent the general public.
The appointment of public members is guided by those public interests that can enhance the information base relevant to the discipline, such as knowledge of: (a) accreditation and regulatory processes; (b) education, civil rights, family law; (c) higher education; and/or (d) specialty areas related to current policy development.
- Public members should have a minimum of five (5) years of professional experience beyond the attainment of the graduate degree within their profession.
- Public members may not be (1) a professional MFT educator, supervisor, practitioner or member of AAMFT; (2) an employee, member of the governing board, owner, or shareholder of, or consultant to, an institution or program that is accredited by COAMFTE or has applied for COAMFTE accreditation; (3) a member of any trade association or membership organization related to, affiliated with, or associated with the COAMFTE; or (4) a spouse/partner, parent,
child, or sibling of an individual identified in paragraph (1),(2),(3) of this definition.
Also, as defined by CHEA, representatives of the public may include students, parents, persons from businesses and the professions, elected and appointed officials, and others.
Roles and Responsibilities of Public Member on COAMFTE
The appointment for the position is for a three-year term starting on January 1, 2020 and ending on December 31, 2022. Please see below for additional roles and responsibilities.
- COAMFTE public members attend all COAMFTE meetings. This requires review of all materials, such as accreditation reports, policy proposals, and other background materials and agenda items prior to the meeting; participating in COAMFTE discussions during deliberations; and voting. COAMFTE typically meets bi-annually and, when special matters arise, conference calls may be scheduled.
- COAMFTE public members serve as consumer advocates, represent and protect the public interest, and oversee the process for fairness and reasonable action;
- COAMFTE public members advise and make recommendations to COAMFTE regarding issues of fairness, due process, and consistency;
- COAMFTE public members participate in subcommittees of COAMFTE as requested.
Those interested in being considered for the COAMFTE public member position should download and complete
the application form verifying that they meet all sections of the public member definition and submit it, along with a current curriculum vita/resume, to coa@aamft.org.
COAMFTE and AAMFT Board of Directors will consider all applications received in accordance with its policies and procedures.