Call for Volunteers

Standards Review Committee

COAMFTE is seeking volunteers to fill three (3) open positions for a three-year term on our Standards Review Committee (SRC)! 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.

SRC Description

The Standards Review Committee (SRC) is a subcommittee of a minimum of seven (7) members, appointed by the COAMFTE chair. The SRC is responsible for implementing procedures for the review process every five (5) years and providing the COAMFTE with on-going feedback reflecting the state of accreditation standards and interpretations throughout the five-year cycle.  The Committee will be comprised of COAMFTE members and senior marriage and family therapy educators not serving currently on COAMFTE.

Criteria, Skills and Experience needed:

• Substantial experience with outcomes-based assessment
• Advanced and demonstrated commitment and competence with the infusion of diversity and equity into MFT education
• Experience as a faculty or Program Director in an MFT program
• Experience with an understanding of accreditation
• Knowledge of state licensure issues, national trends in MFT field, AAMFT, and broader issues of MFT education

Roles and Responsibilities

• Study issues resulting from the use of outcome-based education
• Gather and analyze broad-based input from a diverse group of COAMFTE stakeholders and provide feedback to COAMFTE
• Assess the status/effects of moving to a blended model of outcome-based and input based accreditation process on MFT programs
• Survey MFT programs to measure their experiences with Version 12 Accreditation Standards
• Generate recommendations to the COAMFTE for changing, revising, streamlining, and fine-tuning COAMFTE standards, policies, and procedures.
• Generate recommendations to COAMFTE on additional resources and/or trainings that would benefit programs currently accredited and those seeking accreditation

Committee Structure and Expectations

• A minimum of seven members
• Length of term: Staggered terms and rolling terms ranging from one year to three years
• Work Environment: On-line forums and conference calls
• Time commitment: Average 2 hours a week, unevenly distributed: requires commitment to teamwork.

Application Process

Submit a statement of interest and a Curriculum Vita or Resume to coa@aamft.org on or before September 15, 2019.

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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.  
  

Site Visitors

	Role: 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 Do It? By becoming a Site Visitor, you can help expand the MFT field and help to ensure quality instruction of marriage and family therapy.  The Commission relies on the expertise, integrity, and dedication of its pool of Site Visitors to verify and gather the information during a program's Site Visit.
	Eligibility   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
	Site Visitor Training Submit Eligibility Application for Site Visitors - Click Here to Apply Engage in Self-Paced Online Review of Accreditation Materials: become familiar with accreditation process Attend Information Virtual Training - Wednesday, October 30, 2019, 1:00 - 4:00pm Eastern Time Successfully complete Online Assessment with a score of 80%: helps to assess your knowledge of the COAMFTE accreditation process and standards Attend Experiential Virtual Training - Friday, November 15, 2019, 1:00 - 4:00pm Eastern Time Complete a Site Visitor Training Survey: complete a short survey of your experience and provide feedback on the training.
	Questions?  Contact our helpful staff at coa@aamft.org

Become an Accreditation Reviewer!

COAMFTE designated ten (10) open positions for qualified marriage and family therapy educators to serve as Accreditation Reviewers. 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
• 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

• Serve as Primary and Secondary Reviewers
• Review Accreditation documents (including self-study materials, annual reports and initial and 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

• A minimum of ten members
• Length of term: Appointees will serve two-year terms.
• 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 in the Spring of 2019. Subsequent refresher training may be offered by the Commission and Staff to update the members on any changes and clarification to the review process.

Application Process

Submit an application , indicating why you are interested and what qualifications, experience, research would make you a good fit, and a Curriculum Vita, on or before February 1, 2019. Please feel free to share this announcement in your professional circles. If you have any questions, please email coa@aamft.org.

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