The Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, better known as COAMFTE, is the governing body that accredits graduate programs and universities that offer degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy. Accreditation by COAMFTE is often considered to be the highest standard a program or university can meet. Clinical education to enter into a therapeutic line of work is essential, and those programs that are accredited have met a level of rigid guidelines to ensure they’re providing the best level of education to future therapists.
In this article, we’ll dive deeper into COAMFTE as an organization, accreditation, the benefits of an accredited program, specialties in the field, and a quick memento about firsthand experience of entering into and graduating from a COAMFTE accredited program.
COAMFTE Overview
COAMFTE was founded as we know it today in 1978 as the leading body to uphold graduate programs and universities to the highest standards for marriage and family therapy education. Their primary focus is to accredit master’s degree and doctoral degree programs. COAMFTE also accredits postgraduate clinical programs, such as additional education at the doctoral level, residency, or a fellowship.
Mission, Vision, and Values
The mission of COAMFTE is to ensure that educational programs and entities are meeting the best practices for marriage and family therapy education. This process happens through extensive review and observation of what a program offers, which will be discussed in more detail later in this article.
COAMFTE envisions the profession excelling in the field of marriage and family therapy. Their accreditation criteria ensure that pre-professionals entering the field are prepared to provide the highest quality of services. This occurs through education that is competency-based, ethical, evidence-based, and systemic.
Because the COAMFTE accreditation is considered to be the gold standard for marriage and family therapy, they are guided by core values when determining the accreditation of higher educational institutions. These core values are:
- Marriage and family therapists must use a systemic philosophy and framework for practice and ensure they are endorsing relational ethics.
- Accredited programs must use outcome-based measures to assess competency levels of students both during the program and post-graduation.
- Learning environments must be inclusive and diverse.
- Promote growth of the field to accommodate diversity in various educational contexts.
- The responsibility for programs to prepare MFT graduates for licensure based on current regulations.
Organizational Structure
As with any organization, COAMFTE has outlined its organizational structure to include governance and oversight through the use of commissioners, as well as peer review. Those involved with COAMFTE can be professional or public members; however, professional members must be educators and clinicians within MFT at a senior level. Peer review is vital within the organization because it ensures that standards for the profession and programs are being met. Through the use of peer review, accredited programs are able to self-evaluate and improve.
COAMFTE standards were developed by their commissioners, who are also the individuals who review applications and make decisions on granting accreditation. The commission is made up of 7 different MFT professional members and two public members, who also have higher education degrees in fields like education.
Program Accreditation Process Overview
To become an MFT accredited program, COAMFTE requires the following steps, which often take about 2 years to complete.
- Readiness: MFT programs should prepare to apply for accreditation by gathering data on their program and submitting a letter of intent to COAMFTE. Programs also want to double-check their eligibility based on COAMFTE’s regulations.
- Self-Study: They are required to complete a self-study, which evaluates a program’s goals and achievements, helps identify potential issues, and keeps them on track to implement changes.
- Site Evaluation: MFT programs will also have someone come out to evaluate their program and site.
- Commission Review: Reviewers for COAMFTE look at all documentation to see if a program meets criteria to become accredited.
- Ongoing Reporting: MFT accredited programs are required to do ongoing reporting and self-studies to ensure they continue to meet criteria and remain accredited.
Individual Certification vs. Program Accreditation
For those new to the field, the jargon of accreditation versus credentials versus licensure can be very confusing. Program accreditation means that a university’s Marriage and Family Therapy program meets the rigid standards set forth by COAMFTE. Individual credentials are those credentials licensed professionals receive, which is LMFT, or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, in most states.
Graduating from a COAMFTE accredited program supports professionals in a few different ways, which are broken down below.
- Licensure Pathways: Part of COAMFTE standards is that accredited programs help prepare graduates for licensure by providing the necessary educational and experiential components that most states require to obtain licensure. This can make the licensure process smoother and usually means applicants do not have to take additional courses to be licensed.
- Postgraduate Supervision: Because the quality of professors within MFT accredited programs is high, graduates are often able to acquire a qualified supervisor for licensure after graduation with ease. There are instances where graduates may continue to work with former practicum supervisors for licensure supervision as well.
- Professional Credibility: Accreditation helps maintain professional credibility, as COAMFTE is recognized as being the specialized accreditation body for MFT programs and therapists.
Specialty Areas
While certain COAMFTE accredited programs may have different niches within them, they all meet the same standards around systemic and relational theory and teaching, ethics, and practicum experiences. Within the field of marriage and family therapy, specialty areas can include:
- Couples Therapy: This type of therapy is to help couples in their relationships. From infidelity to premarital counseling, a therapist works with members of the relationship toward common goals they’ve identified.
- Child/Adolescent and Family Therapy: Working with children and adolescents often leads to work with the entire family unit, focusing on parent/child relationships or sibling relationships.
- Medical Family Therapy: Medical family therapy is where therapists work with those who are experiencing illness to address psychological needs. They may work closely with other members of the client’s healthcare team, such as doctors, nurses, and hospital workers.
- Systemic Work in DEI: Because of MFT’s systemic lens, they can find work in advancing DEI, including working for companies and helping with training programs.
- Supervision & Training of Therapists: Some therapists go on to focus on the supervision and training of newer therapists. This path requires a doctorate degree.
Why Schools Seek COAMFTE Accreditation
Schools tend to seek out accreditation for MFT programs for credibility within their institution and higher education. Because an accredited program must meet such high standards, the quality and consistency of programs are trusted. Another perk of being accredited is that students can graduate with knowledge and experience of what professional expectations are once they begin practice. Through the COAMFTE accreditation guidelines, schools strengthen clinical infrastructure by offering supervision of practicum experiences, placements for external practicums and potential jobs upon graduation, and positive outcomes in the field.
Benefits to Students
Although accreditation is not the same as licensure, it is still beneficial for students to attend programs that hold the accreditation. Benefits to students enrolled in accredited MFT programs include:
- Clear Training Expectations: COAMFTE programs must meet expectations to train therapists to work after graduation so students can feel confident knowing they are receiving education and experience that meet rigid standards.
- Stronger Clinical Placement Structures: Oftentimes MFT programs that are accredited have good working relationships with other organizations that lead to great clinical placement opportunities for students during their internships.
- Consistent Supervision: COAMFTE requires highly qualified professors to teach, which also means students are receiving consistent supervision from competent members of the MFT field.
- Competency Emphasis: Clinical experience isn’t just about the hours because MFT programs focus on the competency of their students as well.
- Post-Graduation Preparedness: Students can feel prepared to work towards licensure knowing their COAMFTE accredited curricula align well with state standards for licensure.
- Transparency and Accountability: Through self-study and peer review, MFT-accredited programs are very transparent and hold themselves accountable for providing excellent education.
First-Person Graduate Perspective
As someone who attended a COAMFTE accredited program, I feel confident in speaking about the benefits I feel I’ve had because of this. My experience in graduate school was incredibly positive, and one of the reasons was due to the structured supervision I received. Professors were easily accessible to guide me through clinical experience, teach systems theory, share real-life examples, and conceptualize cases with me. Instead of being thrown into my first real session with a client, the COAMFTE accredited program I was enrolled in provided us with ample opportunity to practice mock sessions in class but also to have a supervisor observing our real clinical sessions. A big bonus for me was the on-site clinic my university had with one-way mirrors so qualified supervisors could watch me deliver therapy live. This helped build confidence, knowing that qualified supervisors were there to provide feedback when necessary. I felt incredibly prepared for my internships because of the activities and supervision we received in the classroom and in our university’s on-site clinic.
One thing that I always reflect on is how throughout the entire program, classes and practicums were rooted in systems thinking. It wasn’t just one class I took and then moved on; it truly was embedded into the program as a whole. I didn’t necessarily realize the importance of my accredited MFT program until after I began working in the field. When I look back now, I can see the high quality of education, professors, and clinical experience I received from my program. The preparedness my COAMFTE program gave me has helped me transition easily into new jobs that differed as well as step into leadership positions once licensed.
FAQ
COAMFTE accreditation is not the same as licensure. COAMFTE accreditation means that a program or university has met rigid expectations and criteria with their curricula and clinical experience opportunities for their students. Licensure, on the other hand, is obtained by individuals who have graduated from MFT programs and allows them to practice marriage and family therapy in their respective fields without supervision.
The short answer to this question is no, one does not have to attend a COAMFTE-accredited program in order to become licensed. There is a benefit to attending a program that is accredited, however. COAMFTE guidelines ensure that programs are teaching their students the appropriate curricula that align well with many of the requirements states have for licensure. With this being said, graduates from accredited MFT programs may have an easier time becoming fully licensed.
The difference between institutional and programmatic accreditation is as follows. Institutional accreditation looks at an entire college or university’s structures and policies for things like financial aid and federal assistance. Programmatic accreditation solely looks at specific programs, such as MFT programs. Programmatic accreditation ensures professional programs are meeting industry standards and preparing graduates to work in their professional field post-graduation.
COAMFTE accreditation lasts for a maximum of 6 years when a program first applies. When a program goes to reapply, their renewal of accreditation can last for 7 years with the ongoing self-studies being submitted. If the review committee flags things that need to be changed, a program has 2 years to improve and rectify the changes.
A student can confirm whether a program is COAMFTE accredited by using their directory on the COAMFTE website. Additionally, they can inquire with a graduate school program directly.
Conclusion
To summarize, COAMFTE accreditation can be viewed as a public trust mechanism. With individuals and potential students knowing the rigid standards a program must meet to obtain accreditation, they often can rest assured that clinicians trained in accredited programs are confident and competent in their field. COAMFTE’s standards and organizational setup help to continue to advance the field of MFT by requiring self-study and peer review, as well as requiring professionals to help teach this to students. For institutions questioning accreditation, the process can be long; however, this article highlights the benefits a COAMFTE accreditation brings. Students benefit from attending and graduating from accredited MFT programs, and it can help make the licensure process easier for them.
For a list of COAMFTE accredited programs, individuals can visit their site here.