The National Marital and Family Therapy Examination Program

Abstract

Examinations constitute one of the principal methods by which professions assess minimal competence in aspiring practitioners. The Examination in Marital and Family Therapy is used by most states which regulate the profession. This article provides the rationale for the examination program, describes its development and maintenance, and presents the knowledge base it samples. Administrative policies and procedures are also discussed as an aid to prospective licensure and certification candidates.

COAMFTE Accreditation and California MFT Licensing Exam Success

“…Licensing exams provide the best outcome measure applied consistently across programs. Examinations for licensure assure the public that every practitioner, regardless of educational program, can demonstrate “basic competence in understanding and applying the facts and theory regarded as essential to the safe and competent practice of the profession, as well as an awareness of standards of practice and professional ethics” (Lee & Sturkie, 1997, p. 256). The AAMFT (2007) has utilized exam data to highlight the importance of accreditation.…”

The Doctoral Education of Professional Marriage and Family Therapists

“…Contemporary published scholarship has concerned itself with the core education and training necessary for minimal competency in autonomous practice as an MFT. See in this regard descriptions of the development of the National Examination Program in MFT (Lee, 1998; Lee & Bergen, in press; Lee & Sturkie, 1997; Sturkie & Lee, 2001) and the Core Competencies (Competencies Task Force, 2007). Because we believe that becoming a professional MFT is a lifelong process, we would like our readers to consider here what should take place in the doctoral stage of development.…”

“…Nevertheless, as intuitively compelling as these recommendations were, they were “almost wholly unguided by empirical examination” (Kniskern & Gurman, 1988, p. 368). The foundation for such empirical determination has been laid by Delphi studies finding consensus about the constituent parts of the major MFT models de jour (see review in Lee, Emerson, & Kochka, 1997) and identifying the minimal competencies for independent practice of MFT (Competencies Task Force, 2007; Lee & Sturkie, 1997; Sturkie & Lee, 2001). Nevertheless, although there has been a growing literature about the efficacy of MFT (Pinsof & Wynn, 1995; Shadish, Ragsdale, Glaser, & Montgomery, 1995), there has been little or no empirical determination of the necessary and sufficient processes necessary for successful application.…”

A Survey of North American Marriage and Family Therapy Practitioners: A Role Delineation Study

“…Coinciding with the efforts of legislative bodies in the U.S. to regulate the field, the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) was formed, an organization whose focus was the development of a national standardized examination. This examination, which has undergone regular revisions since its creation, is currently utilized in all states and jurisdictions, with the exception of California, as a critical aspect of the process of licensing marriage and family therapists in the U.S. As Lee and Sturkie (1997) noted, "the development of an examination program marks an important rite of passage in the life of a profession by recognizing and defining a substantive body of knowledge that is particular to that profession" (p. 255).…”

“…The national examination was initially designed and constructed with the assistance of New York City's Professional Examination Service (PES) to satisfy professionally accepted standards of technical specifications and guidelines for such examinations (Lee, 1993;Lee & Sturkie, 1997). Ensuing revisions of the national examination have followed procedures similar to those first used, which includes the use of a survey to isolate valid components of actual practice.…”