The programs are continually evaluated in relation to their institute’s mission and to their own mission, goals and educational objectives. We’re aware of the fact that accreditation standards, like other aspects of accreditation, are part of a slowly evolving, continuing process. In the long view, there are continuing conversations among accredited training programs, trainees, trained professionals that the standards and other aspects of accreditation evolve.

The standards are designed to be unique to the practice and supervision of couple and family therapy. The standards apply to the training of family and couple therapists and are based on a relational view of life in which understanding and respect, diversity and non-discrimination are fundamentally addressed, practiced and valued. Based on this view, family and couple therapy is a professional orientation toward life and is applicable to a wide variety of circumstances including individual, couple, family, group and community problems. It is a modality of treatment or of diagnosis. It applies to all living systems, not only to persons who are married or have a conventional family.

Graduates from this program, are trained to be clinical and mental health practitioners. They are qualified to diagnose and treat mental and emotional distortion whether cognitive, affective or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems. They apply psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques in the delivery of professional services to individuals, couples and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed nervous and mental disorders.

As a family and couple therapist, all training is relational, related to context, culturally sensitive. All persons properly trained in marriage and family therapy are to be competent in working with individuals. The standards emphasize the relational hour requirement because this is the more exceptional aspect of the profession of family and couple therapy.