College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Catalog 2016

84 Degree Plans Following is a sample degree plan for students who begin their studies in the Fall term. Degree plans are developed upon enrollment. Course Requirements To complete the M.S. in Family Therapy, students must complete 500 hours of client contact, 250 of which must consist of relational hours as defined by the program. Students also must accumulate at least 100 supervision hours, 50 of which must be based on direct observation and videotape. They are responsible for documenting clinical and supervision hours, using the forms provided on the CAHSS website under student resources. Students are required to keep a copy of all documentation pertaining to both Internal and External Practicums. This includes their clinical and supervision hour forms, contracts, and clinical evaluations. A student’s first two Practicums are at the Brief Therapy Institute, Family Therapy Clinic; therefore, they are called Internal Practicums. Students must pass the first two Internal Practicums to be eligible to continue clinical training in two External Practicums. Students may elect to take more than two Internal Practicums to better hone in their clinical skills prior to moving into their External Practicum setting. The External Practicums are internships in the community where students provide clinical services in school, hospital, agency, private practice, and other settings. Before students begin their External Practicum, they collaborate with the DFT Internship Coordinator to identify and develop an external practicum, community-based site and a contract with the site. Attendance at the annual internship fair is strongly recommended to obtain an internship site. Prior to beginning their external practicum experience, students must have completed an internship contract, signed by the student, the internship site supervisor, their faculty supervisor, and the Program Director. If proof of a student’s professional liability insurance coverage is needed for the practicum site, a copy can be obtained from the Internship Coordinator. Students must have ALL documentation completed and presented to the Internship Coordinator for approval prior to beginning any training or clinical work at the practicum site. A site supervisor must be a licensed mental health professional who meets the supervisory requirements based on COAMFTE standards. Students must register for a minimum of two terms of External Practicum as part of their program requirements. Students will need to register for additional External Practicums if needed to meet the clinical and supervision hour requirements. The DFT faculty teaching the course will supervise the student in one-hour weekly face to face meetings or more as needed. Faculty supervisors are AAMFT Approved Supervisors. Students also are required to have regularly scheduled supervision with their site supervisor at their clinical site(s). There are four important documents of information that students must provide the Internship Coordinator prior to beginning their internship: 1. The original signed copy of the internship contract. 2. A resume of the on-site supervisor to demonstrate that he or she has a master’s degree and is a licensed mental health professional or meets the equivalent criteria and a copy of the AAMFT Supervisor Certificate, if applicable. 3. A brochure or written information about the internship site. 4. A written description from the on-site supervisor clearly identifying internship duties and responsibilities. Students should plan on acquiring a minimum of 15-20 client contact hours per week at their site to ensure completion of the 500 required client-contact hours and supervision hours within two required terms of External Practicum. Students may also take a third