Thursday, December 04, 2008
They're really puffing up my profession in this e-mail I received. But, of course, they would...
The theme of the 2009 Annual AAAMFT Conference will be:
"MFT: The Difference That Makes the Difference"
MFTs are part of a distinctive and unique profession. The difference in our training, the difference in our theories and the difference in our interventions makes a difference in our clients' lives. Consumers, businesses, and the mental health community have increasingly appreciated the MFT difference. Many employers are now expressing a preference for MFT trained therapists. In fact, competing professions, understanding the majority of clients list relational problems as their primary concern, fight for the title of "Family Therapist," or the right to claim they are qualified to deliver relational interventions. Marriage and family therapists, embracing the uniqueness of this profession, have tremendous opportunities to establish themselves as valued healthcare providers. The difference of MFT is not a secret. The National Institutes of Mental Health recognizes marriage and family therapists as a "core" mental health profession, along with psychiatry, psychology, social work, and psychiatric nursing. Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia also recognize MFT as a distinct profession through licensure. Despite this overwhelmingly professionally established identity, challenges continue as some—even in our own professional community—suggest that MFTs are not unique, or that family intervention are merely a subspecialty of other disciplines. We seek abstracts for presentations that specifically address these issues, focusing on the differences that make the difference.
Maybe when I'm licensed, I'll go to one of these and get continuing education credits. In the mean time, I've gotten my MFT intern number, so it's official that I'm accumulating my hours now. I'm just not getting many client assignments yet at my current training site so, if it doesn't pick up there, I'm considering working under someone's private practice as well. I need to get those hours under my belt, since there's a deadline.
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The theme of the 2009 Annual AAAMFT Conference will be:
"MFT: The Difference That Makes the Difference"
MFTs are part of a distinctive and unique profession. The difference in our training, the difference in our theories and the difference in our interventions makes a difference in our clients' lives. Consumers, businesses, and the mental health community have increasingly appreciated the MFT difference. Many employers are now expressing a preference for MFT trained therapists. In fact, competing professions, understanding the majority of clients list relational problems as their primary concern, fight for the title of "Family Therapist," or the right to claim they are qualified to deliver relational interventions. Marriage and family therapists, embracing the uniqueness of this profession, have tremendous opportunities to establish themselves as valued healthcare providers. The difference of MFT is not a secret. The National Institutes of Mental Health recognizes marriage and family therapists as a "core" mental health profession, along with psychiatry, psychology, social work, and psychiatric nursing. Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia also recognize MFT as a distinct profession through licensure. Despite this overwhelmingly professionally established identity, challenges continue as some—even in our own professional community—suggest that MFTs are not unique, or that family intervention are merely a subspecialty of other disciplines. We seek abstracts for presentations that specifically address these issues, focusing on the differences that make the difference.
Maybe when I'm licensed, I'll go to one of these and get continuing education credits. In the mean time, I've gotten my MFT intern number, so it's official that I'm accumulating my hours now. I'm just not getting many client assignments yet at my current training site so, if it doesn't pick up there, I'm considering working under someone's private practice as well. I need to get those hours under my belt, since there's a deadline.
