Examination of Family Counseling Coursework and Scope of Practice for Professional Mental Health Counselors

This study examined couple and family counseling coursework in the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)–accredited clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) programs and scope of practice related to couple and family counseling based on each state’s li...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Family journal (Alexandria, Va.) Va.), 2021-01, Vol.29 (1), p.10-16
Main Authors: Williams, Amy E., Weinzatl, Olivia L., Varga, B. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic guidance counseling
Counseling services
Educational programs
Families & family life
Family counseling
Family therapy
Health education
Licenses
Licensing
Mental health
Mental health services
Regulation
Scope of practice
Training
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Summary:This study examined couple and family counseling coursework in the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)–accredited clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) programs and scope of practice related to couple and family counseling based on each state’s licensure regulations for mental health counselors (MHCs). Required and offered courses in couple/family-related content areas for 331 CACREP-accredited CMHC programs were analyzed. In addition, state licensure regulations for all 50 states and Washington, DC, were examined to determine whether MHCs can conduct couple and family counseling based upon licensure regulations. The results of this study indicated a mean of 1.1 couple/family-related courses required and a mean of 2.3 of these courses offered within CMHC programs. All but one of the 51 licensure regulations analyzed either permits or does not specify whether couple/family counseling falls within the scope of practice of MHCs; these 50 state/territory regulations also lack concrete guidelines related to required training or supervised experience in couple and family counseling to provide this service competently as an MHC. Limitations and areas for future research and training opportunities are discussed in light of these results.
ISSN:1066-4807
1552-3950
DOI:10.1177/1066480720978536