Additional Practicum/Field Experience Requirements
The practicum/field experience is a required training experience. Students may begin practicum/field experience after the successful completion of the required prerequisites. Students are required to attend informational meetings and apply for practicum/field study two semesters before they plan to enroll for this experience.
Students earn 3 semester credit hours of each time they register for practicum/field experience. All students enrolled in practicum/field experience are concurrently enrolled in a practicum/field experience seminar led by a faculty member. The seminar meets on-campus throughout the academic year. Special arrangements will be made for students taking practicum/field experience at distant locations.
MA in Marriage & Family Therapy degree program students must complete 500 hours of practicum/field experience in a marriage and family therapy setting.
Students spend 10 – 25 hours per week in a site that has been approved by Argosy University, Sarasota. A minimum of one-third of the hours is spent in “direct service” as defined below. The remainder of the students’ time is spent in “indirect service, ” supervision, and “training activities. ” Students must receive at least one hour of on-site, individual supervision per week.
- “Direct service” includes face-to-face provision of therapy services to individuals designated as clients by the site. “Face-to-face” service includes hours spent co-counseling with a licensed/credentialed professional.
- “Indirect service” may include community outreach, consultation and/or education, program development and/or evaluation, and support services (e.g., report writing, record maintenance).
- “Training activities” include formal supervision, case conferences, case management/utilization review meetings, rounds, administrative/planning meetings, in-service training/seminars. (Hours spent in attendance at practicum seminar count towards the total number of hours of the practicum/field experience.)
Policy on Training Sites with Creedal Statements
Argosy University, Sarasota has a policy of nondiscrimination against students with regard to race, age, ethnic background, and sexual orientation. In addition, Argosy University, Sarasota is committed to fostering the training of individuals who are members of groups that are currently under-represented in the profession of counseling. Practicum/field experience sites approved by the school are expected to conduct selection and training in a nondiscriminatory manner. Sites are expected to select applicants without regard to race, sex, age, ethnic background, or sexual orientation unless compelling legal or therapeutic reasons exist for limiting the applicant pool. Sites with a selection policy that disallows students based on any of the above criteria, must notify the school and clarify the legal and/or therapeutic rationale for such policies. Such sites will be approved by the school only if the department chair determines that an adequate legal and/or therapeutic rationale exists for the selection policies.
Capstone Examination Requirements
Overview
Students in the MA in Marriage & Family Therapy degree program are required to successfully complete a Comprehensive Examination no later than the end of the fifth year after entering the program. The material covered by the Comprehensive Examination reflects all coursework and material required of students in the program.
Prerequisites
To be eligible to sit for the Comprehensive Examination, students must have successfully completed all courses, excluding practicum/field experience. Courses that are transferred are considered successfully completed. Students taking the Comprehensive Examination must be students in good standing and have a GPA of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0). An application to take the exam must be submitted to the campus dean or department chair at least one month prior to the date of the examination.
Procedures
The Comprehensive Examination is offered twice a year. Consult the department chair for the specific dates of the examination. All students must submit an application for the Comprehensive Examination. Although letters are sent to students, it is the student’s responsibility to know when they are eligible to take the exam and to submit an application.
The department chair reviews students who register to sit for the Comprehensive Examination for eligibility. Students who need special accommodations during the examination are required to request them in writing at the time of application and provide any necessary documentation with the request. Prior to each exam, an open meeting will be held to allow students an opportunity to ask questions about exam preparation and exam procedures. The format of the examination may change from year to year. The format will be discussed at the meetings prior to each exam.
Students are notified in writing of their exam grade. Possible outcomes are “Pass” or “Fail.” If students do not pass, they are required to retake the examination.
Students who fail the Comprehensive Examination are expected to meet with the department chair or appointed faculty to review the problems evident in the examination. The department chair, in consultation with the faculty, will advise the student of specific areas of weakness and possible strategies for remediation. The student will then be allowed to retake the examination one time within the time frame of program completion.
A student who fails the comprehensive exam a second time will be reviewed by the program faculty. The student may be dismissed from the program or may be required to successfully repeat coursework as determined by the department chair after reviewing recommendations made by the program faculty.
After completion of required remediation, student may be eligible to retake the Comprehensive Examination. Any student who fails the examination a third time will be automatically dismissed from the program.
