Page 37 - March April 2017 FTM

AAMFT Hosts Meeting with China Association of Social Workers
On March 27, AAMFT hosted an information and idea exchange with
the China Association of Social Workers (CASW). AAMFT CEO Tracy Todd, PhD, and AAMFT President Christopher Habben, PhD, led the meeting along with other staff. Members of the Chinese delegation were managers from social services organizations and represented cities and provinces from all over China. The group was headed by CASW Vice President Liu Jing.
China today is facing societal challenges that include income disparity,
collapse of manufacturing industries, unemployment for large numbers of college graduates, limited natural resources and other concerns. As a result, many Chinese are in need of various social services. Old notions of stigma and keeping problems within
the family are beginning to change,
as the Chinese government is moving toward developing a greater social welfare system to better serve seniors, those with disability, low income families, and others in need. They aim to meet this goal by 2020. With this in mind, the delegation of Chinese social workers visited AAMFT to gain a better understanding of AAMFT's functions and the role marriage and family therapists play in mental healthcare.
President Habben welcomed the
group while CEO Tracy Todd provided an overview of the foundations of
family therapy and its emphasis on relationships and the greater systemic context. Members of the delegation were very interested in learning more about family therapy concepts, as family therapy is still a relatively new field for mental health professionals in China. Next, Dr. Todd discussed the birth and evolution of AAMFT as an organization,
from its early roots and founders, and pivotal emerging goals and objectives, such as licensure and regulation.
An overview was provided clarifying the roles of AAMFT, the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) and the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB). President Habben, who is the head of an accredited program, spoke briefly about how MFT training programs must comply with standards and meet accreditation requirements.
Other topics of discussion included
the relevance of DSM-5 and ICD-10 coding to MFT work, the legal battle over MFTs’ right to diagnose, continuing education requirements, supervision, and examples of current issues in MFT, such as online therapy best practices. Also covered were today’s organizational core values, including continuing to refine accreditation standards for excellence in training, creating more opportunities and support for emerging professionals, promoting diversity among the membership, and providing clear ethical guidelines to MFTs.
The delegation asked relevant questions in a lively discussion about the role of mental health nonprofits in the U.S. and how AAMFT, as an organization, represents and serves the interests
of MFTs. In order to present a clearer understanding of the make up of the membership, staff provided an overview of AAMFT membership categories and requirements for joining.
The meeting culminated with both organizations discussing possible
ways to work together in the future on mutually beneficial programs, including international membership possibilities, and potential consulting and training assistance, such as collaborating on MFT pilot programming in China.
After a productive and dynamic exchange, staff and the delegation exchanged gifts and friendly goodbyes. AAMFT staff was very happy to meet with the delegation and delighted in the opportunity to learn some Chinese greetings and a bit about our mental health counterparts from the other side of the globe.
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