AAMFT's Tennessee Division defended the Code of Ethics in a recent Knoxville News Sentinel op-ed. This op-ed was in response to recent legislation introduced in the TN Legislature that would prohibit the MFT licensure board from referencing any national code of ethics, including AAMFT's Code of Ethics.
Thank you to Richard Gillespie for writing this piece (excerpted below) and the TNAMFT Legislative Committee for being engaged in the advocacy essential to defense and advocacy of the profession. Though all members may not have their op-eds published, joining the Family TEAM is the best way to participate in advocacy. Please join today to stay informed on the public policy decisions of 2017 that will impact marriage and family therapy!
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State Sen. Jack Johnson has recently introduced SBO1, which would have the state Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists replace our respective profession’s code of ethics with one written by the state board. Johnson incorrectly states that this gives the national counseling profession power to decide who is licensed as a counselor in Tennessee. What a code of ethics from a national counseling organization really does is to set the best possible practice rules for that profession. It protects consumers, makes for quality assurance in counseling services and assures a high standard of practice across Tennessee and the country.
Johnson’s comments make the American Counseling Association sound like a foreign, outside power trying to dictate to counselors and their clients in Tennessee, which is not true. Dr. Randall Phillips, a good friend and therapist, reminded me of something very important. It was and is Tennessee counselors and therapists who want the clinically best ethical services for those we serve. It was Tennessee counselors and marriage and family therapists who pressed to have high standards adopted. Continue reading »