LICENSURE & CERTIFICATION
Dr. Gwen Finestone Hecht, MFT, PhD
LICENSED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST California License #MFT 47627
(License placed on inactive status, as of 7/25/2020)
A Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) may have either a masters level education or a doctoral-level education.
In the state of California, one may practice psychology as a Marriage and Family Therapist without a license, provided that individual is working under the auspices of an agency, e.g., the County, a foster family agency, a hospital.
One needs a license, only if one wants to have a private practice.
One needs a license, only if one wants to have a private practice.
One needs a license, only if one wants to have a private practice.
I have 35+ years of experience in the field of psychology, conducting counseling, hypnosis, crisis intervention, foster therapy, bereavement therapy, in-patient psychiatric therapy, etc.
I have been licensed for private practice since 2009.
One needs a license, only if one wants to have a private practice.
One needs a license, only if one wants to have a private practice.
An MFT is licensed to conduct evaluations, assessments, therapy, counseling, psychoeducational interventions, and testing.
They may diagnose and treat in any area of psychology in which they are competent (e.g., depression, trauma, grief, drugs, relationship issues, sexuality, etc.).
They are licensed to work with children, adolescents, teens, adults, individuals, couples, families, and groups. Some are employed by counseling centers, hospitals, county and state mental health programs, and in-patient psychiatric facilities; while others opt for private or group practice. Some do not treat patients, preferring to conduct tests, or to teach, or to do expert witness work.
To be an expert in a given area of psychology, one should have extensive formal education, as well as extensive clinical experience, in that given area.
To the extent possible, one should have professional certifications conferred by legitimate professional organizations in the area(s) of declared expertise.
CERTIFICATION IN THANATOLOGY: DEATH, DYING AND BEREAVEMENT
Association for Death Education and Counseling Emily Burch
Administrative Director, Leadership and Credentialing
111 Deer Lake Road, Suite 100
Deerfield, IL 60015 USA
The Certified in Thanatology: Death, Dying and Bereavement (CT) credentialing program is governed by the ADEC Credentialing Council under the auspices of the ADEC Board of Directors.
The CT Credential
Certified in Thanatology: Death, Dying and Bereavement (CT) is a professional certification thanatology degree. It is an Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) volunteer-initiated effort to recognize practitioners and educators in the discipline of death, dying, and bereavement who meet specified knowledge requirements measured through a standardized testing process. It is a foundation thanatology certification.
In today’s competitive and challenging markets, it is important to identify individuals with qualified knowledge who have certification in thanatology.
Successful candidates (certificants) can use the CT designation after their names. They may also use the following statement on a separate line on business cards and stationery: Certified in Thanatology: Death, Dying and Bereavement.
ADEC, a professional membership association in the field of thanatology, sponsors the CT. Members of the ADEC Board of Directors and the Credentialing Council and its committees provide oversight to the development and administration of the CT examination and the CT recertification program.
Content expert volunteers from ADEC and associated organizations worked for more than two years to develop the CT credential. The examination has been developed from a Body of Knowledge survey that identified the areas of knowledge and application of knowledge required by individuals in the field of death dying and bereavement.
Eligibility Criteria
Bachelor's Degree and two (2) years of related experience in death, dying and bereavement or Master's/Doctorate Degree and one (1) year of related experience.
60 contact hours of thanatology-related education from academic courses, workshops,conferences or seminars. Two letters of endorsement/recommendation.
Verification of education and experience.
The Certification Examination Structure
ADEC offers the certification examination for practitioners and educators in thanatology, the study of death and related disciplines, such as:
Dealing with death
Dealing with grief after death
Loss of a loved one
Coping with death
The ADEC Body of Knowledge identifies six major categories with ten indicators, and serves as the basis for the development of the examination and its test specifications. Topic specialists in the field of thanatology develop the questions on the examination. The Test Committee reviews and finalizes all questions for the examination. Each stage of the examination is an intensive peer review process.
ADEC Body of Knowledge Outline
1. Outline
a. Socialization/cultural
b. Religious/Spiritual
c. Professional issues
d. Historical perspective
e. Contemporary perspective
f. Life-span
g. Larger systems
h. Individual/family
i. Resources & Research
j. Ethical/legal
2. End of Life -- death dying
a. Socialization/cultural
b. Religious/Spiritual
c. Professional issues
d. Historical perspective
e. Contemporary perspective
f. Life-span
g. Larger systems
h. Individual/family
i. Resources & Research
j. Ethical/legal
3. Loss & Grief -- grief cycle
a. Socialization/cultural
b. Religious/Spiritual
c. Professional issues
d. Historical perspective
e. Contemporary perspective
f. Life-span
g. Larger systems
h. Individual/family
i. Resources & Research
j. Ethical/legal
4. Assessment & Intervention -- grief management
a. Socialization/cultural
b. Religious/Spiritual
c. Professional issues
d. Historical perspective
e. Contemporary perspective
f. Life-span
g. Larger systems
h. Individual/family
i. Resources & Research
j. Ethical/legal
5. Traumatic Death -- losing a loved one
a. Socialization/cultural
b. Religious/Spiritual
c. Professional issues
d. Historical perspective
e. Contemporary perspective
f. Life-span
g. Larger systems
h. Individual/family
i. Resources & Research
j. Ethical/legal
6. Death Education -- stages of grief and loss
a. Socialization/cultural
b. Religious/Spiritual
c. Professional issues
d. Historical perspective
e. Contemporary perspective
f. Life-span
g. Larger systems
h. Individual/family
i. Resources & Research
j. Ethical/legal
ADEC Body of Knowledge Grid: Operational Definitions
Understanding the body of knowledge in death, dying and bereavement involves an understanding of Six Core Categories:
1. Dying Process
2. End of Life Decisionmaking
3. Loss, Grief & Mourning
4. Assessment and Intervention
5. Traumatic Death
6. Death Education
These core categories must be understood in the context of twelve indicators within these categories:
1. Cultural
2. Religious/Spiritual
3. Professional Issues
4. Historical Perspectives
5. Contemporary Perspectives
6. Life Span
7. Larger Systems
8. Individual
9. Family
10. Gender
11. Resources & Research
12. Ethical/Legal.
Definitions of Categories
1. Dying: the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual experience of facing death; living with terminal illness; the dying process; and caring for the terminally ill.
2. End-of-Life Decisionmaking: the aspects of life-threatening illness/terminal illness that involve choices and decisions about actions to be taken by individuals, families, and professional caregivers.
3. Loss, Grief, and Mourning: the physical, behavioral, cognitive, and social experience of and reactions to loss, steps of grieving, and practices surrounding phases of grief and commemoration.
4. Assessment and Intervention: includes information gathered, decisions that are made, and actions that are taken by professional caregivers to determine and/or provide for the needs of the dying, their loved ones, and the bereaved.
5. Traumatic Death: sudden, violent, inflicted, and/or intentional death; shocking encounters with death.
6. Death Education: formal and informal methods for acquiring and disseminating knowledge about dying, death and bereavement.
Definitions of Indicators
1. Cultural/Socialization: the influence of cultural/ethnic and social parameters on the experience of death and loss.
2. Religious/Spiritual: the relationship between religious and spiritual belief systems and the reaction to, and coping with death.
3. Professional Issues: factors that affect professionals' training, abilities, and responsibilities in providing care.
4. Historical: the historical context and historical changes that played a role in the death experience, and the theoretical paradigms in the field of Thanatology up to 1980's.
5. Contemporary: theoretical perspectives in death and dying and the factors that have influenced the perspectives from the 1980’s to the present.
6. Life Span: the consideration of death and dying and developmental perspectives from infancy to old age.
7. Larger Systems: the social organizations beyond the individual and family that affect the experience of dying, death and grieving.
8/9/10. Family and Individual: social, cognitive, and physical encounters and interpretations of dying, death, and loss from the standpoint of the person and the group of people with a relational bond and long term commitment, who define themselves as “family”.
11. Resources and Research: involves materials, organizations and groups of individuals who facilitate knowledge acquisition. Ideas and materials are based upon the findings of empirical research and theoretical synthesis that add to the knowledge base.
12. Ethical/Legal: aspects of dying, death and/or loss that pertain generally to determination of right from wrong, and specifically to the principles of medical ethics. Legal issues refer to the articulated laws of a society as they pertain to thanatology.
Recertification Guidelines
Certificants must participate in ongoing professional development to maintain their CT.
Upon earning the CT credential, certification remains valid for the following three complete calendar years (one recertification cycle).
General Guidelines
Certificants will recertify every three years by December 31; the first year of the three-year recertification cycle will start January 1 of the year immediately following successfully passing the CT examination.
• Credits will be earned and recorded as Contact Hours.
• 45 Contact Hours must be earned in every three-year recertification cycle.
• Contact Hours may not be carried over from one recertification cycle to another.
CT Registry
A current listing of all certificants will be maintained on the ADEC website.
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