AK MFT Juris flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Board of Marital and Family Therapy

The Alaska regulatory body that licenses marital and family therapists, sets standards, investigates complaints, and imposes discipline for unprofessional conduct under state statutes and regulations.

Title 12 Alaska Administrative Code

The portion of Alaska regulations that implements professional licensing statutes, including requirements for supervised experience, continuing education, and renewal for marital and family therapists.

Unprofessional conduct

A statutory category of prohibited behavior including incompetence, fraud, breach of confidentiality, and practice outside one's competence, which is a basis for board discipline.

Rulemaking process

The procedure by which Alaska regulations are adopted or amended, requiring public notice, opportunity for comment, and filing with the lieutenant governor before becoming effective.

Qualifying degree requirement

A master's or doctoral degree in marital and family therapy or a closely related field from a regionally accredited institution, required before supervised post-degree experience begins.

Supervised experience hours

Post-degree clinical hours completed under a qualified supervisor, documented and submitted with the license application, and subject to required supervision ratios.

National MFT examination

The standardized examination accepted by the board that applicants must pass to demonstrate entry-level knowledge before licensure as a marital and family therapist.

Biennial renewal cycle

The two-year licensure period after which a therapist must renew by attesting to continuing education completion and paying the required fee to maintain active status.

Licensure by credentials

A pathway allowing licensees from other jurisdictions with substantially equivalent requirements to obtain Alaska licensure without completing all standard application components, subject to board review.

Scope of practice

The range of assessment and treatment services a marital and family therapist is trained and licensed to provide, limited to areas of competence and excluding medical practice.

Dual relationship prohibition

A rule barring therapists from entering secondary relationships with clients that could impair objectivity or exploit the power imbalance inherent in therapy.

Informed consent

The process of disclosing the nature of therapy, fees, confidentiality limits, and client rights before treatment begins, documented in the clinical record.

Competence limitation

The ethical obligation to practice only within areas of training and experience and to refer clients when a presenting problem falls outside that competence.

Client abandonment

Terminating therapy without adequate notice, referral, or transfer of care when the client still needs services, which constitutes unprofessional conduct.

Sexual misconduct prohibition

An absolute bar on sexual intimacy with current clients and their immediate family members, constituting unprofessional conduct and grounds for license revocation.

Supervisor responsibility

The duty of clinical supervisors to oversee supervisee cases, ensure ethical practice, and accept responsibility for the quality of supervised clinical work.

Truthful advertising

The ethical requirement that public statements about services, credentials, and outcomes be accurate and not misleading or unsubstantiated.

Fee disclosure

The obligation to inform clients of charges and billing practices in advance and to avoid collection practices that exploit the therapeutic relationship.

Child abuse reporting

The mandatory duty to report suspected child abuse or neglect to Alaska's Office of Children's Services promptly, with reporter identity kept confidential by law.

Vulnerable adult reporting

The requirement to report suspected abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult to the state adult protective services agency.

Duty to protect

The obligation to take reasonable steps, such as warning an identifiable victim or notifying law enforcement, when a client poses a serious threat of violence.

Threat assessment threshold

The determination that a threat is serious and directed at an identifiable victim, which triggers protective action rather than mere generalized concern.

Duty-to-protect documentation

A clinical record of the threat, the risk assessment, protective actions taken, and the rationale, created whenever a duty-to-protect situation arises.

Confidentiality exception

A legally permitted disclosure of client information, such as for suspected abuse, imminent danger, court order, or authorized billing, without client consent.

Record retention

The regulatory period during which clinical records must be kept, extended when litigation or board proceedings are pending.

Release of information

A signed and dated client authorization specifying what information may be shared, with whom, for what purpose, and when it expires.

Client record access

The client's right to review their clinical record, subject to limited exceptions where disclosure would cause serious harm to the client or others.

Complaint intake

The initial board review of a filed complaint to determine whether the board has jurisdiction and whether the allegations have merit.

Notice and hearing

The due process requirement that a licensee receive notice of charges and an opportunity for a hearing before the board imposes discipline.

Summary suspension

An immediate suspension of a license without a prior hearing when continued practice poses an imminent danger to the public, followed by a prompt hearing.

Disciplinary sanctions

Penalties the board may impose, including reprimand, probation, suspension, revocation, fines, and required remedial education or supervision.

Administrative appeal

The process by which a licensee challenges a board decision under the Alaska Administrative Procedure Act, seeking review in superior court.