CAHSS Graduate Catalog 2018 - 2019

76 that for purposes of financial aid, 6 credits are considered fulltime. Once students begin their dissertation, they are considered full-time when registered for at least three credit hours per term. After taking 9 credit hours of dissertation, students may enroll in one dissertation credit hour per term and still be considered full time in the program. Students must continually be enrolled to remain active in the program. If a student cannot take classes due to unforeseen circumstances, s/he must to apply for a Leave of Absence three weeks prior the beginning of a term. Approval by the Program Director is required. Students can request a leave of absence for no more than three terms. Obtaining a Leave of Absence does not extend the time a student has to complete the program. A student who has not registered for one entire academic year is considered inactive and must confer with the Program Director to request readmission to the program. If approved for readmission, the student must be continually registered to remain in good standing in the program. Three terms of a Leave of Absence is the maximum for a student to remain active in the program. Program Specifics Disclosure of Guiding Principle of our Programs It is with great pride that, we, the members of the Department of Family Therapy at Nova Southeastern University, share with our students, one of the guiding principles of our training programs. Our programs are guided by the importance of inclusion, diversity and affirmative practices in the classroom, coursework, clinical training, as well as in all professional and collegial relationships and interactions. We are committed to training our students in a manner that is respectful of and sensitive to religious/spiritual beliefs, cultural traditions and practices, gender identities and in all areas that distinguish individuals. Our goal is to be self-reflexive practitioners, holding ourselves accountable for our commitment to our principles. We further strive to train students to respond to each other with the same honor and respect. Subsequently, we expect students will treat fellow students, staff, and clients accordingly. We stress a commitment to servicing clinical populations in an affirmative, supportive and competent manner including but not limited to underprivileged, minority, and socially oppressed groups, ethnic, racial, religious groups, LGBTQ individuals, foreign nationals, individuals with different levels of ability both physical and mental, as well as individuals of various genders, ages and socioeconomic and relationship statuses. Ultimately, we believe that individual belief systems and values should be respected but that those belief systems and values do not hinder the practice of affirmative therapy. Additionally, our programs abide by the AAMFT Code of Ethics. Specifically, the following: 1.1 Non-Discrimination . Marriage and Family Therapists provide professional assistance to persons without discrimination on the basis of race, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, gender, health status, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity or relationship status. Professional/Ethical Conduct Students are expected to abide by the AAMFT Code of Ethics, conduct indicated in the Florida Statutes Chapter 491, conduct indicated in HIPAA, as well as the NSU Student Handbook. If at any time during a student’s program, the faculty is alerted to questions about a student’s conduct, a meeting will be scheduled with the Program Director and one other faculty. The program follows all guidelines from the NSU Student handbook. The results of the meeting will be documented along with recommendation for a remediation plan. If it is found that a student’s conduct fell outside those indicated in the above documents, the outcome of such a meeting could ultimately lead to immediate dismissal from the program.