Marriage and family grad program integrates use of Apple products
When Lee’s Behavioral and Social Sciences Department ran into some “technical” problems after deciding to implement the new graduate program for marriage and family therapy (MAFT), administrators turned to the iPad 2 for answers.
Along with the new MAFT program came stricter supervision guidelines from the American Association for Marriage and Family.
The grad program requires two internships and a practicum with supervised sessions, meaning a professor or professional oversees any sessions that student counselors conduct with clients. Usually, this is done in-house at various counseling centers, with in-house professionals supervising the sessions.
However, because of the stricter regulations involved with the new program, Lee faculty must oversee the sessions for themselves. Students counsel in churches and clinics all across the area, which makes it difficult if not impossible for faculty to be present at each session.
In short, the counseling sessions must be recorded on video and brought to class.
Providing video equipment for each student in the program could cost thousands of dollars, and simply setting up the equipment could prove to be problematic too the program.
“My fear was that supervision sessions would be all tech time,” said J. Trevor Milliron, the director of graduate studies in counseling psychology.
Milliron was relieved to find that the iPad 2 provided a solution for the problem
The iPad 2 is equipped with features that appeal to the department’s needs, including the iMovie application and 10-hour battery life.
“It was exciting when we saw the technology come out,” Milliron said.
Security concerns also sent Milliron looking for a less expensive but secure way to record the supervised sessions. HIPAA violations are a serious matter, and administrators don’t want to risk slipping up.
The students in the MAFT program will be trained in how to lock their iPads, using what Milliron called a “suicide switch” in order to keep the contents of their counseling sessions safe from unauthorized viewers.
If someone is trying to unlock the iPad who doesn’t know the password, they will only have a limited number of attempts to log in before everything on the iPad is erased. This protects the client information and recorded video sessions in the case that an iPad is stolen or falls into the wrong hands.
Milliron also said that all records will be kept online instead of on paper, which he thinks will also contribute to tighter security.
The famous Apple product has a few more tricks up its sleeve that the department plans on utilizing. The FaceTime application could provide for live viewings of sessions in class, and Apple TV’s that are set up in each supervision room can save class time by making for smoother transitions between videos.
The iPad-infused MAFT program is expected to officially begin in summer 2012.