2020 Student Ethics Competition Winners

In 2020, AAMFT held the fifth annual Student Ethics Competition. This competition is designed to encourage MFT students to foster an interest in ethics issues and enhance their ability to analyze and respond to the various ethics issues that they will undoubtedly encounter throughout their careers. In this team competition, participants submitted an essay analyzing and responding to a hypothetical scenario.

AAMFT received 28 submissions from Master’s, Doctoral, and PDI students. The submissions were scored by current and former members of the Ethics Committee and current and former members of the Judicial Committee. After the final review of the score, the winning teams have been identified. 

Join AAMFT in congratulating the winning teams on their excellent work!

1st Place: Holly Eddy, Natalie Barraza, and Lilian Ochoa (Texas Woman's University)

Read their winning paper here .

Holly Eddy



Natalie Barraza



Lilian Ochoa

2st Place: Emily Gibbs and Raquel Harmon (Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling)

Read their winning paper here .

Emily Gibbs



Raquel Harmon

3rd Place: David Jenks Jr, Andres Brown, and Jessica Barboza (Utah State University)

Read their winning paper here .

Questions about the Student Ethics Competition can be sent to ethics@aamft.org.

Code of Ethics

The AAMFT strives to honor the public trust in marriage and family therapists by setting standards for ethical practice as described in this Code. The ethical standards define professional expectations and are enforced by the AAMFT Ethics Committee. 

Legal and Ethics Columns

AAMFT’s Family Therapy Magazine (FTM) has featured many articles over the years on legal and ethical issues that marriage and family therapists frequently encounter. Written by AAMFT members and staff, these FTM articles provide valuable information on dealing with the major legal and ethical concerns faced by therapists.