Diane R. Gehart, Ph.D., LMFT, is a Professor at California State University, Northridge, having received her Ph.D. in Counseling, Marriage & Family Therapy Specialization in 1997 from St. Mary’s, University, San Antonio, Texas. A member of the original AAMFT Core Competencies Task Force, she developed the first comprehensive system for measuring student mastery of the Core Competencies, having integrated competency-based education methods into her classrooms for several years. She has authored several books, including MASTERING COMPETENCIES IN FAMILY THERAPY: A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO THEORY AND CLINICAL CASE DOCUMENTATION (published by Brooks/Cole), THEORY-BASED TREATMENT PLANNING FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS (co-authored with Amy Tuttle; published by Brooks/Cole), THE COMPLETE MFT CORE COMPETENCIES ASSESSMENT SYSTEM, and COLLABORATIVE THERAPY: RELATIONSHIPS AND CONVERSATIONS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE (co-edited with Harlene Andreson) as well as numerous academic articles and book chapters and speaks internationally on subjects related to family therapy and training.