Program Overview
Marriage and Family Therapy Program
The Marriage and Family Therapy program at Mercy University is a 60-credit Master of Science degree that focuses on the practice of facilitating positive change in individuals, couples, and families. The program is designed to prepare students for careers as licensed marriage and family therapists.
Program Overview
The program recognizes that mental health is an emergent quality that arises from the quality of our connections, the justice in our communities, and the meaning-making practices we engage in together. Students will master cutting-edge approaches that recognize how families create their realities through everyday conversations, cultural influences, and shared meanings impacting behavioral, emotional, mental, and relational health.
Career Opportunities
The program is designed to prepare expert couple and family therapists to treat families, couples, youth, and individuals in diverse settings such as mental health centers, private practice, social service agencies, online therapy practices, outpatient centers and hospitals, military organizations, and residential care facilities.
The Mercy Advantage
The need for marriage and family therapists is rising, with a job outlook of 15% from now until 2032. This projected growth means there will be close to 6,000 open positions on average for these therapists each year. As a marriage and family therapist, students will help patients navigate their marriage or relationships with their families, addressing challenges such as stress, depression, anxiety, and behavioral difficulties.
Award-Winning Faculty
Students will learn directly from innovators who are at the forefront of redefining couples and family therapy for the needs of today's world. The faculty are nationally and internationally recognized, with several honored by the American Family Therapy Academy for their exceptional contributions to the field.
Dedicated Clinical Mentorship and Internship Placement
Students will be accompanied and mentored at each step of their clinical training. Mercy has a dedicated faculty member who serves as the Director of Clinical Internships, providing comprehensive mentorship and support throughout the internship experience.
Learning Community
The program approaches the learning experience as a collaborative and active learning environment, emphasizing the culture of learning as much as what is being learned. Small class sizes with active learning provide for engaged learning, and students will be partners-in-learning, co-creating a learning community.
Transforming Therapy
Students will learn how to be a strength-based, culturally-responsive, and socially-just focused couples and family therapist. The program is distinguished by its robust theoretical foundation in systemic and social construction approaches to marriage and family therapy.
Sex Therapy Introduction
The program offers a dedicated introductory course on sex therapy, providing students with the academic requirements towards becoming a licensed mental health professional, which is a pre-requisite for becoming a certified sex therapist.
IHELP Scholarship
Mercy University offers the Interdisciplinary Health Education Learning Program (IHELP) fellowship, which aims to expand internship opportunities that provide services for children, adolescents, and transitional-aged youth who are at risk for behavioral health disorders. Students who qualify can receive a stipend of up to $25,000 to assist their studies.
Relational Play Lab
The Relational Play Lab, run by Dr. Bava, provides students with the opportunity to experience applied research in relational practices for an inclusive world. The mission of the lab is to explore and implement relational play and intelligence as a generative creative resource for individuals, couples, and organizations.
Digitally-Responsive Curriculum
The program prepares students to be socio-relationally grounded in helping families and couples in a digitally transforming world. Students will learn how to be adaptive and ready for the AI-revolution that is sweeping personal and professional lives.
Licensure
The program qualifies graduates to sit for the National Marriage and Family Therapy licensing exam, and they are able to move toward completing the 1,500 clinical hours in a professional full-time position required for licensure. The program coursework is approved by the New York State Education Department Office of Professional Education and meets all the coursework requirements towards a licensure as a marriage and family therapist.
Program Outcomes
By the end of the program, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of a range of contemporary models in Family Therapy
- Demonstrate knowledge of a range of contemporary models of Couple Therapy
- Demonstrate the ability to complete 3 generation genograms and family timelines
- Write clear papers demonstrating knowledge of models of Couple and Family Therapy
- Demonstrate competency in professional therapy by completing three semesters of internship, doing supervised therapy with individuals, couples, and families, and completing 300 face-to-face clinical hours
Admissions Requirements
- Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher
- Two detailed written signed letters of recommendation from instructors in the major area of study or professional contacts
- An up-to-date Résumé
- A 5-page essay on the applicant's reasons for pursuing the Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy
Program Details and Curriculum
The 60-credit Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy Degree is organized into:
- Human Development: 3 Credits
- Clinical Knowledge: 18 Credits
- Theoretical Knowledge: 18 Credits
- Family Law: 3 Credits
- Research: 3 Credits
- Professional Ethics: 3 Credits
- Internship: 9 Credits
- Capstone Experience: 3 Credits
Full-Time Faculty
- Saliha Bava, Program Director, Marriage and Family Therapy
- Maria Vilanova, Senior Instructor, Marriage and Family Therapy, Director of Clinical Internship
Part-Time Faculty
- Andrea P Blumenthal, Instructor, Marriage and Family Therapy
- Rachel M Heater, Senior Instructor, Marriage and Family Therapy
- Jillien Kahn, Adjunct, Marriage and Family Therapy
- Jennifer M Nikou, Senior Lecturer, Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy
- Somer Saleh, Instructor, Marriage and Family Therapy
- Amos Wolff, Instructor, Marriage and Family Therapy
Admissions Counselor
- Debra E Greig, Manager, Graduate Admissions Operations, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences