Program Overview

Introduction to the MS in Marriage and Family Therapy Program

The MS in Marriage and Family Therapy program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in the field of marriage and family therapy. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) and can be completed in as few as 21 months.

Program Overview

The program focuses on both the theory and skill acquisition, enabling students to develop a comprehensive perspective for understanding client concerns and choosing interventions that fit their needs and specific patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior. The curriculum and clinical placements are informed by multicultural and social justice perspectives, enabling a comprehensive education on modern therapeutic practices.

Program Structure

The program is offered online, with rolling admissions and four program start dates per year. This allows learners across the United States to access the program at a time that suits them.

Courses

Courses in the program may include:

• Methods of System Therapy: introduces approaches to engaging, working with, and terminating cases in a therapy system.
• Sex Therapy: introduces a systematic approach to diagnosing and treating difficulties in the sex lives of individuals and couples.
• Human Development and the Life Cycle: provides a framework for understanding human development across the entire life span, as well as how individuals dynamically interact with their families.
• Family Research: instills skills for understanding MFT research methods, how to apply these methods in your own research, and how to critique the research of others in your field.

Becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

To become a licensed marriage and family therapist, one must follow a series of steps:

1. Earn an Undergraduate Degree

Although there is no specific bachelor’s degree required for the MFT pathway, there are several majors that can help prepare you for your career in marriage and family therapy, including:

• Family studies: a discipline that meshes psychology and family science to explore human development and familial relationships.
• Psychology: the study of the mind and behavior, which includes a variety of subfields.
• Sociology: a broad social sciences field encompassing the study of race, gender, sexuality, law, history, economics, politics, ethnography, culture, and more.
• Child development: an area of study exploring the emotional and social growth and development of children.
• Cognitive science: a discipline and profession dedicated to understanding the human mind, thoughts, and behaviors.
• Gender and sexuality studies: the study of gender and sexuality, and their relation to historical and contemporary feminism and LGBTQIA+ activism.
• Human communication sciences: a field dedicated to helping children and adults overcome difficulties in hearing, speech, language, and learning.

In such undergraduate programs, you may take courses such as:

• Introduction to Psychology: provides a survey of core research on human behavior to lay a foundation for psychology as a research science.
• Theories of Personality
• Lifespan Development or Human Development
• Race and Society: explores the nature of race, why it matters in American society, racial conflicts and approaches to overcoming racial inequality, and the relationship between race, power, and social stratification.
• Feminist Theory: encourages students to clarify and assess modern feminist questions by reading and interpreting feminist texts from the 1970s to the present through a modern lens.

2. Earn an MFT Degree

When you pursue a master’s in marriage and family therapy, your studies will focus on both the theory and skill acquisition. You don’t have to be in a physical classroom to build the knowledge base for this career. There are top-tier programs for individuals who prefer to earn their degree online.

3. Pass State Licensure Exam and Apply for Initial Licensure

Another crucial requirement to practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in most states and jurisdictions is to pass the MFT National Examination offered by the Association of Marital & Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB). This exam is designed to test your knowledge level and determine how fit you are to practice in the role of an LMFT.

4. Complete Supervised Clinical Hours

In order to become an LMFT, you must accrue direct client hours under the supervision of a licensed clinical professional. Doing so will prepare you to work in a professional therapeutic setting. The total hour count necessary will differ depending on the state in which you plan to practice.

5. Apply for an Independent Practice License

Once you’ve acquired either a master’s or doctoral degree, accrued the necessary supervised clinical hours for your state or jurisdiction, passed the MFT National Examination, and completed any other state-specific requirements, you’ll be eligible to apply for licensure. This process will depend on the state or jurisdiction in which you’re looking to apply for licensure.