What is Marriage and Family Therapy?

A family's patterns of behavior influence the individual and therefore may need to be a part of the treatment plan. In marriage and family therapy, the unit of treatment isn't just the person - even if only a single person is interviewed - it is the set of relationships in which the person is embedded.

Marriage and family therapists regularly practice short-term therapy; 12 sessions on average. About half of the treatment provided by marriage and family therapists is one-on-one with the other half divided between marital/couple and family therapy, or a combination of treatments.

Today, more than 50,000 marriages and family therapists treat individuals, couples and families nationwide. This growth is a result, in part, of renewed public awareness of the value of family life life and concern about the increased stresses on families in a rapidly changing world.

Program Mission at Forest Institute

The mission of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program is to graduate competent, ethical professionals who are eligible to pursue licensure as Marriage and Family Therapists. The philosophy of the program is that competent entry-level therapists should be well-grounded in systems theory and its application to clinical practice in serving diverse populations of couples, families, and individuals.

Program goals are:

1. Broad and General Marriage and Family Therapy Knowledge -To provide education grounded in systems theory,
2. Effective Marriage and Family Therapy Practice - To provide systemic training in marriage and family therapy clinical practice,
3. Diversity, Acceptance, and Social Justice - To prepare graduates to competently address the needs of diverse populations of couples, families, and individuals, and
4. Professional Engagement - To socialize graduates to develop an identity as a marriage and family therapist and engage in life-long professional development.

The emphasis of this program is teaching students the clinical skills needed in the profession and practice of marriage and family therapy. As part of the program, students are exposed to a variety of systemic family theories that will help them assess and treat couple and family systems as well as individuals. The MFT Program and Forest Institute are dedicated to promoting and infusing diversity into every facet of the learning experience including academic and clinical practice settings. Diversity is defined as variety in group presence and interactions. This includes, but is not limited to, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, gender, age, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and body type.

The Educational Outcomes include the Faculty Outcomes (FOs), Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), and Program Outcomes (POs) for the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Forest Institute.

Curriculum

The curriculum for the post-graduate degree certificate (PDC) in MFT is built with the expectation that incoming students hold a master’s degree in the field of mental health and can successfully transfer in 15 credits of core coursework. Typically, this coursework includes; Human Diversity, Lifespan Development, Research Design, Relationship & Interview, and an elective course but transfer of credits will be considered for other coursework up to a total of 15 credits. Syllabi must be submitted to be reviewed by the Program Director or the instructor of record.

PDC in MFT students can choose to attend this program full time for one year or half time for two years. A sample individualized educational plan (IEP) for a full time PDC in MFT student is below.

Year	Fall term	Spring term	Summer term
1	Clinical Risk Management (1	Research Design (3)	Family Assessment (3)
1	Human Diversity (3)	Psychopathology I (3)	Psychopathology II (3)
1	Lifespan Development (3)	Relationship & Interview (3)
1	MFT Ethics (3)	Advanced Family Therapy (3)
1	Family Intervention (3)	Human Sexuality (elective) (3)
2	Sp Int in Family Therapy (3)	Sp Int in Couple Therapy (3)	Adult Development (3)
2	Research Seminar in MFT (1)
2	MFT Practicum I (3)	MFT Practicum III (3)	MFT Practicum III (2)
Year 2 Total	(14) semester, 14 total	(12) semester, 26 total	(11) semester, 37 total

Courses with a line through the title are the courses that incoming PDC in MFT students typically transfer in.

 

A sample individualized educational plan (IEP) for a half time PDC in MFT student is below.

Year	Fall term	Spring term	Summer term
1	Clinical Risk Management (1)	Research Design (3)	Family Assessment (3)
1	Human Diversity (3)	Psychopathology I (3)	Psychopathology II (3)
1	MFT Ethics (3)	Advanced Family Therapy (3)
1	MFT Ethics (3)	Relationship & Interview (3)
1	Family Intervention (3)	MFT Practicum I (2)	MFT Practicum II (1)
1	MFT Prepracticum (0)
Year 1 Total	(7) semester, 7 Total	(8) semester, 15 total	(7) semester, 22 total
2	Sp Int in Family Therapy (3)	Sp Int in Couple Therapy (3)	Adult Development (3)
2	Research Seminar in MFT (1)
2	Lifespan Development (3)	Human Sexuality (elective) (3)
2
2	MFT Practicum II (3)	MFT Practicum III (3)	MFT Practicum IV (1)
Year 2 Total	(6) semester, 28 total	(5) semester, 33 total	(4) semester, 37 total

Practicum in the half time PDC program is also half time. A full time practicum constitutes 15-24 hours/week while a half time practicum is 8-12 hours/week.

Post-Graduate Degree Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy

The Post-Graduate Degree Certificate (PDC) in Marriage and Family Therapy at Forest Institute is a program separate from the Master’s or Doctoral degree programs. As such, it follows application procedures as detailed by the COAMFTE. Although many of its students may also be enrolled as doctoral students in clinical psychology, this is not a requirement. Applicants must apply separately for admission into the Post-Graduate Degree Certificate Program in MFT and complete all the requirements for inclusion therein.

Furthermore, because this is a post-graduate degree certificate, all applicants must have successfully completed a graduate degree in a mental health related field from a regionally accredited institution prior to matriculation. Up to 15 credits can be transferred into the PDC program. Upon completion of this program, students are awarded a certificate indicating they have met the requirements of the Standard Curriculum as defined by the COAMFTE, as well as the requisite client contact hours and approved supervision (see the MFT Handbook for more information).

Students in the post-graduate degree certificate program must meet all requirements of the Standard Curriculum in order to earn the PDC in MFT. The number of required courses will depend upon their previous graduate education, but is typically 37 credit hours including practicum. Any past coursework will be compared to similar courses offered at Forest Institute during an initial transcript review.

Completion of this certificate puts the student in a position to seek licensure as a marriage and family therapist. Dependent on the transfer of graduate credit, students can complete this certificate in as little as one full year.


See requirements for the Postgraduate Certificate in MFT or apply for the program now.


Learn more about the MFT program through the MFT Procedures and Forms Handbook or through one of the following websites:

The mission, goals, objectives, and expected student outcomes reflect the following professional influences:

1. Professional Marriage and Family Therapy Standards and Educational Guidelines;
2. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Core Competencies© (see Appendix A);
3. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Code of Ethics;
4. Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) Guidelines; and
5. the Missouri State Committee of Marital and Family Therapists.

The knowledge and skills needed for practice are developed in a specific set of courses consistent with the accreditation requirements of the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the Marriage and Family Therapy Core Competencies©. Completion of a thesis (for MA students only) and field placement experience through the Robert J. Murney Clinic (Murney Clinic) at Forest Institute and external sites is an important aspect of training in this specialization.