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Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy

(MA degree)

Approved by the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists

Purpose

The Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy program is designed for men and women who desire graduate study and preparation for marriage and family therapy. We recognize the clinical training and expertise required for working with individuals, groups, and the broader community. It is therefore intended that the program leading to the Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy degree will assist students in the process of developing such expertise for effective practice in marriage and family therapy.

Program Objectives

Educational Objectives

To enable students to:

• Understand people as having physiological, psychological, relational, and spiritual needs
• Know and articulate the core dynamics of marital and family systems in concert with sound theological principles
• Recognize human beings as functioning within a larger social ecology
• Develop competency in the application of the various systemic and traditional psychotherapeutic treatment approaches in order to be able to effectively work with individuals, couples, and families
• Be aware of and be able to use the various counseling approaches to marital and family systems therapy in a manner that is commensurate with master's-level training, while at the same time to have begun the development of one's own clinical home base and style

Professional Objectives

To enable students to:

• Begin the development of a professional identity as a marriage and family therapist
• Work knowledgeably and with facility in a variety of clinical settings, e.g., private, institutional, community, ecclesiastical, ethnic, and culturally and socioeconomically diverse
• Be prepared for becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and/or the American Counseling Association's (ACA) Specialization in Marriage and Family Counseling, as well as preparation for becoming a licensed professional counselor (LPC)

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. In addition, applicants must complete the following to be considered for admission to the program:

• Graduate Department of Counseling application form and application fee
• One official transcript from all colleges or universities attended
• Two references (forms provided in the application materials)

Transfer Credit

Transfer of up to 22 hours credit is allowed toward the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program from accredited graduate schools (transfer credit is not allowed toward internship requirements). Students must have earned a grade of B or better for a course to be considered for transfer. In addition, only courses taken elsewhere within 10 years of the date of matriculation to the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program will be considered for transfer. Transferability of credits earned at this institution and transferred to another is at the discretion of the receiving institution. Consult the registrar's office for information on eligibility of transfer credit.

Residence Requirements

Of the 68 hours required for the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program, a minimum of 46 hours must be taken in resident study at George Fox University. All work leading to the MA must be completed within seven years from the time of matriculation. Extension of this limit requires approval of the Graduate Department of Counseling (GDC) Faculty. However, only one such extension may be considered due to special circumstances, such as ill health. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the degree.

Course Requirements

The MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program is generally 2-4 years in length with 68 semester hours of course work required as a minimum for graduation. Of those hours, 9 are in prescribed spiritual integration courses, 30 in prescribed counseling courses, 23 in the area of specialization, and 6 in clinical internship credits.

Other Degree Requirements

Each student must complete 20 hours of personal counseling/therapy as part of the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program. Additionally, an ongoing review process serves as a way to assess the student's fit for the program; fit for the profession; emotional, psychological, and intellectual ability; as well as maturity level for functioning safely as a mental health professional. GDC faculty will review students each fall and spring semester. During spring term prior to internship, counseling students must pass a national exam before they can start their internship; the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE). Only students who pass the national exam may start their internship after having completed all prerequisites. For more specific information, please refer to the student handbook.

Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate with the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy degree students must:

• Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 68 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
• Achieve no grade lower than a B in all core courses. If a grade of a B- or lower is received in a designated course, that course must be retaken (for more specific information, please refer to the student handbook).
• Complete a minimum of 20 one-hour sessions of therapy from a family systems perspective with a licensed marriage and family therapist.
• Complete a 700-hour supervised clinical internship in marriage and family therapy that meets the currently articulated criteria for such training, with at least 270 hours of direct client contact (135 hours required with couples and families; 135 with individuals, couples, or families).
• Successfully complete the graduate clinical project (reading fees are assessed during the final semester of clinical internship), in which the student articulates his/her current understanding of marriage and family therapy and applies the same through an analysis of his/her counseling practice, an evaluation of his/her strengths, and a three-year professional development plan.

Curriculum Plan

Notes:

• Students are expected to follow the sequence MMFT 592, MMFT 593 beginning with the fall semester of the final year. Students who begin their internship in the summer will register for MMFT 591 for an additional 2 hours, but will still need to register and attend fall and spring internship.
• Students should always check with the Graduate Department of Counseling prior to signing up for COUN 585 to assure that all prerequisites have been met.
• All course work, including courses with a COUN prefix, for this master's program are taught from a systems perspective, to meet LMFT licensure requirements. COUN 540 Professional Orientation focuses on the AAMFT Code of Ethics.

Counseling Course Descriptions