(MA degree)
Approved by the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists
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.
To enable students to:
To enable students to:
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:
Transfer of up to 26 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.
Of the 79 hours required for the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program, a minimum of 53 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.
The MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program is generally 2-4 years in length with 79 semester hours of course work required as a minimum for graduation. Of those hours, 10 are in prescribed spiritual integration courses, 39 in prescribed counseling courses, 18 in the area of specialization, 10-12 in clinical internship, and 2-4 counseling elective hours.
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.
In order to graduate with the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy degree students must:
Spiritual Integration (10 hours) |
|
| COUN 561 Spirituality and Clinical Praxis I | 3 |
| COUN 562 Spirituality and Clinical Praxis II | 3 |
| COUN 577 Images of God | 1 |
| COUN 578 Shame and Grace | 1 |
| COUN 579 Spiritual Identity | 1 |
| COUN/MMFT/SFAD Spiritual Integration elective | 1 |
Counseling Core (39 hours) |
|
| COUN 501 Principles and Techniques of Counseling I | 3 |
| COUN 502 Principles and Techniques of Counseling II | 3 |
| COUN 510 Human Growth and Development | 3 |
| COUN 520 Personality and Counseling Theories | 3 |
| COUN 530 Psychopathology and Appraisal | 3 |
| COUN 540 Professional Orientation | 3 |
| COUN 550 Group Theory and Therapy | 3 |
| COUN 560 Social and Cultural Foundations | 3 |
| COUN 570 Lifestyle and Career Development | 3 |
| COUN 581 Tests and Measurements | 3 |
| COUN 582 Research and Evaluation | 3 |
| MMFT 500 Introduction to Marriage and Family Therapy | 3 |
| MMFT 597 Treatment Planning I | 1 |
| MMFT 598 Treatment Planning II | 1 |
| MMFT 599 Graduate Clinical Project | 1 |
Marriage/Family Specialization (18 hours) |
|
| MMFT 514 Advanced Marriage Therapy | 3 |
| MMFT 524 Advanced Family Therapy | 3 |
| MMFT 534 Human Sexuality | 3 |
| MMFT 554 Substance Abuse From a Systemic Perspective | 3 |
| MMFT 574 Relationship Assessment | 3 |
| MMFT 580 Play Therapy | 3 |
Clinical Internship (8-10 hours) |
|
| MMFT 591 Clinical Internship | 2 |
| MMFT 592 Clinical Internship | 4 |
| MMFT 593 Clinical Internship | 4 |
| MMFT 594 Clinical Internship | 1-2 |
Marriage/Family Electives (2-4 hours) |
Notes: