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Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate Programs

Offered through the Department of Educational Leadership and Community Psychology
in the College of Education
A232 Education Building
Phone: 320.308.2160
Fax: 320.308.3216
Web site: www.stcloudstate.edu/elcp

Department Chairperson: Dr. Niloufer Merchant
Department Secretary: Ms. Sandra Radzak

Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Manijeh Daneshpour
Graduate Certificate Coordinator: Dr. Manijeh Daneshpour
Graduate Faculty: Manijeh Daneshpour, Ph.D., 1996 University of Minnesota– Twin Cities; Mick Mayhew, Ph.D., 1997 Iowa State University; and Jennifer Connor, Ph.D., 2005 University of Minnesota – Twin Cities

Program Description

Marriage and Family Therapy views and treats individuals seeking psychotherapeutic assistance at existing within a complex set of relationships. The Master of Science program in Marriage and Family Therapy provides academic and experiential training needed to prepare students for Marriage and Family Therapy licensure. To be admitted to the Marriage and Family Therapy focus the applicant must successfully complete a personal interview process with faculty. Careful attention will be given to previous work experience, academic background, scholarship, interpersonal skills and commitment to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy.

Mission

The marriage and family therapy (MFT) program’s mission is to foster highly qualified professionals at the Master’s level, who possess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to improve the quality of well-being, for individuals, families, and wider social systems within their diverse and multicultural setting. Clinical training gives balanced attention to the range of physical/organic, interpersonal, relational, and cultural/contextual factors that can cause or exacerbate the issues presented for treatment by providing multiple points of intervention designed to positively impact the client’s contextual environment.

Goals

The primary goal of the Marriage and Family Therapy program is to train competent therapists to do therapy with a wide range of mental health problems. Therapists are trained to help with concerns about marriage, children, adolescents, mental illness, depression, sexual issues, divorce, family, school, health, and emotional difficulties.

COAMFTE Accreditation

The Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) is the national program accrediting body for the MFT field and is under the oversight of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Program accreditation brings national recognition and opportunities to a program, the faculty, and the students. A primary value to graduates of a COAMFTE accredited program is increased portability of education and experience across state lines in terms of practice opportunity and licensure.

The SCSU MFT program achieved Candidacy status accreditation from COAMFTE in December 2007. As of January of 2008, all graduates of the program are considered graduates of a COAMFTE candidacy program, and may receive all the rights and privileges of COAMFTE accreditation, e.g. portability of education for licensure in all states with MFT licensure.

Program accreditation is a nationally awarded status to a program. Currently, only one other institution in the state of Minnesota holds COAMFTE accreditation at the master's level (the Doctoral MFT program in University of Minnesota).

Employers

Graduates find employment as marriage and family therapists and work for varieties of agencies. Crisis clinics, correctional settings, schools and public and private mental health facilities also employ MFT graduates.

Admission deadline specific to the program

Fall semester, spring semester & summer sessions: March 1

Criteria for Admission

Applicants who meet the following standards may be admitted to the M.S. Program in Marriage and Family Therapy.

1. A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
2. A cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.oo or higher, on a 4.00 scale in most recent degree program completed.'
3. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) of 480 or higher for verbal and 520 or higher for quantitative.

Application Procedure

Applicants must submit the following for consideration for admission to the M.S. Program in Marriage and Family Therapy:

1. The application materials required by the Graduate Studies Office.
2. Provide 3 letters of recommendation.
3. A current resume listing educational background, professional experience and volunteer and community involvements.
4. A personal statement addressing the following:        
   • A brief description of the applicant’s background, training and experience.
   • A statement of short- and long-term professional goals.
   • A statement of purpose regarding the interest in your degree program.
   • Identify areas of strength and challenges in pursuing this degree.

Careful attention will be given to previous work experience, academic background, scholarship, interpersonal skill, and commitment to the field of marriage and family therapy.

Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy

Plan A, 58 credits; Plan B, 52 credits

Thesis versus non-thesis option
(Plan A versus Plan B)

Before completing “Proposed Program of Graduate Study” blue forms for candidacy (see next section), students need to decide whether to follow Plan A or Plan B, thesis or non-thesis option, respectively. For those planning to pursue a doctorate degree at some time, conducting research and/or publishing a work should strongly be considered.  Research can be done with either Plan A or Plan B. Students who are planning to write a thesis should carefully read the Graduate Bulletin, “Field Studies, Thesis, Creative Works, and Starred Papers”. Note that the book “A Manual for the Preparation of Field Studies, Theses, Creative Works, or Starred Paper(s)”  should be purchased from the Husky Bookstore or downloaded from the School of Graduate Studies Web site.

I. Research: Min., Plan A, 12 Cr., or Plan B, 6 Cr.

Plan A:

• MFT 675 Research Methods, 3 Cr.( Pre-requisites: CEEP 678)
• CEEP 678 Introduction to Graduate Statistics, 3 Cr.
• MFT 699 Thesis, 6 Cr.

Plan B:

• CEEP 678 Introduction to Graduate Statistics, 3 Cr.
• MFT 675 Research Methods, 3 Cr. (Pre-requisites: CEEP 678)

II. Major: Min., Plan A or B, 46 Cr.

• MFT 619 Professional Orientation and Ethics, 3 Cr.
• MFT 620 Family Systems, 3 Cr.
• MFT 621 Family Conceptual Framework, 3 Cr.
• MFT 624 Family Assessment, 3 Cr.
• MFT 658 Family and Culture, 3 Cr. (Pre or Co-requisite MFT 621, 671)
• MFT 659 Psychodiagnosis, Assessment and Treatment Planning, 3. Cr.
• MFT 668 Professional Skills and Procedures, 3 Cr.
• MFT 669 Clinical Practicum. 4 Cr. (Pre-requisites: MFT 621; Pre or Co-requisite MFT 619, 659, 668, & 671)
• MFT 671 Theories of Marriage and Family Therapy, 3 Cr. (Pre-requisite MFT 621)
• MFT 672 Couple and Family Therapy: Advance Theory and Practice, 3 Cr. (Pre-requisites: MFT 621, 671)
• MFT 696 Supervised Internship, Min. 6 Cr. (600 hours) (Pre-requisites: MFT 619, 620, 621, 624, 659 & 671)
• MFT 530 Seminar: Clinical Issues in Marriage and Family Therapy, 3 Cr.
• MFT 530 Seminar: Individual and Family Development, 3 Cr.
• MFT 530 Seminar: Child Development and Treatment, 3 Cr.

Other courses or changes may be substituted with consent of adviser.

Post degree requirements

Full-licensure: An additional 1000 post-degree supervised clinical contact hours in a clinical setting is required to complete the requirements for Marriage and Family licensure in the state of Minnesota.

Marriage and Family Therapy License Eligibility

The MTF regulatory requirements in Minnesota are among the most stringent in the US and Canada. Once graduation from the SCSU accredited graduate academic program in MFT, the therapist must pass the national MFT licensure examination. Subsequent to two years of post-degree clinical experience under state approved supervision, the licensure applicant must also pass a Minnesota state examination of practice procedures and ethical and legal issues. Application requirements are online at www.bmft.state.mn.us.