Program Description and Overview

The USD Marriage and Family Therapy Program’s mission is to help lead the transformation of family therapy by creating, educating, and actively supporting a community of future professionals who embody the philosophy and practice of a biopsychosocial, systems approach to family-oriented mental health care.

The Master of Arts in Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) is a non-thesis degree program requiring 54 units of coursework, 6 units in continuing education and successful completion of a comprehensive written examination. As part of the program, students complete a 12-month clinical practicum where they accumulate 500 direct client contact hours of which at least 250 hours are with couples and families. Students also receive over 200 hours of supervision from both faculty and practicum site supervisors. The MFT program at USD meets the guidelines for family therapy training set forth by the Board of Behavioral Sciences, which regulates licensure of marriage and family therapists in California. Additional requirements beyond the master's degree must be completed to obtain the license, primarily post-degree supervised clinical experience. The USD MFT Program has also been ACCREDITED by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. The Commission on Accreditation is the standard setting organization for family therapy designated by the Department of Education. USD is one of only four-degree granting programs in California recognized by the Commission.

For full-time students starting in the fall semester, the degree can be completed in two full academic years. For students starting in the spring semester, the degree requires a minimum of two and a half years to complete since practicum placements begin only in the summer and fall. The schedule of coursework may vary each semester, but most courses are offered at least twice a year. Students choose coursework for each semester with the help of their advisors. Students must complete the program within five years. The majority of students are full-time although some part-time students are in the program. Part-time students are required to take 6 units/semester and usually work in a related mental health profession. Students have experience in a variety of backgrounds such as education, psychology, business, nursing, social work, the military, and pastoral and religious settings. Although a sizable number of students within the program come from California, a growing number of students come from other states within the U.S. and from other countries.

Among the four full-time faculty, one faculty member is Latina, while the other three are White. The full-time faculty is evenly split on gender, and represents diverse religious backgrounds. Among the adjunct faculty and community supervisors, one is Latino, while the others are White. Like the full-time faculty, the adjunct faculty and community supervisors are evenly split among male and female instructors, and come from diverse religious backgrounds. For the 2009-2010 academic year, 28% of the 56 students in the program come from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds (12 Hispanic/Latino/Mexican, 2 Asian, 1 American Indian). Students in the program are predominantly female (52 female, 4 male). Although the majority of students in the program are Catholic, a large percentage of students come from various Christian and non-Christian backgrounds.

Clinical Emphasis in the MFT Program

The program emphasizes teaching students the clinical skills they need to be proficient marriage and family therapists. The program believes that all competent clinicians need to be able to utilize a biopsychosocial perspective. This perspective conceptualizes problems as the result of the complex interaction of biological, psychological, and social variables. Our students are taught the importance of considering possible biological factors in the etiology of presenting concerns and how to collaborate with the multiple professionals who come in contact with their clients. Further, the biopsychosocial perspective emphasizes the importance of social systems as important contexts for consideration during assessment and treatment. Although primary emphasis is put on the family as the key social system, the program also considers the role that larger social systems have on individual and family functioning. Students are taught to consider, for example, the role of extended family, legal, medical and school systems. A course on gender issues examines how gender socialization impacts individuals, couples, families, and the therapeutic process. Issues of diversity, such as ethnicity and race, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation are also emphasized in the program.

The School of Leadership and Education Sciences

The MFT Program is located in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES), which also offers programs in Learning & Teaching, School Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Leadership Studies and Non-Profit Management. SOLES is large enough to provide significant educational resources, yet small enough for faculty to provide valuable personal attention to each student. In the August of 2007 we moved in to the new home of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, which features 15 classrooms, a 200-seat auditorium, below-ground parking, a cafe, a 60-seat executive training classroom, a statistics lab, observation rooms for clinical work and supervision, an inner courtyard, a large methods classroom with video conferencing capabilities, a 2,000 square foot "Reading Room", and a two story entrance of approximately 1,600 square feet that can accommodate guest speakers and community events.

MFT COURSE REQUIREMENTS

PREREQUISITE COURSES:

1. Human Development
2. Counseling Theories or Theories of Personality
3. Research Methods

NOTE: Students who have not had these courses in their undergraduate studies can complete these requirements by taking a course.

REQUIRED COURSES:

NOTE: Student must complete 27 units of required coursework before beginning Practicum. Practicum begins only in the summer and fall semesters.

REQUIRED CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE) COURSES:

ELECTIVES
(Take 1 of the following 3 courses):

MFTS 572		Gender Issues in Family Therapy (1 unit)
MFTS 576		Self of the Therapist (1 unit)
MFTS 573		Group Therapy (2 units)