MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY PROGRAM
These are the required courses in the post-graduate curriculum; however, students may need to take additional coursework in order to fulfill the requirements of the standard curriculum designated by COAMFTE

Practica
The Marriage and Family Therapy certificate practicum program meets the guidelines established by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education for providing client contact and required supervision in clinical practice. Students are in rotation for a minimum of 12 months, during which they receive both individual and group supervision by AAMFT-approved supervisors in at least one-fifth of their direct client contact.

During this time, students will accumulate at least 500 hours of direct client contact, 250 of which must be relational (e.g. couples and families) and completed at the Forest Institute Clinic. MFT students will also participate in a minimum of one hour of group supervision during their required six-hour block time at the Forest Institute Cinic each week.

Students must receive supervision at a ratio of one hour of supervision for every five hours of client contact, or 100 hours for the 500 hours of direct client contact they accrue during the program. This supervision may be both group and individual, with groups of no more than six students at one time.

Clients are assigned by the MFT supervisor in charge. Students will see most clients at the Forest Institute Clinic, but may also work with clients at other locations. Additional practicum guidelines regarding the program are available with the Director of the Marriage and Family Therapy.

Certification Requirements
To be certified, students will:

• Complete the required program hours and courses as specified in the curriculum requirements;
• Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 for all courses attempted;
• Successfully complete 500 hours of face-to-face client contact, 250 of which is relational, and one-fifth of which is supervised by an AAMFT-approved supervisor;
• Pay for all tuition, fees, debts or other property owed to Forest, including Learning Resource Center fees; and
• Demonstrate professional attitude, decorum, and ethics commensurate with the profession of psychology.

Students are not allowed to graduate while on probation or while under any other administrative action.

Advanced Family Therapy
This course is designed to advance the student’s knowledge base in the discipline of systemic family therapy. The purpose of this course is to satisfy the instructional requirements for Area I in the MFT program by teaching relevant theory, history, and contemporary direction in marriage and family therapy. Students in this course are taught to conceptualize and distinguish between various theories that underlie marriage and therapy practice. Relating these theories of marriage and family therapy to clinical practice is an essential objective of this course. (PSY/MFT 611, 3 cr)

Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in Marriage and Family Therapy
This course focuses on the current ethical standards of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, as well as legal issues arising out of the nature of systems work. As such, it meets the standards of the AAMFT for coursework pertaining to legal and ethical issues related to the profession of marriage and family therapy, in addition to the course work required in the area by the American Psychological Association. (PSY 501, 3 cr)

Family Assessment
This course is designed to teach marriage and family therapy assessment, using both formal and informal methods of family and couple assessment. In addition to formal assessments using standardized assessment programs and plans, students are expected to learn to conduct informal assessments (e.g., Bowen’s genogram, Minuchin’s structual family mapping) that guide clinical interventions during therapy. The relationship between assessment and direct clinical intervention is a primary focus of this course, as well as the use of the interdisciplinary team, collaboration, and forming partnerships with other health professionals. (PSY/MFT 856, 3 cr)

Specific Interventions in Couple Therapy This course is designed to assist the student in acquiring specific skills in working with couples. As such, it integrates the theories of marriage and family therapy into practical application within a clinical setting. By using the various theories of family therapy intervention, students will learn to develop specific interventions for couples, apply those interventions to couple problems (communication difficulties, conflict resolution, infidelity, financial issues, sexuality, infertility and domestic violence), anticipate client reactions and conduct on-going assessment of client progress. Students will learn about the various stages of therapy--beginning, middle and termination. Students will also understand and anticipate first and second order (MFT 610, 3 cr)

Specific Interventions in Family Therapy This course is designed to assist the student in acquiring specific skills, in working with couples. As such, it integrates the theories of marriage and family therapy into practical application within a clinical setting. By using the various theories of family therapy intervention, students will learn to develop specific interventions for couples, apply those interventions to couple problems, anticipate client reactions and conduct on-going assessment of client progress. Students will learn about the various stages of therapy--beginning, middle and termination. Students will also understand and anticipate first and second order (MFT 862, 3 cr)