marriage and family therapy

The Marriage and Family Therapy Training Program at Southern Connecticut State University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. This training program meets the educational requirements necessary to proceed toward appropriate licensing by the State of Connecticut. The program offers a comprehensive training experience directed toward meeting theoretical and clinical standards expected of prospective licensed marriage and family therapists.

Students are admitted to the program from various undergraduate academic backgrounds. Applicants are expected to enter the program with a background in general psychological studies of at least nine credits. While deficits in these areas may be met on the graduate level they will add to the minimum 60 credit requirements of the basic program. In addition, preference will be given to those prospective students who offer a rich background in life and work experiences.
Within the program, the student will progress in three major areas:

1. General professional requirements include theoretical courses consistent with COAMFTE requirements, and the regulations for licensure of the State of Connecticut. These specific core courses are centered on a thorough understanding of the theory and practice of structural family therapy along with other major theories of brief marriage and family therapy practice. In addition, the program has a strong focus on the self of the therapist with assignments and attention placed on personal and professional attributes.
2. Five hundred (500) hours of clinical experience are accrued in outside clinical internship settings and in the department's marriage and family therapy clinic. Students are expected to have group and individual supervision in the ratio of one hour of supervision for every five hours of therapy. A minimum of 50 hours of the required 100 hours of supervision must be on raw data, either videotapes, audiotapes, or live supervision. The State of Connecticut regulations mandate all clinical hours to be completed in a maximum of 24 months along with the requirement that interns be in their placement for a minimum of 12 consecutive months. The department's marriage and family therapy clinic has been in operation since 1979 and treats individuals, couples, and families referred by a variety of state and private agencies.
3. A required one-year concentration in Gestalt therapy gives the student experiential, theoretical, and practical knowledge in working with individuals and groups from a present-centered active model.

Entrance requirements include applications, references, group and individual interviews, and transcripts of all previous academic work. The program begins with course work in June, September, and January of each year and requires all prospective candidates to complete the application process. The required departmental applications and reference forms may be downloaded from the program's Web site.

Graduates are eligible for associate membership in AAMFT and secure employment in various settings which include community mental health facilities, youth service agencies, and hospital outpatient clinics as well as domestic violence programs, private practice, substance abuse programs, and youth service programs. The student population contains individuals from all sections of the United States with a majority of Connecticut residents. In addition, each year there is a small number of international students.

degree

M.F.T. (Master of Family Therapy)

Visit the School of Graduate Studies site for information on graduate studies in marriage and family therapy.

Visit the Marriage and Family Therapy Program site for more information about the M.F.T. degree or the field of marriage and family therapy.