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MS in Counseling Psychology: Marriage & Family Therapy
Specialize your M.S. in Counseling Psychology degree in Marriage & Family Therapy at 国产传媒
The MFT specialization prepares you for licensure in California as a Marriage and Family Therapist or as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). Therapists are trained to apply evidence-based practices to the treatment of individuals, couples, families and groups. The focus of this track is on clinical assessment in a variety of treatment settings, as well as the planning and implementation of treatment goals for those with psychological disorders and emotional distress.
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Career outcomes
MFT and LPCCStudents are prepared in evidence-based practices and embrace the recovery model focusing on client empowerment, individual care, and hope. Mount students are sought out by clinical training sites because of our excellent reputation for developing highly qualified, caring and culturally competent clinicians.
Many of our students have obtained positions in community mental health centers, school-based programs, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, private practice settings and various other roles at cutting-edge institutions.
MFT specialization options
The Marriage and Family Therapy specialization offers students two options: MFT and MFT with ¡Enlaces! Certificate. Regardless of the option you choose, you will be well-prepared to treat individuals and families from various backgrounds or psychological disorders.
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Marriage and Family Therapy (hybrid)
Our MFT option prepares you to become an effective and well-prepared marriage and family therapist or professional clinical counselor who can work with many different groups of people. Our program will provide you with excellent training and help you develop professional relationships with future colleagues in this exciting and highly rewarding field.
MFT format
The MFT option is delivered in a hybrid format and can be completed in an evening (3-year) or daytime (2-year) schedule to allow for flexibility among our student body. Both schedules require the completion of 60 units.
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MFT with ¡Enlaces! Certificate (hybrid and online)
¡Enlaces! is a certificate program embedded into the MFT specialization – no additional units are required. Interested applicants should be conversational in Spanish and ready to take courses taught bilingually, incorporating both English and Spanish. Courses designated as ¡Enlaces! offer an opportunity for students to apply and practice professional psychological terminology in Spanish. Coursework familiarizes the student with the diversity of cultures in the Spanish-speaking community and the unique issues that these cultures bring to the Spanish-language psychological literature. ¡Enlaces! students also receive a clinical placement working with a Spanish-speaking client.
MFT ¡Enlaces! format
The ¡Enlaces! Certificate is delivered in a hybrid format and can be completed by taking evening (3-year) or daytime (2-year) courses.
NEW: The ¡Enlaces! Certificate can also now be completed fully online for even more flexibility. Courses in our new online MFT ¡Enlaces! program are held in the evening and is completed in 3 years. Online courses are synchronous and live, providing students with the opportunity to learn and interact with faculty and classmates in real-time.
I was taught to give back to your community and try to make a difference, not matter how big or small the contribution. The ¡Enlaces! program does exactly that - it inspires us to reach out to underserved populations and give back to communities who needs more therapists that reflect and understand their language and culture.
Evening course schedule and curriculum (3 years)
The evening format is designed for professionals with complex work and personal schedules. The program is completed in three years and classes, both in-person and online, are offered in the evenings, Monday through Thursday, from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Foundational classes are taken in the first year, clinical classes in the second year, and fieldwork (practicum) is performed in the third and final year.
Daytime course schedule and curriculum (2 years)
The daytime format is designed for individuals who have the time and capacity to pursue graduate study on a full-time basis during the day. The daytime format is completed in two years. Classes are offered on Monday's and Wednesday's from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Foundational classes are taken in the first year and clinical classes, and fieldwork (practicum) is performed in the second and final year. Students take classes in all three semesters of the year.
Practicum hours
During the year of fieldwork (practicum), students will apply their newly developed counseling skills by working 15-20 hours per week in a community-based training site. Practicum provides students the opportunity to work with clients and finally put into practice what they have learned from coursework. Each student can select their own practicum from a pre-determined list or suggest new sites with the guidance and approval of the clinical coordinator.
Most practicums occur during the daytime, so students may need to adapt their work schedule to accommodate their field work training during their fieldwork year.
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Approved practicum sites
Counseling Psychology - MFTAll students in the MFT specialization, regardless of option, must complete a field work traineeship in their last year. This is an opportunity to work with clients and finally put into practice what they have learned in graduate school.
The traineeship is 15-20 hours per week, and most often occurs during the daytime hours so the student must be prepared to make arrangements to be available for their final training experience. Each student has the opportunity to select their own traineeship from the list below.
View approved sitesBBS licensing procedure*
Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) candidates must complete 250 hours of direct counseling during the Practicum year. Once the student graduates from the Counseling Psychology program, the candidate registers as an MFT Intern with the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) and must complete an addition 2,750 hours of supervised practice (minimum of two years) before they can sit down for the MFT exam. Internship hours are paid and can be completed working for nonprofits, private practices, charities, and other mental health service organizations.
After two years of supervised experience and completing a 2,750 hours, the candidate must then sit for and pass two MFT exams: the LMFT California Law and Ethics Exam and the LMFT Clinical exam. These exams will exam you in various areas pertaining to the practice of MFT, including client diagnosis, treatment, and ethics.
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) candidates must complete 280 practicum hours while in the program and and additional 3,000 hours of traineeship after graduation, for a total of 3,280 hours. LPCC candidates must also take a “Career Counseling” course and pass two exams - the LPCC Law and Ethics Exam and the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE).
*Please note that licensing procedures can change. For the most up-to-date information on MFT and LPCC licensing procedures, please .
Courses and course sequences are subject to change. Please contact the program for more information.
The Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) programs meet the educational standards and have been approved by the California Board of Behavioral Science, leading to an LMFT or LPCC counselor license in California. Students who wish to practice in a state other than California may or may not have additional educational and/or non-educational requirements to complete prior to applying for licensure. Students should be aware of such varying requirements that may prohibit the attainment of licensure in various states — a criminal background, for example, may be a non-educational restriction to licensure in some states. Prior to enrollment, prospective students must review the Marriage and Family Therapy and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor professional licensure web pages to determine whether this program meets the educational requirements in a specific state. 国产传媒 would like to help applicants and current students navigate the licensure process. Contact the Psychology Department at gradpsy@msmu.edu to discuss the process of obtaining an LMFT or LPCC license in a state outside of California.