Marriage and Family Therapy (MS)

Marston/Watson Halls
206-281-2839
gradadmissions@spu.edu
spu.edu/mft

Faculty, students, and staff in the School of Psychology, Family, and Community strive to become a community of learners:

• Guided by faith. Exploring the implications of vital expressions of Christian faith for the human condition, as well as for emotional and relational healing and health.
• Rooted in academic discipline. Fostering rigorous and creative learning environments, as well as contributing primary scholarship to the scientific study of psychological and social processes.
• Committed to service. Grounding our learning community in the theory, research, and application of our disciplines in order to produce skilled graduates who can serve with character and competence in a broken world; nurturing creative partnerships with our local community and beyond in order to serve in and learn from socially and culturally diverse settings.

MISSION STATEMENT AND STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Seattle Pacific University's (SPU) mission states that is a Christian university fully committed to engaging the culture and changing the world by graduating people of competence and character, becoming people of wisdom, and modeling a grace-filled community.

SPU's Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) Department's mission is to provide high quality education so our students graduate with competence in systemically informed MFT skills and character through ethically responsible relational care to diverse communities of families and clinical populations.

Since the U.S. federal government has designated Marriage and Family Therapy as a core mental health profession along with psychiatry, psychology, social work, and psychiatric nursing, our MFT students will identify as mental health professionals trained in psychotherapy and family systems to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders within the context of marriage, couples, and family systems.

Graduates of the Masters of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy (MS) program are prepared to demonstrate the following Student Learning Outcomes:

• Application of family systems theoretical models and clinical interventions to therapeutic work with diverse populations of individuals, couples, groups, and families.
• Examination of personal and professional values that are integrated into an ethical practice of psychotherapy.
• Awareness of sociocultural factors and professional trends that influence the practice of psychotherapy.

Students are assessed for competencies related to each of these student learning outcomes, based on the Professional Marriage and Family Therapy Principles as regulated by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.

PROGRAM DISTINCTIVES

A strong self-of-the-therapist orientation undergirds the MFT program as well as the ORCA stance, a theological and multiculturally-valuing exploration of persons through open, respectful, curious, and accountable social interactions. The MFT program trains within a faithfully Christian context that respects a diversity of spiritual explorations. Our faculty and staff hold a Christian faith commitment; students are free to share any religious perspective or none at all.

The MFT degree prepares individuals for supervised service in clinical and agency mental health organizations, educational settings, and private psychotherapy. Other professional opportunities include educator, consultant, mediator, administrator, and medical family therapist.

Program Curriculum

MFT courses are sequenced developmentally using a cohort training model. The degree can be completed in either a two-year (full-time) or three-year (part-time) sequence. In exceptional circumstances students may have up to four years to complete degree requirements. To maintain active status in the program, students are expected to complete 24 credit hours per year. Exceptions are to be approved by the chair of the Marriage and Family Therapy program.

Courses are generally held during mid-afternoon and evening hours, Monday through Thursday, for 10 weeks. A typical full-time schedule is as follows:

• First Year: Monday and Wednesday, 1:30-8:30 p.m.
• Second Year: Tuesday and Thursday, 1:30-8:30 p.m.

Full-time employment is discouraged for those who intend to pursue the two-year program. Full-time employment may be possible for those pursuing the three-year program, but part-time employment is preferable.

The program provides a seven-quarter practicum sequence that focuses on the development of the therapist and provides fundamental and comprehensive clinical training. This includes the following:

• Supervised Internship at an approved site (500 hours of face-to-face client contact, of which at least 250 hours must be couples or family therapy).
• On-campus small-group supervision and individual/group supervision at an Internship placement site. 100 total hours of supervision is required, which will include at least 50 hours of live, video, or audio supervision.
• A Clinical Portfolio, presented in the seventh quarter. This is an in-depth application of a theory to clinical practice and the integration of the therapist with his or her clinical work. Supervisors and clinical practicum supervision group members attend the final presentation.

Marriage and Family Therapy program graduates work with individuals, couples, families, and groups. You will become skilled in providing professional therapeutic techniques in the treatment of family and individual issues based on a systems/relational understanding of people's lives.

Accreditation

In addition to regional accreditation by the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities, the MFT program at Seattle Pacific University holds national accreditation through the Commission of Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), the accrediting agency for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy training programs. AAMFT is the national professional organization dedicated to the practice of marriage and family therapy.

Graduates with post-master's degree experience are eligible to apply for licensure through Washington state's Department of Health. 500 hours of clinical practice and 100 hours of supervision may be applied toward Washington state MFT licensure if an applicant graduates from the SPU MFT program. Licensure in other states often follows COAMFTE curriculum and supervision requirements.

GENERAL ADMISSIONS INFORMATION

The program begins in Autumn Quarter and admits students once a year. The application deadline is January 1.

Listed below is a brief outline of University and program requirements for admission to MFT students. For more detailed information on admission, and to apply online, visit The Graduate Center. You can also email gradadmissions@spu.edu, or call 206-281-2091 or 800-601-0603 with additional questions.

• Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in any field. Candidates will have a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in the last 45 quarter credits (30 semester credits) of coursework completed before applying for admission, or in all undergraduate work, whichever is higher.

• A minimum of 18 semester credits or 24 quarter credits in the social and behavioral sciences, including a course in applied statistics and a course in individual life-span development, must be completed at a regionally accredited institution prior to full admission to the program. If you have not already taken sufficient courses in this area, you are encouraged to take courses from the following areas: theories of personality, theories of counseling, abnormal psychology, and developmental psychology or family studies. You may elect to take the psychology subject test of the GRE. Those who earn a score of 500 or higher may waive any unfinished prerequisite coursework, with the exception of the statistics and individual life span development courses.

• A minimum score of 950 (only verbal and quantitative) for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken prior to 08/11/11 (or 293 combined verbal and quantitative on the revised test) or 388 scaled score (35 raw score) for the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is required. The test must have been administered within five years of the deadline date for application to the program. Further information on these tests can be obtained by calling the numbers listed below:
  
  Graduate Record Exam
  800-GRE-CALL or 800-473-2255
  gre.org
  
  Miller Analogies Test
  800-622-3231
  milleranalogies.com
  
  UW Testing Center (for local applicants)
  206-543-1170
  
  Applicants who have earned a master's degree from a regionally accredited institution can submit an official transcript, which includes the master's degree, and the GRE/MAT will be waived.

Note: Candidates with significant qualifications and exceptional recommendations who fail to meet the GPA or GRE/MAT preferred minimum scores may still be considered for admission to the MFT program, as the program admits all students on a probationary status (see "Admission Procedures").

• Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation: (1) At least one from a person professionally qualified to recommend for a field of this nature (e.g., mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, pastoral counselor, psychologist); (2) at least one from a person qualified to evaluate academic ability (e.g., educator); and (3) a third personal recommendation that may include a reference from an employer and/or supervisor from a volunteer experience.

Recommendation forms are included in the online application. Recommendations must be submitted on the forms provided. Forms should be sent to the applicant in sealed and signed envelopes to be included with the application package.

• Applicants will submit a typed personal statement. Please present a succinct statement that provides an accurate indication of writing and grammatical skills. Generally, statements should be three to four pages in length.

The personal statement should address (1) your career objectives; (2) rationale for seeking the degree and choosing to attend Seattle Pacific University; (3) your personal interest in marriage and family therapy; (4) professional and personal strengths as they apply to the mental health profession; (5) your related volunteer or work experiences; (6) the way in which your personal and professional life experiences have converged to motivate application to the MFT program; and (7) other insights as deemed appropriate by you.

• Those for whom English is not their first language must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and present a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 80 on the computer-based test.

• Those who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents must provide an official confidential statement of financial support covering each year of intended enrollment.

• Those interested in the Medical Family Therapy Certificate will need to apply seperately for this program. This program admits students once a year and begins Autumn Quarter. Applications are due by July 1.

Admissions Procedures

The Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate Admissions Committee will complete an initial applicant screening process based upon the online application materials only. Finalists are invited to meet with members of the committee for an all-day group interview process at the end of March or the beginning of April. It is highly recommended that applicants participate in the group interview process. Telephone interviews are also permissible, but only in exceptional circumstances.

Admission to the graduate program depends upon recommendation by the MFT faculty and approval from the chair of the Marriage and Family Therapy program. The entire process is usually completed within 12 weeks of the final deadline date for applications.

All students are admitted on a probational status in order to allow faculty to be certain they are fully prepared for placement in an Internship site. Full admission is required for placement in an Internship site to occur.

To be considered for full admission, you must complete a minimum of 11 units in the MFT program, with a average GPA of 3.0 or better in all courses, and must be recommended for continuance by MFT faculty.

Transfer of Credit

If you wish to apply master’s degree level coursework completed at a regionally accredited institution prior to application, you must provide applicable transcripts and/or syllabi. Each course must be at least 3 graduate quarter credits and be equivalent to courses taught in the MFT program at Seattle Pacific University. A minimum grade of B will be needed for transferred work, and a maximum of 9 quarter credits may be transferred.

DUAL DEGREE PROGRAM: MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY AND THEOLOGY

Some students wish to bring skills and knowledge from both mental health disciplines and Christian theological understanding into their work. There is also an increasing demand for church and parachurch ministries to require both clinical licensure and denominational ordination. To meet these needs, faculty members in the MFT program have partnered with the School of Theology to offer two dual degrees:

• MS/MFT and MA in Theology: For students wishing to complete basic theological education alongside a MS in Marriage and Family Therapy, a Christian Studies track within the Masters in Theology degree can be completed alongside the MS in MFT in a three-year sequence.

• MS/MFT and MDiv: For students wishing to complete education often required for church ordination as well as clinical licensure, the Masters of Divinity degree can be completed alongside the MS in Marriage and Family Therapy degree in a four-year sequence.

Both dual degrees prepare students to serve in church positions that incorporate roles of pastor and therapist, such as a pastor for family ministries, an inner-city missionary to homeless families, or a therapist within a church counseling center.

Applicants of the dual degree program will need to apply (via the The Graduate Center) to the School of Psychology, Family, and Community for admission to the Marriage and Family Therapy program as well as to Seattle Pacific Seminary. Acceptance in one program does not guarantee acceptance in the other. Once applicants are admitted to both programs, they will receive a specialized program plan to follow for the duration of their enrollment at SPU.

MEDICAL FAMILY THERAPY CERTIFICATE

The medical field is developing integrated health care teams in medical settings to address the physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational needs of patients. Seattle Pacific University's Medical Family Therapy (MDFT) certificate program is opening doors in this emerging field, training professionals who can effectively support individuals and families as they face and navigate illness and its implications.

Program Overview

SPU's Medical Family Therapy Certificate program is the only training program on the West Coast geared to training biomedical, psychosocial, and spiritual providers to work in medical settings as a part of an integrated health care team.

With its commitment to excellence, service and Christian faith, SPU's School of Psychology, Family, and Community stands ready to offer a bio-psychosocial model of specialized training in collaborative medicine. In addition, this training will influence the role of spirituality and faith practices in healing and health.

Coursework

Students have two options in obtaining the Medical Family Therapy Certificate:

• Graduate students who are already enrolled in the Marriage and Family Therapy program at SPU may add 14 additional credits focused on medical family therapy to receive the certificate.

The Certificate in Medical Family Therapy can be earned during or after completion of the MFT program.

• Professionals who have a degree in marital and family therapy will need to complete all core MDFT courses (16 credits) to receive the certificate.

If you have received graduate training in social work, behavioral science, theology, nursing, or medicine, review your prior classes. Depending upon past coursework, additional credits may be needed. For most students, the certificate can be completed over a two-year period.

 

Professionals looking to keep up-to-date with the latest information on specialized topics in medical family therapy may register to take MDFT classes as seminars for CEU credits.

Internship

In the late summer or early fall after all coursework is complete, students are placed in a yearlong Internship for 10 hours a week in an outpatient medical clinic. Students will have a chance to discuss internship placement possibilities prior to placement.

Clinic specialties range from family medicine, oncology, rheumatology, women's health, and other specialty medicine sites. Students work alongside physicians, nurses, and staff providing on-site psychosocial care. They are actively involved in charting, consulting with medical teams, program development, and clinical treatment.

Clinic schedule will be determined in consideration of clinic need, space restrictions, and student availability. During the internship year students will also be enrolled in the practicum supervision course.

General Admissions Information

The program begins in Autumn Quarter and admits students once a year. The application deadline is July 1.

For more detailed information on admission, and to apply online, visit The Graduate Center. You can also email gradadmissions@spu.edu, or call 206-281-2091 or 800-601-0603 with additional questions.

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