Students entering the master in marriage and family therapy program beginning Fall 2011 will be the first class to complete a 60-credit hour curriculum for a M.A. in marriage and family therapy, which is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). As a 60-credit program, the M.A. in marriage and family therapy meets or exceeds the minimum credit hour requirement prescribed by state licensing boards across the country. Students must consult the licensing board in the state in which they intend to practice to determine specific course requirements. This program is designed to meet the academic requirements for clinical membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
The Department of Marriage and Family Therapy provides academic and clinical training in marriage and family therapy. Both the M.A. and Ph.D. programs focus on the family as a system and the cultural and societal frameworks within which couples and families grow and develop. The Department’s emphasis is on training student therapists and scholars to challenge themselves through fostering relationships with others who hold various and diverse worldviews. By working towards the creation of an environment of respect, honesty, and integrity, the programs serve to increase cultural sensitivity, heighten students’ awareness of self in relation to others, and generate an understanding of the role played by context in issues presented in therapy.
Marriage and family therapy (MFT) students gain hands-on experience in the Couple and Family Therapy Center. The in-house clinic is located at 1045 James Street in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy. Established in 1989, it serves as a teaching and research center for MFT master and doctoral students. Students utilize the center to gain clinical experience. Individual, group, couples and family therapy is offered to members of the Syracuse community under the supervision of the clinical faculty who operate from a family systems perspective. The Center is equipped for live and videotaped supervision.