MA in Marital & Family Therapy, San Diego

The Master of Arts in Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) program offered on Alliant's San Diego Campus provides training for a career as a professional marriage and family therapist. Students are trained to treat relational mental health issues with individuals, couples and families from a systemic perspective. Skills are developed in the mental health assessment, diagnosis and treatment of individuals and relationship systems.

The program provides an integrative approach to the major systemic theories and interventions. It fulfills all academic requirements for application to the State of California’s examination for a marriage and family therapist license (Section 4980.40 and 4980.41 of Business and Professions Code). Licensed marriage and family therapists work in a variety of settings including hospitals, clinics, social service agencies, churches, educational institutions and private practice.

Concentrations Offered

The MFT master’s program offers concentrations in chemical dependency, gerontology, biofeedback, and Latin American Family Therapy.  Each of these concentrations requires additional coursework.

All requirements for the master’s in Marital and Family Therapy at Alliant are also a part of the PsyD in MFT program.  Students who complete the master’s in MFT and apply in a timely manner and are accepted into the doctoral program may apply all MFT master’s requirements toward the completion of the MFT doctoral program.

Students in the MFT program have the opportunity to complete any or all of the thrst three semesters of the program in Mexico City through the MFT Mexico City Satellite program, which includes a summer semester of Spanish Language and Cultural Immersion in Mexico City. Students may also elect to earn a Certificate in Latin American Family Therapy.

Faculty for the MFT Program

The MFT graduate programs at Alliant are taught by a dedicated, caring, highly skilled faculty including leading couple therapist Susan Johnson and family chemical dependency expert Ann Lawson. Several of the texts used in classes have been written by program faculty.

Real World Training

To prepare students for the clinical practicum experience, the program provides intensive theoretical and practical skill based training. The program places students in several community based practicum and internship sites where students get real world training experiences with a diverse clientele. Students are supervised by supervisors who have had specific training in MFT supervision and meet rigorous supervision standards. The MFT programs at Alliant attracts students from around the world and are dedicated to training students to work with diverse populations.

Marriage and family therapy is recognized by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) as a core mental heath discipline and is one of the fastest growing disciplines in the field of mental health. Marriage and family therapists work in a variety of settings including hospitals, clinics, social service agencies, churches, educational institutions and private practice.

Mission Statement

The mission of the MFT Program is to prepare graduate students who are skilled in the theory, research, and clinical practice of the field of Marriage and Family Therapy and can integrate individual and systemic therapeutic models in an international, multicultural environment.

Diversity

The MFT programs are firmly committed to diversity. Approximately 30 to 40 percent of the students in the MFT programs are ethnic minorities. The MFT programs usually have students from most areas of the world including Africa, North, Central, and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The programs have also had students with both sight and hearing impairments. The MFT programs contain faculty and supervisors from a variety racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds including Asian, European, Middle Eastern and Latin American.

History

The MFT programs have been in continuous existence since 1973, and have had many of the leading pioneers of the field teach in them including Virginia Satir, Carl Whitaker, James Framo, Ivan Bosormenyi-Nagy, Norman Paul, Edwin Friedman, Maurizio Andolfi, Susan Johnson and Jay Haley.

Alumni

The MFT program at CSPP has graduated thousands of students. Alumni from the MFT program can be found in most areas of the world working in clinics, treatment centers, private practice, hospitals, and teaching in academic institutions.

For More on the MA in Marriage & Family Therapy San Diego

Please click the links above for a description of the coursework, faculty and emphasis areas for the MA in Marriage & Family Therapy in San Diego.