Online Marriage & Family Therapy Graduate Degree Program

The state of the family is changing as society continues to evolve in the 21st century. Marriage and family therapists are driven to understand the unique relationship dynamics existing between families and society to form holistic patient treatment plans that pay close attention to the dynamics of the family system.

The marriage and family therapy (MFT) profession has gained ground in recent years with the increased recognition and understanding of the relationship between marital and family dysfunction and serious mental and emotional disorders such as chemical dependency, substance abuse, eating disorders, disorders of childhood and adolescence and other forms of psychopathology.

Marriage and family therapy differs from other mental health professions because of its focus on the following:

• Treating couples and families and the family as a system.
• Present day problems instead of historical or intra-psychic conflicts.
• Understanding interpersonal relationships as a way of identifying and treating mental health problems.

Touro University Worldwide’s (TUW) online Marriage & Family Therapy graduate degree program helps you meet the demands of a new health care market influenced by the Health Care Reform Act, which has created a push for using health care teams when treating patients. Marriage and family therapists are valuable members of these teams and deliver holistic treatment plans that focus on family relationships and dynamics. Graduates can work in mental health agencies, government agencies or in their own private practice.

TUW’s fully online marriage and family therapy graduate degree program delivers a course of study focused on this mental health sector and prepares graduates to function in this critical discipline to foster the well-being of couples and families. The program offers multiple tracks, so you can choose the option that best fits your chosen career path.

TUW MFT Degree Options/Tracks: Overview

The program offers multiple tracks, so you can choose the option that best fits your chosen career path.

(1) M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy Clinical Track

• Minimum: 18 courses (54 credits)
• Minimum: 6 practicum courses, (18 credits)
• Total Minimum for the entire program 72 credit hours
• 500 Total Practicum Client Contact Hours

(2) M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy Non-Clinical Track 

• Minimum: 18 courses (54 credits)
• No practicum course requirement
• No clinical hour requirement

(3) M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy Licensed Professional Clinical Counseling (LPCC) Track

• Minimum: 18 courses (54 credits)
• Minimum: 4 courses of LPCC, (10 credits)
• Minimum: 6 practicum courses, (18 credits)
• Total Minimum for the entire program 82 credit hours
• 500 Total Practicum Client Contact Hours

The MFT program under the COAMFTE Standards requires students to complete the following Practicum Clinical Hours:

• Total of 500 Practicum Client Contact Hours (Student must complete a total of 500 hours for the MFT Program) and at least 100 supervision hours.

Practicum Client Contact: Out of the 500 total hours, student must complete the following hours:

• A minimum of 200 Practicum Couple and Family Hours
• A maximum of 100 alternative hours or clinical activity (e.g., couple or family groups, live cases where reflecting teams are directly involved in working with clients, etc.)
• With the remaining hours consisting of individual, couple, or family hours.

Practicum Supervision Contact: Total of 100 supervision hours with Site Supervisor and TUW Supervisor, who must be an AAMFT approved supervisor, AAMFT approved supervisor in training, OR an Equivalent.

• The majority (at least 3 hours a week) will be face to face with your site, and an additional 2 hours a week will be with TUW Supervisor.
• Total of 50 Practicum Raw Data Live/Video Hours
• Of the 50 hours of Raw Data, No more than 25 hours can consist of Audio

Tuition and Fees

TUW’s tuition is $500 per semester credit. Each eight (8) week, three (3) credit course costs $1,500.

Material Fee: Students on the Clinical track are required to pay $145 Material Fee during the Capstone course (MFT690), which will provide access to exam kit that prepares students for the CA Exam, National Exam and LPCC Exam. The exam kit is part of the capstone course only.

For detail University fees please click here (link the click here to this page: https://www.tuw.edu/admissions/tuition/

Accreditation

Touro University Worldwide is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). For more information on WSCUC, visit www.wascsenior.org or write WSCUC at 985 Atlantic Ave., Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501.

The online Marriage & Family Therapy graduate degree program at Touro University Worldwide is approved by the California Board of Behavior Sciences (BBS), and is designed so that graduates are eligible for MFT Licensure in the State of California (and most other states) without requiring any additional coursework.

Specialty Accreditation

In addition to the institutional accreditation, Touro University Worldwide has also applied for a special accreditation for the MFT program by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). Our goal is to become accredited by COAMFTE during 2019.

Disclaimer: Touro University Worldwide has applied for COAMFTE Accreditation. Our goal is to become accredited by COAMFTE during the 2019- 2020 year. All new students starting Summer 2018 -2 (Start Date: June 25, 2018) and forward are applying to the MFT program under the COAMFTE standards, and are required to complete the Program credit hours and the Practicum Clinical Hours. If TUW does not receive COAMFTE accreditation, students will be able to complete the current MFT program which is accredited by WSCUC and approved by the California BBS. Please note the COAMFTE accreditation does not change the status of the MFT program under WSCUC and BBS.

Publications and Policies

The below links are for students enrolled starting Summer 2018 – 2 session and/or those who formally opted-in to the COAMFTE aligned program. All other students may contact their academic advisor, the coordinator of practicum for practicum information, or refer to the handbook you received when you enrolled.

1. MFT Student Handbook (2018-2019)
2. Anti-Discrimination Policy
3. Codes of conduct
4. Faculty Demographics
5. Faculty Roles
6. Student/Graduate Achievement
7. Portability of Degree
8. Retention Policy
9. Student Demographics
10. Technical Training
11. Technology Requirements
12. Accreditation
13. MFT E-Packet
14. Tuition & Fees
15. Academic Calendar
16. Supervisor Roles
17. Governance
18. Degree Completion Timeline
19. Degree Completion Requirements
20. Supervisor Demographics
21. Diversity Definition

MFT Leadership Team

Darren Moore, PhD, LMFT

Director, MFT Program
Associate Professor

Kaleena Prate, MS, LMFT

Assistant Director, MFT Program
Coordinator of Practicum
MFT Faculty

Nicole Laurel, MS

Community Placement Liaison Advisor