Marriage and Family Therapy, MS

Counselor Education & Family Therapy

Diversity in the Central MFT ProgramGraduate Achievement Data Disclosure

Admissions Contact

Graduate Recruitment & Admissions
(860) 832-2350
graduateadmissions@ccsu.edu

Academic Contact

Tatiana Melendez-Rhodes
Associate Professor, Program Coordinator
Counselor Education & Family Therapy
Marriage & Family Therapy | MS
Center for Teaching and Innovation
Henry Barnard Hall
22510
860.832.2256
tatianam@ccsu.edu

Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE)

 

Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). This status is effective for a period of seven (7) years, May 1, 2023 - May 1, 2030.

 

Downloadable Version

Marriage & Family Therapy, MS

Central to Nurturing Relationships.

Central’s MS in Marriage & Family Therapy prepares you to assist individuals, couples, and families in a wide variety of settings and roles. The program will prepare you to become a therapist who is well-grounded in systems theory and clinical techniques. Throughout the program you will have ongoing training and supervision that will allow you to effectively, professionally, and ethically serve as an agent of intervention and change.

The program consists of a flexible evening track that affords students the opportunity to complete the program during the work week; typically within three years with full-time study. Because of our flexibility and convenience, our program attracts a diverse set of students that bring a richness to the graduate experience rarely seen elsewhere.

The MFT program's intensive 63-credit hour curriculum is designed to provide students with a solid theoretical background as a foundation for intensive clinical training in systemic approaches to human problems. The curriculum is designed to meet the academic requirements for Connecticut Licensure for Marital and Family Therapists and AAMFT Clinical Membership.

Program Features

  • Starts every August
  • 63-credit program
  • Attend full-time
  • Flexible class schedule helpful for working adults
  • Practicum and internship opportunities
  • Access to state-of-the-art clinical counseling laboratory
  • Financial aid is available
  • No GMAT/GRE required

Field Based Training

The MFT program at Central provides 2 years of supervised clinical training and field experience in a sequence that builds from the academic training in the first year.

Practicum

The Practicum is a two-semester, 12 hour-per-week supervised clinical placement during the Second Year. Students learn basic clinical skills and begin working with clients. Students process their experiences in a small group format with a faculty supervisor.

Internship

The Internship is a 12-month, 20-hour-per-week intensive clinical placement following the practicum experience which allows students to conduct marital and family therapy under supervision of an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Interns conduct 400 hours of therapy with individuals, couples, and families; 200 hours must be with couples and families. Interns receive a minimum of 100 hours of individual and group supervision with a minimum of 50 hours of supervision using actual clinical material (i.e., audio and videotapes) for intensive review.

Did You Know?

Employment of marriage and family therapists is projected to grow 16% from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Source: bls.gov

Marriage and Family Therapist Licensure

Marriage and Family Therapy is a profession that leads to licensure in all 50 states; however, each state has its own law and regulations about what is needed to become licensed as a MFT in that state.

Not every state will accept a degree and supervised hours earned in another state. Review license requirements in the state you intend to practice as soon as possible so that you understand what may and may not be accepted across state lines. Here is the link to each state’s licensure MFT State/Provincial Resources (AAMFT.org)

The coursework for Central Connecticut State University was designed to meet Marriage and Family Therapist Licensure (LMFT) requirements in the state of Connecticut. LMFT requirements and regulations vary by sate. If you are considering moving to another state after graduation, it is imperative you research that state’s requirements and proactively prepare for them. You should communicate with your faculty supervisor and the Clinical Coordinator as soon as possible so that you may plan your internship accordingly.

COAMFTE requires that this information be provided to students and acknowledged in writing prior to students beginning their studies in the program. All students are required to complete and sign the Informed Acknowledgement of MFT Licensure and Regulatory Requirements before starting their coursework at Central.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will become knowledgeable in the major schools of marriage and family therapy. 
  2. Students will develop proficiency in practice of systemically oriented therapy approaches to be applied in their clinical work with individuals, families, and communities. 
  3. Students will become knowledgeable consumers of research and evidence-based clinical practice. 
  4. Students will demonstrate self-awareness of their own social location (i.e., internal and relational) and identify biases that inform their clinical practice. Based on this self-awareness, students will demonstrate the ability to self-correct or be open to supervisory and peer feedback. 
  5. Students will demonstrate the ability to assess a client system’s resources and constraints through the “lenses” of the 6 core Metaframeworks domains (i.e., Organization, Sequences, Development, Multicultural, Gender and Internal Family System), select intervention strategies from systemic family therapy models that are appropriate and aligned with the removal of identified constraints, and implement interventions from such models based on their unique Metaframeworks assessment. 
  6. Students will demonstrate the ability to recognize ethical dilemmas in professional practice, apply relevant AAMFT Code of Ethics and models of ethical decision making when ethical issues emerge. 
  7. Students will demonstrate an awareness of and respect for cultural differences among clients and contexts as defined in the program’s Metaframeworks Multicultural domain.