What is marriage and family therapy?
Marriage and family therapy (MFT) is a form of mental health counseling that is focused on helping individuals, couples, families, and groups manage and overcome mental or emotional disorders as well as relational conflict. Marriage counselors and family therapists diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders
In contrast to other modes of therapy, many marriage counselors and family therapists practice short-term therapy—usually between nine and 50 sessions focusing on helping people return to functioning healthily in the community.
The Pacific Oaks’ Marriage and Family Therapy degree program prepares graduates to sit for the California MFT exams and to earn a Marriage and Family Therapist License awarded by the California Board of Behavioral Science.
Careers in Marriage and Family Therapy
MFTs can treat an array of mental disorders including depression, anxiety, trauma, child-parent conflict, relationship problems, adult schizophrenia, alcoholism, bipolar disorder, drug abuse, childhood autism, and anorexia in a variety of settings:
- Outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers
- Facilities that address intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health, and substance abuse
- Hospitals
- Individual and family services
- State and local government, excluding education and hospitals
- Outpatient care centers
- Practitioner offices
- Nursing and residential care facilities
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists is positioned to grow much faster than the average for other occupations.
If you are interested in pursuing a marriage counselor master’s degree, or any of our other MFT programs, apply now or request more information today!
How Do I Become a Marriage and Family Therapist in California?
Steps at a glance:
- Earn a master’s or doctoral degree from a qualifying college.*
- Register with the BBS as an MFT Associate.
- Apply to take the California Law and Ethics Examination.
- Earn 3,000 hours of post-degree client hours.
- After accruing the required client hours, apply for the clinical exam.
- After passing the clinical exam, apply for initial licensure.
- Receive LMFT license.
In California, those interested in becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) must first possess a qualifying* doctoral or master’s degree in marriage and family therapy before sitting for the licensure examination.
Upon graduation from the qualified MFT degree program, the pre-licensee must register with the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) as an MFT Associate to accrue post-degree hours of supervised experience. Pre-licensees must complete 104 weeks of supervision and 3,000 hours of supervised work experience. Within the first year of registration as Associates, they are required to take the California Law and Ethics Examination.
Once the supervision and work experience requirements have been met, which usually takes two to six years, MFT Associates can apply for eligibility for licensure from the BBS. After receiving notification of eligibility, candidates may schedule an examination date at any one of the official testing locations throughout California.
*For a program to be qualified, it must satisfy all of the requirements of the SB 33 and the BBS (Business and Professions Code Sections 4980.36c, d e 4980.39, 4980.40, and 4980.41).
Earn Your Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy
The Pacific Oaks’ Marriage and Family Therapy degree program offers a traditional MFT program along with four MFT specializations centered on addressing the unique needs and feelings of individuals and families in these cultural communities or with these experiences.
Students pursuing a degree in any of our three culturally centered MFT specializations may choose to add a secondary specialization in Trauma Studies. Those interested in this additional specialization must submit a request to their academic adviser prior to the completion of their second semester.
The master’s degree in Marriage Counseling and Family Therapy at Pacific Oaks College offers multidisciplinary, inclusive curricula based on developmental and family systems theories and evidence-based theory and practice. With years of experience in the field, faculty help students maintain a commitment to understanding their patients holistically—taking into account life experiences, culture, oppression, and social-political context.
Are the Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s Degrees Offered Online?
Yes, we offer three Marriage and Family Therapy degrees online. Pacific Oaks College believes in providing a flexible learning environment to help students achieve a higher education. All of our online MFT degrees teach the importance of becoming a culturally competent and supportive clinician to assist in the healing and mental health management process for future patients.
For more information, you can view our info sessions where participants ask questions related to our online Marriage Family Therapy online degrees. We have recorded sessions for both the trauma studies and the LGBTIA+ specializations.
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Specialization
For those who wish to expand the scope of their MFT degree to include groups and individuals outside of a marriage and family therapy setting, students may elect to enroll in the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) Specialization. To complete this specialization, students will need to take these additional courses and have a total of 280 face-to-face clinical training hours before graduation.
- MFT 670 Career Development Theories and Techniques (3 units)
- MFT 681 Advanced Topics in Addictions Counseling (1 unit)
- MFT 683 Advanced Topics in Psychopharmacology (1 unit)
Fieldwork Requirements
MFT students must complete 225 clinical hours of the pre-graduate portion of the 3,000 supervised clinical hours required by the BBS for licensing to qualify for graduation. LPCC students must complete 280 hours. Students secure clinical training placements within community agencies and schools in California in the Los Angeles and Pasadena areas.
Marriage and Family Therapy Sample Courses
Couples Therapy
This is an introductory marriage and family therapy course for working with domestic partners. This includes an overview of approaches from various schools of thought, as well as training in relationship skills, including the dynamics of bonding and attachment, communication skills, conflict management skills, and negotiating differences. The course will include reflections upon one’s own significant relationships; role-playing and skill practice; and application of therapy skills to issues of diversity.
Theories of Marriage, Family and Child Counseling
This MFT course will review the major psychotherapeutic approaches in marital counseling and family therapy. There will be a focus on interpersonal theories, family systems theories, and feminist theory and how each informs work with individuals, couples, families, and children. The class will present an inclusive framework so that students develop competency working with bicultural populations.
Personality Theories and Clinical Intervention
This course is designed to explore the various personality theories and develop a beginning understanding of these through an application in psychotherapy. An overview of psychological testing will be introduced. This class meets the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) requirements for the California MFT license.