Home > Professional Programs > Master's Program in Couple & Family Therapy

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The Couple and Family Therapy program offers:

• Full-time, 2-year, 63-credit program culminating in the master’s degree in Family Therapy (MFT)
• 500 hours of direct clinical experience

Curriculum Overview
The curriculum is modeled on the core curriculum developed by AAMFT, focusing on key areas of contemporary practice including:

• couple and marital intervention;
• family therapy with children;
• families in transition (divorce and remarriage);
• family violence;
• medical family therapy;
• sex therapy.

The curriculum reflects a bio-psychosocial approach to understanding human behavior, viewing the behavior of individuals, couples, families, and larger systems as the result of an interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors. It also reflects a commitment to training therapists to be aware of and sensitive to issues of cultural diversity and their impact on family functioning and the therapeutic process.

First Year	Credits
1st semester Theory & Practice of Family Therapy I Foundations of Systemic Practice Psychopathology in Socio-Cultural Context Life Span Development from a Systemic Perspective Practicum I	3 3 3 3 3
2nd semester Theory & Practice of Family Therapy II Theory & Practice of Couple Therapy Assessment in Couple & Family Therapy Introduction to Sex Therapy: Concepts in Human Sexuality Practicum II	3 3 3 3 3
Summer session Practicum III	3
Second Year
1st semester Implications for Diversity in Practice Research Advanced Sex Therapy I (Sex therapy track) Issues of Violence and Abuse in the Family * Live Supervision Practicum IV	3 3 3 3 3 3
2nd Semester Professional, Ethical, and Legal Issues in Couple and Family Therapy Medical Family Therapy Advanced Sex Therapy II (Sex therapy track) Families in Transition* Master’s Project Practicum V	3 3 3 3 3 3
Summer session, if needed Practicum VI
*elective

Sex Therapy Concentration
Students may elect to take a specialty track in sex therapy which also fulfills partial requirements for membership in the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT).

Clinical Experience
The program requires 500 hours of direct clinical experience, 250 of which must be with couples or families. Students receive a minimum of 100 hours of supervision, at least 50 hours of which is based on direct observation, videotape, or audiotape. Students complete 8–10 hours of clinical supervision per week and receive both individual and group supervision.

The first-year practica are designed to help students develop the basic clinical skills and competencies necessary to conduct couple, family, and individual therapy. The second-year practica help students broaden and integrate advanced clinical skills in working with diverse populations.

Practicum placements are available at a variety of clinical settings, including 14 CFR locations in the Philadelphia region as well as sites within the Thomas Jefferson University Health System. Students choose from a wide spectrum of options such as outpatient mental health clinics, The Institute of Sex Therapy, hospitals, and psychiatric settings for their clinical training.