Graduate Catalog 2010-12

Marriage and Family Therapy

MFT 541        Introduction to Theories of Family Systems                                           3
Prereq.:  Admission to department. Historical and theoretical underpinnings of General Systems Theory as it applies to families and family therapy. Major models of family therapy will be presented to orient the student to an understanding of functional and dysfunctional processes in human interaction. This course lays the foundation for the subsequent assessment and treatment courses which focus specifically on the major schools of family therapy. Fall, spring, summer.

MFT 542        Professional, Ethical, and Legal Issues in Marriage and Family Therapy          3
Prereq.:  Admission to the MFT program. Professional, ethical, and legal issues in marriage and family therapy. Fall, Summer.

MFT 543        The Family Life Cycle                                                                                 3
Prereq.:  MFT 541. Developmental aspects of the family system over time, delineating critical issues for individual and other subsystems at various stages and transition points of the family life cycle. This course covers divorce, remarriage, and blended families within the various stages a family may experience. Fall.

MFT 544        Families in Context: Gender and Cultural Dimensions                           3
Prereq.:  MFT 541. Integral principles of human organization that influence family growth and development. Students gain an understanding of ethnicity and gender from a systemic framework. Fall.

MFT 551        Structural/Strategic & Behavioral Family Therapies                             3
Prereq.:  MFT 541. Assessment and interventions from the structural, strategic, and Behavioral schools of family therapy are examined. Students learn about diagnosis and treatment of human dilemmas and symptomatology within a systemic context. Spring.

MFT 552        Experiential, Intergenerational and Psychodynamic Family Therapies 3
Prereq.:  MFT 551. Assessment and interventions from Experiential, Intergenerational, and Psychodynamic schools of family therapy are explored. Students learn diagnostics and treatment of human dilemmas and symptomatology from these schools of therapy. Fall.

MFT 554        Couples Therapy                                                                                        3
Prereq.:  MFT 541. Assessment and treatment approaches to problematic dyadic relationships within a systemic framework are explored. Problems unique to couples are discussed, including sexual, communication, and role expectations. This course covers treatment of spousal violence, sexual dysfunctions, mate selection, types of marriages, communication problems, gender and power issues, and the developmental stages of marriage. Fall.

MFT 555        Dysfunctional Family Processes                                                               3
Prereq.:  MFT 541. Examination of structures and processes of family dysfunction, including substance abuse, family violence, and sexual abuse. Assessment and intervention strategies from a systemic framework. Spring.

MFT 556        Systemic Perspectives on Mental Disorders                                            3
Prereq.:  MFT 541. Diagnostic classifications of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders of individuals within a systemic framework. Students learn how to communicate within a medical model framework using systemic conceptualizations. Spring.

MFT 557        Action Methods in Marital and Family Therapy                                      3
Prereq.:  MFT 541 or permission of instructor. Introduces students to action methods involving physical movement and dramatic role-play in MFT. Uses hands on experience and theory to compare action-oriented and exclusively verbal methods regarding therapeutic effectiveness and skill level. Spring.

MFT 558        Internal Family Systems Therapy                                                             3
Prereq.:  MFT 541 or permission of instructor. Basic theory, techniques, and clinical applications of the Internal Family Systems model of psychotherapy. This experiential course will emphasize exploration of the student's own internal family system through in-class exercises and course assignments. Summer.

MFT 583        Marriage and Family Therapy Practicum I                                              3
Prereq.:  MFT 551 and permission of MFT coordinator. Students participate in direct client contact, staff meetings, and supervision in a clinical setting. Fall.

MFT 584        Marriage and Family Therapy Practicum II                                             3
Prereq.:  MFT 583. Students participate in direct client contact, staff meetings, and supervision in a clinic setting. Spring.

MFT 585        Marriage and Family Therapy Internship (Plan E)                       3 TO 9
Prereq.:  MFT 584 and permission of the MFT coordinator. Placement in a community agency providing marital and family therapy under supervision. May be repeated as needed to complete minimum requirement of 12 consecutive months (and 500 clinical contact hours/100 supervision hours). Plans A, C, D, and E require completion of 18 credits for programs with 30-35 credits, or 24 credits for programs with greater than 35 credits, and a 3.00 overall GPA.

MFT 598        Research Methods in Marriage and Family Therapy                             3
Prereq.:  Admission to M.S. in MFT graduate program or permission of department chair. Quantitative and qualitative research design, data analysis, interpretation, and program evaluation methods related to marriage and family therapy. Spring.