Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Diploma (This program is no longer accepting students)
Program Description
The Marriage and Family Therapy Program combined with the Masters of Arts in Psychology Program is a 66 credit professional training program which is structured to satisfy the educational requirements for licensure as a marriage and family therapist in New Jersey. The Professional Diploma in Marriage and Family Therapy follows the training and practice standards of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), which is the primary professional organization for marriage and family therapists. The program includes a two-term internship that generally follows the marriage and family course work, but is largely free of other educational and professional demands. Students in the MFT program are required to complete a minimum of 500 client contact hours and 100 hours of face-to-face supervision during the course of their internship and practicum experience. Students may enter the program with either a Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree. All students who enter without an appropriate Master’s degree will earn the MA in Psychology, Psychological Services Specialization after successful completion of the first 33 credit hours of the master’s program. Students will then advance to the professional sequence of the Marriage and Family Therapy Professional Diploma Program only after the successful completion of a progress review.
Students entering with a Master’s degree in counseling, psychology, social work or an allied field must complete a minimum of 33 credits at Kean University. If applicants lack any of the foundation courses they may be required to complete additional foundation courses beyond the minimum. The New Jersey licensure law requires specific competency areas. The curriculum, designed within the practitioner-scholar model, is devised to enable successful graduates to function as marriage and family therapists in a variety of settings. Through required course work, practicum and internship experiences, students are provided an opportunity to develop skills in assessment, interviewing and counseling with individuals, couples and families. The program stresses the need for marriage and family therapists to understand the varied religious, ethnic, cultural and national characteristics of their clientele.
Prerequisites
In addition to the University’s admission requirements:
- 12 credits in the Behavioral Sciences (at least six of which are in psychology including General Psychology) (These courses may be taken as co-requisites)
Degree Requirements
Foundation Requirements 33
| PSY 5320 | LEARNING THEORY AND APPLICATION | 3 |
| PSY 5530 | ADVANCED ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| PSY 5640 | ANALYSIS OF SMALL GROUP PROCESSES | 3 |
| PSY 5810 | INTRODUCTION TO DIAGNOSTIC PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING | 3 |
| PSY 5720 | FAMILY SYSTEMS THEORIES AND TECHNIQUES | 3 |
| PSY 5130 | HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE LIFE-SPAN | 3 |
| PSY 5910 | RESEARCH METHODS SEMINAR | 3 |
Professional Requirements 33
| PSY 5040 | HUMAN SEXUALITY AND GENDER | 3 |
| PSY 5730 | CLINICAL PRACTICUM IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY | 3 |
| PSY 5740 | CLINICAL AND GROUP PRACTICE IN FAMILY THERAPY | 3 |
| PSY 5780 | FOUNDATIONS OF FAMILY THERAPY | 3 |
| PSY 5770 | MARITAL THERAPY: THEORIES & TECHNIQUES | 3 |
| PSY 6700 | INTERNSHIP IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY I | 3 |
| PSY 6710 | INTERNSHIP IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY II | 3 |
(Other courses by advisement and permission of program coordinator
* Courses in the Professional sequence require matriculation in the Marriage and Family Therapy program, an appropriate M.A. degree, and permission of the coordinator. )
Total Credit Hours: 66