Mission and Objectives
The mission of the Couple and Family Therapy programs is to provide the highest quality education, training, scholarship and service in the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. We train ethical professionals to foster the well-being of individuals, children, couples, families, organizations, and communities primarily through improving relationships. The program specifically focuses on the understanding and respect for the diversity of human relationships across different populations from a variety of multicultural, socioeconomic, international backgrounds. Students are inspired to respect multiple dimensions of human diversity, develop a mature personal and professional identity, stay current with professional knowledge and practice, and make a positive difference for clients and society.
Learning Objective 1: Comprehension of the systemic foundations and theories of couple and family therapy.
Student Learning Outcomes
1.1 Demonstrate the comprehension of various systemic theories of couple and family therapy (CFT) for a diversity of problems and people in a variety of settings.
1.2 Demonstrate the integration of CFT systemic approaches with foundational mental health knowledge for a diverse group of people in a variety of settings.
Learning Objective 2: Competence in the application of CFT ethical and legal standards, assessment processes, and treatment methods.
Student Learning Outcomes
2.1 Use CFT interviewing, assessment, and treatment techniques in ways that are relevant to diverse people in a variety of settings.
2.2 Show an integrated application of CFT and foundational mental health knowledge.
2.3 Demonstrate legal and ethical knowledge and practice of CFT.
2.4 Demonstrate knowledge and skills in case management including appropriate referrals and documentation of treatment.
2.5 Demonstrate knowledge of and ability to effectively manage therapist biases and prejudices.
2.6 Demonstrate community engagement by providing direct service to individuals, couples, families, organizations and communities.
Learning Objective 3: Competence in the practice (i.e., awareness, knowledge and application) of dimensions of diversity with a multicultural and international focus for people in diverse settings.
Student Learning Outcomes
3.1. Demonstrate an awareness of personal beliefs and attitudes about different dimensions of diversity.
3.2 Demonstrate a knowledge of diversity including differences, similarities, privilege, and power among class and economic status, disability and illness, gender, identity, migration, nationality, race, religion/spirituality, sexuality, sexual-orientation, and social and political issues.
3.3 Demonstrate diversity based practice skills in applying CFT theories, assessment and interventions to diverse groups of people in diverse settings.
Learning Objective 4: Knowledge of research methodologies and scholarship activities.
Student Learning Outcomes
4.1 Demonstrate knowledge of basic CFT research designs and procedures.
4.2 Demonstrate knowledge of peer-reviewed CFT literature.
Training Model
The Couple and Family Therapy (CFT) master’s program is offered in Irvine, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Diego and leads to a Master of Arts in Marital and Family Therapy. The CFT program provides training for a career as a professional marriage and family therapist. Students are trained to treat relational mental health issues with individuals, couples, and families from a systemic perspective. Skills are developed in the mental health assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals and relationship systems. The program provides an integrative approach to the major systemic theories and interventions. It fulfills all academic requirements for application to the State of California’s examination for a marriage and family therapist license (Section 4980.40 and 4980.41 of Business and Professions Code). Licensed marriage and family therapists work in a variety of settings including hospitals, clinics, social service agencies, churches, the military, educational institutions, and private practice. The CFT master’s program offers concentrations in chemical dependency, gerontology, and Latin American family therapy. Additionally, students may do a concentration in LGBT Human Services and Mental Health or Infant-Preschool Mental Health, both of which are done online. All of these concentrations require additional coursework.
All requirements for the master’s in CFT at Alliant are also a part of the PsyD in CFT program. Students who complete the master’s in CFT, apply in a timely manner, and are accepted into the doctoral program may apply all CFT master’s requirements toward the completion of the CFT doctoral program.
Specialized Admissions Requirements: Credit for Previous Graduate Work
Entering CFT masters students may be eligible to receive credit for previous graduate work up to 15 hours for MA students transferring from a masters program.
To be considered for credit in our program students’ graduate coursework:
(a) Must have been taken from a regionally accredited master’s or doctoral program.
(b) Must have been completed prior to the student’s entry to Alliant CFT program.
(c) Must have resulted in grades of B or better and have been completed within the last seven years.
Procedures for transfers/waivers:
The student provides a list of the Alliant courses for which s/he is interested in receiving credit, along with course descriptions and syllabi. It is submitted in writing to the CFT site director for review/approval. Once approved it will be submitted to the registrar office for posting.
Curriculum and Degree Requirements
The CFT practicum program includes 500 hours of direct client contact, 250 with couples or families; students receive at least 100 hours of individual and group supervision, at least 50 hours of which are based on direct observation or videotape. During the program, the student must supplement his or her academic and clinical work with 50 hours of professional development activities. These include approved workshops, colloquia, and seminars. Twenty-five of these hours may involve personal counseling or psychotherapy with a licensed person who is not core faculty at Alliant.
Students in the CFT Masters program must pass a comprehensive exam as a part of their degree program. Students who fail the exam will be offered student-specific remediation plans to ensure they have developed necessary knowledge and competencies. These remediation plans may include retaking the exam, writing papers on specific topics, retaking classes, and/or any other elements deemed necessary by faculty based on the student’s exam performance. A student who fails to successfully complete the remediation plan by the given deadline will be referred to the Student Evaluation Review Committee for further action, including possible dismissal from the program.
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