Doctor of Philosophy in Marital and Family Therapy (114-unit)

Program Description/Overview

The 114-unit Master of Arts (MA) and Doctoral program in Marriage and Family Therapy is a comprehensive, advanced educational path designed for individuals aspiring to become experts and leaders in the field. This rigorous program integrates theoretical knowledge with practical application, offering extensive coursework in systemic therapy, clinical practice, and research methodologies. Students engage in immersive clinical training through supervised internships and practicums, allowing them to develop proficiency in diagnosing and treating a wide range of relational and mental health issues within diverse family systems. Emphasizing a holistic approach, the program includes specialized courses in multicultural competence, ethical practice, and evidence-based treatment modalities. Graduates are well-prepared for California (and select states) licensure and possess the skills necessary to contribute to academic, clinical, and research settings, fostering healthier relationships and communities.

The program requires completion of a minimum of 114 units. Doctoral students may go either full-time or part-time in completing the program. The standard graduation program completion time for full-time students is 5 years, and the maximum is 8 years. The standard completion time for part-time students is 6 years, the maximum completion time is 8 years.

Emphasis/Concentration/Tracks

The Chemical Dependency Concentration  

This concentration will prepare students to work with individuals, couples, and families who have experienced addiction. This concentration area includes the 39 units that the California Association for Alcohol/Drug Educators (CAADE) requires for their accredited Chemical Dependency Certificate program. Students who select this concentration will receive this certificate upon their completion of the master’s program, which they can include on their resume or CV. Students who choose this Concentration will be prepared to work with families facing addiction, and they will understand the best care clinical practices for treating chemical dependency in the family from a systemic perspective in the current managed care market. Students in this concentration must choose a practicum site that allows them the opportunity to obtain a minimum of 250 hours working with clients who experience addiction (i.e., a residential treatment center or intensive outpatient program). These 250 hours can be included in the total 500 hours required to complete the CFT master’s degree. 

The Medical Family Therapy (MedFT) Concentration  

This concentration will prepare students to work in and with the medical health care system to help individuals, couples, and families struggling with medical issues. Students are taught to work systemically with the complex biological, psychological, relational, social, and spiritual dimensions of health care. They are trained to work with a variety of health care professionals and health care systems using collaborative, multidisciplinary, and multidimensional approaches to treatment. Graduates work in diverse settings including hospitals, clinics, and group and private practices. The curriculum includes three courses, which are to be taken as electives. The complete curriculum is offered online so students in all locations may take the courses. Students may take courses on-ground if offered.  

Program Learning Outcomes/Goals

Program Goals (PGs) 

1. PG 1 Practice: The CFT Program graduates students who are able to deliver CFT professional services competently. 
2. PG 2 Diversity: The CFT Program graduates diverse students prepared to meet the needs of diverse communities. 
3. PG 3 Community: The CFT Program engages various communities through the application of the knowledge and skills of couple and family therapy. 
4. PG 4 Scholarship: The CFT Program contributes to both the understanding and creation of couple and family therapy scholarship. 

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)  

1. SLO 1 Practice Foundational Knowledge and Skills: Master’s and doctoral students comprehend and demonstrate CFT conceptual, perceptual, executive, evaluative, professional, and theoretical skills.  
2. SLO 2 Diversity Knowledge and Skills: Master’s and doctoral students comprehend and demonstrate knowledge of human diversity with a multicultural and international emphasis.  
3. SLO 3 Community Knowledge and Skills: Master’s and doctoral students comprehend and demonstrate knowledge of how to engage community behavioral health care resources.  
4. SLO 4 Scholarship Foundation Knowledge and Skills: Master’s and doctoral students demonstrate a basic knowledge of CFT research methodologies and scholarship.  
5. SLO 5 Practice Supervision Knowledge and Skills: Doctoral students comprehend models and methods of CFT supervision.  
6. SLO 6 Practice Specific Knowledge and Skill: Doctoral students articulate and demonstrate the application of a personal CFT model of therapy.  
7. SLO 7 Scholarship Application Knowledge and Skills: Doctoral students demonstrate the ability to understand and apply CFT research methods. 

Training Model

This program is offered in Irvine, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego and leads to a Doctor of Philosophy in Marital and Family Therapy degree. The program is based on the scholar-practitioner model. Students are trained to work with individuals, couples, and families from a systemic perspective. Skills are developed in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals and relationship systems. The program provides an integrative approach to the major systemic theories and interventions. The program provides the academic training for licensure as a marriage and family therapist.  

Professional Behavior Expectations/Ethical Guidelines

AAMFT Code of Ethics

Licensure

Students in the program can receive a licensable marital and family therapy master’s degree as part of their doctoral studies upon completion of the requirements for that degree. 

All marriage and family therapists who offer direct services to the public for a fee must be licensed or certified by the state in which they practice. Applicants for licensure in the state of California must hold an MA or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from an approved or accredited educational institution. They also must have completed 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience (of which at least 1,700 must be post-masters) and have taken and passed the national Examination for Marriage and Family Therapy (must pass both components of Law and Ethics and the Clinical Exam). In addition, they must submit evidence of having completed coursework in human sexuality, child abuse, substance abuse, spousal abuse, psychological testing, psychopharmacology, California Law and professional ethics and aging and long-term care. Continuing education is required to maintain the license. The course requirements are designed to fulfill the programmatic requirements for licensure in California.

Students considering or planning to apply for licensure in states other than California are required to contact the University Admissions Office for information about program availability in their respective state. 

For further information on licensure in California contact: 

Board of Behavioral Sciences
1625 N Market Blvd., #S200
Sacramento, CA 95834 
BBS Main Phone Line: (916) 574-7830
BBS Email: BBS.info@dca.ca.gov  

General Questions and Information Only: https://www.bbs.ca.gov/ 

Internship, Practicum, and/or Dissertation Information

Practicum: The program includes all of the requirements in the CFT master’s program, including passing the MA comprehensive exam. Practicum program requirements are described in the Master of Arts in Marital and Family Therapy  program description and in the CFT Master’s Level Practicum Clinical Training Manual. The doctoral program requires that students are continuously involved in the practice of couple and family therapy. Students must supplement their program with 100 hours of professional development activities; 25 of these hours may involve personal counseling or psychotherapy with a licensed mental health professional who is not core faculty at Alliant.  

Three consecutive semesters of practicum are required for a minimum total of 9 units. If all clinical requirements are completed in three semesters, the fourth semester of practicum is not needed. In that instance, students are able to take an elective class. Some students may need to take 4 practicum classes to complete their hours*.  

During the program, students must supplement their academic and clinical work with 100 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 mental health professional who is not core faculty at Alliant 

Students who completed a non-COAMFTE accredited MA program need to submit a Request for Waiver of Practicum Hours and may have some practicum hours/practicum courses to take, which must be taken in place of elective units. 

Waiver of Practicum Hours 

1. Should transfer students request to waive practicum hours, they must submit a completed Request for Waiver of Practicum Hours form (located on the CFT Student Hub) to the CTC. 
2. The decision to waive practicum hours will be based on the completion of this form with necessary documentation attached. 
3. Requests for Waiver of Practicum Hours must be submitted prior to matriculation in order for the Student Advisor to create an accurate program plan. Waiver of practicum is not guaranteed.   
4. Students are not permitted to enroll beyond 18 doctoral units without first completing the required practicum hours.  

Note:  

* PSY73690 - Practicum Extension (0 units) : If a student has taken three consecutive semesters or 6 consecutive terms of PSY 73600 , their elective, has 50 or fewer hours to complete the 300-hour requirement and the student, site and CTC believe the remaining hours will be completed in a semester or two terms, then the student can request to be registered for PSY73690 - Practicum Extension (0 units) . Students are only permitted to register for one semester or two terms of Practicum Extension. 

Internship: To prepare doctoral level couple and family therapists to perform different professional functions competently in their future workplace, and to comply with COAMFTE accreditation requirements, Alliant CFT doctoral students are required to choose two components to complete their pre-degree internship: clinical, teaching, scholarship, supervision, and policy and administration. Each of these options is 50% of the total internship. The combination of the options is to be a minimum of nine (9) months. Students need to discuss their internship options with their internship faculty supervisor. 

Dissertation: The dissertation is the capstone for the doctoral program. Students will take at least four dissertation classes (PSY99100 , PSY99110 , PSY99120 , PSY99130 ), and will meet with the core faculty dissertation chair regularly during these classes in order to complete the dissertation.

Credit Units

Total Credit Units: 114

Total Core Credit Units: 102

Total Elective Credit Units: 12

Total Concentration Credit Units: N/A

Degree Requirements

MA Comprehensive Exam: Master’s and doctoral students who entered the program in Fall 2008 or later must successfully complete the examination process to receive their degrees. Doctoral students who completed a comprehensive exam as part of a COAMFTE accredited master’s program do not need to take the test. 

• Full-time MA students should take the exam after they’ve completed all coursework besides MFT Practicum, Psychopharmacology, and Sex Therapy. 
• Part-time MA students should take the exam in the year they are completing the program. 
• Incoming PhD students with a MA degree from COAMFTE accredited programs, do NOT have to take our MA Comprehensive Exam.  
• Incoming PhD students with a MA degree from non-COAMFTE accredited programs who are not licensed in the field of MFT, must take and pass our MA Comprehensive Exam at the end of their first semester or the first semester after finishing required masters level classes. 

Doctoral Exam: During the fourth year of the doctoral program, students take the CFT Doctoral Exam. Once the student successfully passes the doctoral exam and the dissertation proposal the student is “Advanced to Candidacy.”  Student must successfully pass the CFT Doctoral exam in order to do the final defense of their dissertation.   

Emphasis/Concentration/Track Requirements

Elective Requirements

Twelve elective units are required for completion of the program. Students may take their elective class online. The classes must be taken at Alliant International University. The courses (on-ground or online) must be pre-approved by the site director. Suggested electives: 

• PSY85XXX - Clinical Elective (3 units) 
• PSY93100 - Advanced Seminar: MFT (3 units)  

Curriculum Plan