Marital and Family Therapy Ph.D. / Interim Master's
- Introduction
- Program philosophy and goals
- Program requirements
- Program administrative faculty
- Course descriptions - See the University Catalog.
- Contact us (web form)
PhD with interim master's degree - A 168 unit program which combines a master's degree in marital and family therapy with the PhD in Marital and Family Therapy. This plan is for selected advanced students with a master's degree in a related field, or a student who is currently enrolled in a COAMFTE accredited masters program. Acceptance of these applicants is on a case-by-case basis. GRE scores and GPA must be considerably above the doctoral admission criteria norm. It takes five plus years of full time study to complete.
Concentrations and certificates - A variety of concentrations and certificates are available to individualize your program and to increase the marketability of your services.
- Families, systems, and health
- Family studies
- School consultation
- School counseling
- Systems consultation and professional relations
- Group counseling
- Drug and alcohol counseling
- Clinical mediation
- Child life specialist
- Licensure track (for students who have not previously met academic requirements for MFT licensure)
Marriage and family therapy is established in California by law as a profession requiring state licensure. Persons who desire to enter the profession must have the proper academic and clinical preparation and must pass the written and oral licensing examinations. The doctoral degree programs at Loma Linda University are designed to provide the academic requirements to meet the California licensing standards according to Business and Professions Code 4980.38.
The doctoral programs offered by Loma Linda University has been granted accreditation through the Council on Accreditation of Marriage and Family therapy Education (COAMFTE), the accrediting body associated with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
Curriculum course requirements
The following are the major areas of study and required and elective courses for each, totaling 168 quarter units.
FMST 514 Crosscultural Counseling & Family Values (2)
MFAM 501 Research Tools & Methodology I (3)
MFAM 515 Crisis Intervention Counseling (3)
MFAM 522 Couples Therapy (3)
MFAM 734 Clinical Training (1.5 - 3)(12 total)
MFAM 535 Case Presentation & Professional Studies (4)
MFAM 536 Case Presentation Seminar (2)
MFAM 537 Case Presentation Seminar (2)
MFAM 545 Gender Perspectives (2)
MFAM 547 Social Ecology of Individual & Family Development (3)
MFAM 551 Family Therapy I: Theory & Practice (3)
MFAM 553 Family Systems Theory (3)
MFAM 556 Psychopathology & Diagnostic Procedures (3)
MFAM 562 Group Process: Theory & Practice (3)
MFAM 564 Family Therapy II: Theory & Practice (3)
MFAM 614 Law & Ethics (3)
MFAM 624 Marital & Family Assessment (3)
MFAM 635 Case Presentation Seminar (2)
MFAM 638 Family Therapy & Chemical Abuse (3)
MFAM 644 Child Abuse & Family Violence (3)
MFAM 674 Human Sexual Behavior (3)
MFAM 584 Treatment of Child & Adolescent Problems (3)
MFTH 501 Supervision in MFT (2)
MFTH 502 Advanced Supervision in MFT (2)
MFTH 504 Advanced Theory in MFT (4)
MFTH 505 Advanced Family Studies (4)
MFTH 506 Clinical 1 - Cybernetics (3)
MFTH 507 Clinical 2 - Meaning (3)
MFTH 508 Clinical 3 - Natural Systems (3)
MFTH 509 Clinical 4 - Clinical Issues (3)
MFTH 538 Introduction to Relational Practice (2)
MFTH 601 Statistics I (4)
MFTH 602 Statistics II - (4)
MFTH 603 Statistics III (4)
MFTH 604 Advanced Qualitative Methods (4)
MFTH 605 Advanced Quantitative Methods (4)
MFTH 606 Research in MFT (4)
MFTH 607 Computer (1)
MFTH 608 Issues in Research Design & Presentation (3)
MFTH 634 Practicum (6)
MFTH 785 Clinical Training (1.5 - 3)(12 total)
MFTH 786 Internship Proposal Paperwork
MFTH 786-A Internship
MFTH 786-B Internship with Clinical Training (only when clinical hours are still needed)
MFTH 694 Doctoral Seminar (1 over 6 quarters)
MFTH 697 Research (17)
MFTH 698 Dissertation Defense (3)
RELE (500 or 600 level ) Clinical Ethics (3)
RELT 615 Philosophy of Religion (3)
RELR 535 Spirituality & Mental Health (3)
Electives (6)
Concentration (12) see below
Family studies concentration (12)
The family studies concentration focuses on the knowledge regarding family and child development that provides the theoretical basis for family interventions and programs. Students also may select from a variety of courses to enhance their skills in family life education and/or therapy.
FMST 518 Advanced Child Development (3)
FMST 526 Marriage and Family (3)
And at least 6 units from the following:
FMST 524 Family Resource Management (2)
FMST 528 Parenting (2)
FMST 529 Family Life Education (2)
MFAM 548 Men and Families (2)
MFTH 514 Child and Family Therapy (2)
MFTH 515 Couples and Sex Therapy (2)
MFTH 516 Divorce and Remarriage (2)
MFTH 519 Teaching Techniques (2)
MFTH 544 Health and Illness in Families (3)
MFTH 525 Advanced MFT Assessment (3)
CHLS 507 Child Life Program: Medical Family Issues I (3)
CHLS 508 Child Life Program: Medical Family Issues II (3)
COUN 576 Exceptional Learners & Medically Challenged Children (3)
For current students, the following applies:
Families, systems and health (12)
This concentration prepares marital and family therapists to work with issues related to health and illness in medical settings and/or in collaboration with other health-care professionals. The concentration includes opportunities to work in the primary care LLU clinics to get real life experience with patients, doctors, and other health-care professionals (family medicine and SACHS) as well as the opportunity to work with some specific health related research projects. Required courses include:
MFTH 564 Social Context of Health (4)
MFTH 544 Health and Illness in Families (3)
MFTH 637 Special Projects in Families, Systems and Health (1) (prerequisite, MFTH 544, either before or concurrently)
MFTH 534 Family Therapy and Medicine (4) (prerequisites, MFTH 564, MFTH 544)
For the incoming class of Fall 2013 and later, the following applies:
Families, systems and health (12)
This concentration prepares behavioral health therapists to address health-related issues with individuals and families in medical settings. The concentration includes opportunities to work in LLU medical clinics in order to obtain real life experience with patients, doctors, and other health-care professionals as well as the opportunity to work with specific health related research projects. Required courses include:
MFTH 540 Introduction to Medical Family Therapy (3)
MFTH 544 Health and Illness in Families (3)
MFTH 534 Family Therapy and Medicine (3) (prerequisites, MFTH 540, MFTH 544)
RELE 564 Ethics and Health Disparities (3) or equivalent
School consultation (12)
This concentration broadens the systematic work of professionals in marital and family therapy or family studies to include more knowledgeable consultation with school administrators, teachers, counselors, and psychologists regarding the well-being of children, adolescents, and college or university students in educational environments. Doctoral students may select 12 units of study for this concentration from the list of courses below:
COUN 574 Psychological Foundations of Education (4)
COUN 576 Exceptionally and Medically Challenged Children (3)
COUN 577 Assessment in Counseling (3)
COUN 578 College and Career Counseling (3)
COUn 678 Consultation and Leadership (3)
COUN 679 School Counseling: History and Practice (3)
Systems consultation and professional relations (12)
This concentration prepares qualified professionals for leadership and consultation in organizational development and systems relations. Courses help students understand how organizations operate and how to apply behavioral and family science knowledge to improve organization performance and functioning. Students develop specific skills for consulting and organizational assessment. MFTH 524: Administration in MFT is a prerequisite to the concentration. Required courses include:
MFTH 528 Organizations: Structure, Process, and Behavior (3)
MFTH 555 Organizational Development and Change (3)
MFTH 556 Management Consulting and Professional Relations (3)
MFTH 557 Organizational Assessment (3)
Program administration
Carmen Knudson-Martin, PhD - cknudsonmartin@llu.edu
Coordinator of PhD Program in Marital and Family Therapy
Patrice D. Harris - pdharris@llu.edu
Administrative Assistant for Doctoral Programs
Next: Program philosophy and goals
Program administrative faculty
Course descriptions - See the University Catalog.