Like many mental health practitioners, marital and family therapists (MFTs) provide therapeutic services to help their clients overcome a wide range of mental, emotional, and behavioral issues. MFTs view their clients in the context of relationships—assuming that every individual influences and is influenced by people in his/her life in a systemic fashion.

Marital and family therapists may work with individuals, couples, or families who are coping with a wide range of problems including depression, anxiety, marital and relationship problems, child-parent conflict, and more. They assist their clients in better understanding how their personal behavior patterns may be influencing the behaviors of those around them. MFTs help their clients find new ways of thinking about and interacting with others—and ultimately lead more harmonious, fulfilling lives.

Marital and family therapy is one of the fastest growing disciplines in the mental health field and MFTs apply their skills in many different work settings, including private practice, social service agencies, inpatient psychiatric facilities, hospitals, community mental health centers, schools, and even courts and prisons.

Psy.D. in Marital and Family Therapy (Post-Master’s)

• Offered in Westwood and Irvine.
• An accelerated, post-master’s program that may be completed in three years. (Program is offered in a flexible format suitable for working professionals).
• Graduates are equipped with expert knowledge in theory, research, and practice in marital and family therapy—preparing them to serve as leaders and/or senior administrators in both educational and clinical settings, or to teach in regionally accredited institutions of higher education.
• Students choose one of two concentrations: Psychodynamic Psychotherapy or Management Practice.
• The psychodynamic psychotherapy concentration curriculum was developed by the California Graduate Institute, the world’s first independent school of professional psychology and a respected pioneer in teaching applied psychodynamic psychology. Students in this concentration gain essential diagnostic, therapeutic, and consultative skills as well as in-depth knowledge of psychodynamic theory and exposure to a broad range of dynamically based clinical applications to assist the therapeutic process.

M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Marital and Family Therapy Specialization

• Offered in Los Angeles, Westwood, and Irvine.
• Two years full time (Program is offered in both a traditional weekday format and a flexible format suitable for working professionals).
• Curriculum qualifies graduates to sit for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) MFT licensure exam, and prepares them to enter a doctoral program that leads to licensure by the California Board of Psychology (BOP).
• Program is unique in that students receive a solid foundation in the principles of clinical psychology, in addition to gaining the essential diagnostic, therapeutic, and consultative skills they need to be outstanding marital and family therapists working with a range of clinical populations and a variety of emotional, behavioral, and psychological issues.
• Students may apply for the opportunity to complete their clinical training hours at one of our Chicago School Counseling Centers, two of Southern California’s largest and most respected community counseling centers. Through our innovative apprentice model, students learn marketing and operations related to running a private practice assist with building their own client case loads, and provide individual and group psychotherapy services. Each will graduate with a thriving client base already established as they sit for licensure and prepare to launch their careers.