2024-2025 Catalog
Marriage and Family Therapy Online
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Undergraduate
Bachelor of Science in Child and Family Services
Brandy Chalmers, Program Director
16633 Dallas Pkwy, Suite 800
Addison, TX 75001
Phone: 325-721-0097
Email: bxc20c@acu.edu
Faculty
Brandy Chalmers, College Assistant Professor
Introduction
The goal of the BS in Child and Family Services program is to equip students to serve the needs of children and families in a variety of roles such as social service providers, family service workers, child life specialists, child, and adult protective service providers, youth services and program directors, child development center directors, and family life educators. Through this degree, students will be trained to strengthen and promote the emotional well-being of individuals, families, and relationships across the life span. The Child and Family Services major requirements examine ten content or subject areas prescribed by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR).
Majors in Child and Family Services should be people-oriented, sensitive to the concerns of children and families, effective in communication and listening skills, and have strong potential for leadership and management.
Available Concentrations
Child Life
The Child Life concentration will offer a focus for students who wish to pursue certification as a Child Life Specialist. The coursework will equip students with the knowledge to help children and families overcome challenging and traumatic events in the life cycle of a family.
General
The General concentration will offer broad exposure to the discipline of child and family services and prepare you for a variety of careers serving children and families. You will be exposed to current research and theory about families and well-versed in developmental theory about individuals and families across the lifespan. This concentration provides you with a roadmap to possible careers in social services and nonprofits. This concentration may also serve as the foundation for graduate work in professional healthcare, counseling, or higher education.
Graduate
Marriage and Family Therapy Online
Sara Salkil, Program Director
Jackie Halstead, Associate Program Director
Phone: 214-305-9500
Fax: 214-602-5307
Email: seb04b@acu.edu
Web: https://www.acu.edu/online/graduate/marriage-and-family-therapy.html
Faculty
Jackie Halstead, College Professor
Andrew Jamieson, College Assistant Professor
James Morris, College Associate Professor, Clinical Coordinator
Maxine Notice, College Assistant Professor
Tim Parker, College Assistant Professor
Sara Salkil, College Associate Professor
Stephanie Steele, Core Instructor
Introduction
The 60-hour Marriage and Family Therapy degree plan is designed to be completed in a minimum of 33 consecutive months. Students will register for one online 7-week course at a time.
The primary objective of the degree is to provide professional training for persons intending to occupy positions in community mental health agencies, child and family service agencies, church ministries, institutional settings, and private practice, as well as those desiring advanced academic degrees. The Marriage and Family Therapy program is committed to a value system that espouses a Christian worldview in terms of human nature, the development of interpersonal or intrapersonal problems, and the context within which those problems can be solved.
The curriculum is intended to prepare graduates for licensure in marriage and family therapy. Students may elect to complete a general MFT track or choose from tracks in Medical Family Therapy, Treatment of Trauma, Child and Adolescent Therapy, or Therapy with Military Families.
Each graduate will earn a minimum of 300 hours of direct clinical experience and 100 hours of supervision, both of which are graduation requirements. Students are responsible for identifying their own internship sites and for providing their own recording technology to record samples of their clinical work. Supervision is provided by program faculty and local clinical MFT supervisors identified by the student. Group supervision provided by the MFT faculty will utilize video and case presentation approaches. The supervision experience focuses on integrating the student’s academic training with the clinical skills of marriage and family therapy.
Available Concentrations
Child and Adolescent Therapy
The Child and Adolescent Therapy concentration provides students an opportunity to study systemic approaches to working with children, adolescents, and their families. The coursework will emphasize common presenting problems and evidence-based treatment modalities.
General
The General concentration provides students with a broad yet thorough exposure to the discipline and practice of marriage and family therapy. Students will learn traditional and contemporary models along with supportive theories about family development across the life cycle. Students in this concentration will be prepared to serve individuals, families, and couples with a variety of presenting problems.
Medical Family Therapy
The Medical Family Therapy concentration provides students an opportunity to study the evidence base for medical family therapy. Students will learn about the development of this specialty and the common interventions used with families. Additionally, students will understand the landscape of healthcare and how marriage and family therapists may play a critical role in holistic care.
Therapy with Military Families
The Therapy with Military Families concentration provides students an opportunity to study the nodal events common to military families. Additionally, students will understand the stressors of pre- and post-deployed families and how to foster resilience through a systemic lens.
Treatment of Trauma
The Treatment of Trauma concentration provides students an opportunity to study how traumatic events impact the family. Additionally, systemically-trained therapists will approach the family from a strengths-based perspective focused on healing and resiliency.
Admission Requirements
The admission requirements for the online MMFT are:
- A completed application for admission with a nonrefundable application fee;
- An official transcript(s) in English (or translated to English) of all previous colleges attended. The transcript must indicate an earned bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university or equivalent;
- A cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale;
- Three letters of recommendation;
- A written purpose statement addressing three prompts:
- What do you know about the field of marriage and family therapy?
- Why are you drawn to the field?
- How will a degree in marriage and family therapy advance your career or ministry goals?
- A quality of life that reflects high moral standards;
- A video-conference interview with the Program Director may be requested.
Students are admitted six times a year and begin their program of study in the spring, summer, or fall semesters. All application materials MUST be completed at least two weeks in advance of when the student would like to begin the program.
No specific undergraduate major is essential for admission. Applicants are encouraged to have undergraduate credit in subjects that embrace human development, family relations, theology, sociology, psychology and statistics.
Applicants without adequate preparation may be accepted upon the condition that they register for additional courses deemed necessary by the Program Director.
Post-Graduate Certificate in Medical Family Therapy
The Post-Graduate Certificate in Medical Family Therapy is offered for students who are seeking advanced clinical training in medical family therapy.
Admission Requirements
Admission requirements for the Post-Graduate Certificate in Medical Family Therapy are as follows:
- A completed application for admission with a nonrefundable application fee;
- Official transcript indicating the successful completion of a Master’s degree from a COAMFTE-accredited Marriage and Family Therapy program. If a Master’s degree was earned from a MFT degree not accredited by COAMFTE, the transcript must be evaluated by the Program Director to demonstrate the student’s achievement of the COAMFTE foundational curriculum requirements;
- Purpose statement;
- Two professional recommendation letters attesting to the applicant’s clinical competence.
ProgramsMaster of Marriage and Family TherapyBachelor of ScienceCertificateCoursesMarriage and Family Therapy-OnlineFamily Studies OnlineGerontology Online
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