Graduates of this dual-degree with certificate program receive a master’s degree in counseling, a master’s degree in marital and family therapy, and a certificate in drug and alcohol counseling. Completion of the program requires a minimum of 11 quarters of full-time attendance. The 121-unit curriculum provides a mix of academic, experiential, and research activities essential for practice as a clinical counselor, marriage and family therapist, and drug and alcohol counselor.
Students with the dual degree have licensure options providing maximum flexibility. Graduates of this program are qualified to sit for national counseling licensure and the California-specific LPCC license, as well as sit for MFT licensure in California and obtain MFT licensure around the country with fewer requirements—given the program’s COAMFTE accreditation. Also, graduates may qualify for additional national certifications in addictions/drug and alcohol counseling.
For more information regarding the individual programs that constitute this dual-degree with certificate program, please review the campus-based M.S. in marital and family therapy, M.S. in counseling, and certificate in drug and alcohol counseling catalog pages.
Applicants must meet the admission requirements for each program: M.S. degree in counseling, and M.S. degree in marital and family therapy and the certificate in drug and alcohol counseling.
Applicants initially apply for the M.S. degree in counseling and M.S. degree in marital and family therapy. Once accepted into the University, the dual degree student applies for the drug and alcohol counseling certificate in their first quarter in the program.
Students must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale (a letter grade of B) in order to progress successfully through the program and complete the degree. In addition, students must meet the knowledge, skills, and professional performance competencies outlined by the program. Students must meet both course and cumulative G.P.A. standards and course repeat expectations set by the School of Behavioral Health in the general regulations section of this CATALOG.
| Courses applicable to both degrees: | ||
| COUN/MFAM 501 | Research Tools and Methodology: Quantitative | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 502 | Research Tools and Methodology: Qualitative | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 515 | Crisis Intervention and Client Advocacy | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 524 | Psychopharmacology and Medical Issues | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 528 | Culture, Socioeconomic Status in Therapy | 3 |
| MFAM 535 | Case Presentation and Professional Studies | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 547 | Social Ecology of Individual and Family Development | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 556 | Psychopathology and Diagnostic Procedures | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 568 | Groups: Process and Practice | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 584 | Advanced Child and Adolescent Development | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 604 | Social Context in Clinical Practice: Gender, Class, and Race | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 614 | Law and Ethics | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 624 | Individual and Systems Assessment | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 638 | Substance Use Disorders, Relationships, and Recovery | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 644 | Child Abuse and Family Violence | 3 |
| COUN/MFAM 674 | Human Sexual Behavior | 3 |
| COUN 675 | Dynamics of Aging | 1 |
| MFAM 553 | Family Systems Theory | 3 |
| RELR 540 | Wholeness and Health 1 | 3 |
| Discipline-specific courses: | ||
Marital and family therapy | ||
| MFAM 536 | Case Presentation and Documentation | 3 |
| MFAM 537 | Case Presentation | 3 |
| MFAM 551 | Family Therapy: Foundational Theories and Practice | 3 |
| MFAM 552 | Couples Therapy: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| MFAM 564 | Family Therapy: Advanced Foundational Theories and Practice | 3 |
| MFAM 567 | Treating the Severely and Persistently Mentally Ill and the Recovery Process | 3 |
| MFAM 635 | Case Presentation and Legal Issues | 3 |
| MFAM 636 | Case Presentation and Client-Centered Advocacy | 3 |
| MFAM 637 | Case Presentation and Global Practices | 3 |
| Choose one theory course from the following: | 2 | |
| Solution-Focused Family Therapy | ||
| Narrative Family Therapy | ||
| Cognitive-Behavioral Couples Therapy | ||
| Gestalt Family Therapy | ||
| Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy | ||
| Structural and Multidimensional Family Therapy | ||
Counseling | ||
| COUN 575 | Counseling Theory and Applications | 3 |
| COUN 576 | Exceptional and Medically Challenged Children 1 | 3 |
| COUN 577 | Assessment in Counseling 1 | 3 |
| COUN 579 | Career Theories and Applications 1 | 4 |
| COUN 678 | Consultation and Program Evaluation 1 | 3 |
| COUN 580 | Advanced Counseling Theory and Techniques | 4 |
| COUN 541 | Clinical Practicum Seminar – Early Counselor Development | 2 |
| COUN 542 | Clinical Internship Seminar – Spirituality | 2 |
| COUN 543 | Clinical Internship Seminar – Multicultural and Cross-Cultural Interactions | 2 |
| COUN 544 | Clinical Internship Seminar – Recovery-Oriented Care | 2 |
| COUN 546 | Clinical Internship Seminar – Substance Use Disorder Treatment | 2 |
| Drug and alcohol counseling certificate: | ||
| MFAM 645 | Advanced Treatment Strategies – Substance Use Disorders | 3 |
| MFAM 654 | Practicum in Drug and Alcohol Counseling 1 | 4 |
| Total Units | 121 | |
One unit course taken four time over four quarters for a total of four units.
In addition to the above, students are required to meet Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), and Department of Counseling and Family Sciences minimum clinical hour requirements for graduation.
Clinical hours overlap and can count for both degrees and certificate, in consultation with the Directors of Clinical Training.
At graduation, total student hours will range from 420 – 620 depending on population served while in clinical placement.
| Marital and family therapy (minimum COAMFTE requirement)) | ||
| MFAM 731 | Clinical Training | 6 |
| MFAM 732 | Clinical Training | 9 |
| MFAM 735 | Case Presentation Extension | 0 |
| Counseling (minimum BBS requirement) | ||
| Drug & Alcohol Counseling certificate (minimum CFS requirement) | ||
3.67 years (11 academic quarters) based on full-time enrollment; part time permitted
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