Counseling and Family Sciences Doctoral (CFSD)

CFSD 501. Fundamentals of Supervision in Marital and Family Therapy. 3 Units.

Research and theory regarding the supervision of marriage and family therapy trainees and interns. Can be used toward the requirements for certification as an AAMFT-approved supervisor.

CFSD 502. Advanced Supervision in Marital and Family Therapy. 1 Unit.

Mentoring of supervision of MFT trainees and interns in a clinical setting. Hours earned apply toward certification as an AAMFT-approved supervisor. Must complete 30 hours of supervision and 5 hours of supervision mentoring.
Prerequisite or concurrent: CFSD 501.

CFSD 504. Advanced Family Theory. 3 Units.

Utilizes in-depth discussion and analysis of family theories that inform and advance the practice of systemic therapy and research to conceptualize key issues in the field. Conceptualizes and critiques the epistemological foundations underlying theory, research, and practice in MFT, while recognizing the practical and ethical implications of various theoretical frameworks as they pertain to diverse populations.

CFSD 505. Advanced Family Studies: Theory Construction. 3 Units.

Focus on developing theories that explain/guide/predict an individual, couple, family, or society phenomenon. Explores how to critically evaluate theory, as well as link theory development to research methodology and practice.

CFSD 506. Foundations of Systems Thinking: Theory and Application. 3 Units.

Explores theoretical underpinnings of general systems theory and its theoretical and practical applications to family relationships, family communication, intrapersonal dynamics and sociocultural contexts. Studies concepts of self-regulatory feedback loops, circularity and non-linearity as they affect families, inter- and intra-personal interactions and sociocultural contexts.

CFSD 519. Teaching in Higher Education. 3 Units.

Studies techniques and processes in the teaching of marriage and family therapy, including didactic and experiential techniques. Examines teaching philosophies for campus-based and online teaching modalities. Explores similarities and differences in pedagogy for campus-based and online teaching methodologies. Identifies strategies for effective teaching in both modalities.

CFSD 524. Marital and Family Therapy Administration: Organizational Structure, Process and Behavior. 3 Units.

Prepares MFT doctoral students to manage human service programs and agencies. Mission-based management framework guides students in examining strategic planning as a method for creating organizational change and accountability to stakeholders.

CFSD 526. Advanced Marital and Family Therapy Assessment. 3 Units.

Prepares marriage and family therapy doctoral degree students with skills and knowledge to become competent with methods of relational assessment in clinical and research settings. Emphasizes understanding, evaluation, and utilization of both individual and family-based assessments in organizational settings. Students assess the strengths and weakness of instruments in order to determine the best fit for a program, clinical topic, or research project.

CFSD 528. Marriage and the Family. 4 Units.

Studies the family from perspectives of psychology, anthropology, biology, history, politics, and religion. Investigates the major movements or moving forces in society that have influenced families living in the United States and elsewhere. Evaluates the important contemporary issues in families and presents theories of family functioning that inform therapeutic and educational interventions by professionals.

CFSD 534. Family Life Education I. 3 Units.

Explores issues related to laws and ethics in the practice of family life education, family law, and public policy matters in the United States of America and around the world. Critically analyzes marriage and family literature. Prepares family life educators for certification as family life educators and related family life professionals.

CFSD 535. Family Life Education II. 4 Units.

Applies a family-life-education focus on human growth and development. Expanded emphasis on family resource management and parent education within individual and family life cycle.

CFSD 536. Family Life Education III. 3 Units.

Explores issues in family life education, human sexuality, and interpersonal relationships relevant to family life educators and related family life professionals.

CFSD 540. Introduction to Medical Family Therapy. 3 Units.

Provides an overview of medical family therapy and the theoretical models that can be applied to clinical work within medical settings. Addresses contextual issues that impact health of patients and family members. Includes personal and professional aspects of providing ethical, holistic, and collaborative clinical care in medical settings.

CFSD 544. Health and Illness in Families. 3 Units.

Examines biopsychosocial-spiritual aspects of illness and their impact on patient and family members across individual and family life span development. Reviews contextual, cultural, and systemic issues pertaining to health, illness, loss, and trauma of patients and family members. Highlights major issues and trends in health care and implications for patient care.

CFSD 545. Research and Practice with Couples and Families. 3 Units.

A scholarly and critical review of the literature in family social science, with application of this literature to the practice of family life education and/or marital and family therapy. Students interact with the material to critically challenge historical approaches and develop new insights and understandings that would shape present and future practice of interventionists that work with families.

CFSD 546. Multicultural and Global Mental Health. 3 Units.

Focuses on current issues, trends, and approaches in the field of family social science; and interacts with newer advances in the field resulting from changes in practice, sociocultural, political, and technological arenas. Presents professional practice as an evolving process for practitioners in the twenty-first century.

CFSD 548. Family Therapy and Medicine. 3 Units.

Provides a socio-cultural overview of health and the health-care system in the United States. Focuses on the social contextual and structural factors that give rise to access and treatment within health care. Covers these topics: theoretical perspectives on health and illness, social inequality in health and illness, culture and health, examination of the health-care industry, medical family therapy, and consequences of illness to individuals, families, and society.
Prerequisite: CFSD 540, CFSD 544.

CFSD 555. Organizational Development and Change. 3 Units.

Focus on system consultation and professional relations. Integrates organizational change theories and practice assessments in organizational settings. Assists students in integrating organizational behavior, assessment and change knowledge in practical setting.

CFSD 565. Neurobiology of Relationships, Stress and Trauma: Family Science Applications. 3 Units.

Connects philosophical underpinnings of systemic and relational theories to current social neuroscience research. Discusses implications and applications for clinical practice. Examines neuroscience of psychotherapy and interplay between biological systems, social processes, relational dynamics and behavior. Emphasis on recursive epistemology, construction of relational experiences, emotions, and attachment and trauma.

CFSD 601. Statistics I. 4 Units.

First in a series of three statistics courses. Focuses on basic, foundational behavioral statistics. Includes causality, levels of statistical measurement, frequencies distribution, measures of central tendency, dispersion, probability theory, normal distribution, and ANOVA.

CFSD 602. Statistics II. 4 Units.

Second in a series of three statistics courses. Focus on multivariate techniques. Includes ANOVA, ANCOVA, MANOVA, MANCOVA, formulation and computation of multiple regression models using scalar and matrix algebra, multivariate analysis of variance, regression diagnostics and solutions, regression with categorical dependent variables.
Prerequisite: CFSD 601.

CFSD 603. Statistics III. 4 Units.

Third in a series of three statistics courses. Includes nonlinear regression models, logistic regression, discriminant analysis, path analysis, factor analysis, and structural modeling; and, social network analysis and multilevel modeling.
Prerequisite: CFSD 602.

CFSD 605. Advanced Quantitative Methods. 3 Units.

Focuses on survey research design and data analysis. Includes research idea development, relational hypotheses formation, survey planning and management, questionnaire and item design, sampling, systemic clinical data measurement, logic of analysis, and problems of statistical interpretation and threats to internal and external validity.

CFSD 606. Issues in Family Research. 3 Units.

Addresses current issues in marriage and family therapy (MFT) and family studies research as basis for on-going inquiry and program development. Emphasizes research history, field trends, and evidence-based approaches to recovery. Focuses on designing, implementing, and disseminating research to support MFT and family studies.

CFSD 611. Qualitative Research Methods I. 4 Units.

Prepares doctoral students to conduct qualitative research study or program evaluation relevant to family processes and/or clinical practice. Introduces qualitative research foundations and practical experience with qualitative research methods. Addresses philosophical foundations of research design, analysis, and interpretation, and evaluation and presentation of qualitative data and findings.

CFSD 612. Qualitative Research Methods II. 3 Units.

Development of qualitative research project and completion of qualitative research proposal. Focuses on qualitative study design, data collection methods, data analysis strategies, writing/presenting qualitative data, and evaluation of qualitative studies.
Prerequisite: CFSD 611.

CFSD 624. Program Development for Families and Communities. 3 Units.

Presents core components of systemic/relational programs designed to address problems in families and larger systems. Examines the elements of systemic programming that address clinical treatment problems/populations, as well as prevention and intervention issues affecting families, communities, and society. Uses the systemic/relational paradigm to create programs reflecting students' areas of interest.

CFSD 625. Grant Writing. 3 Units.

Study and practice in locating, developing, and responding to grant opportunities of interest to marriage and family therapists and the mental health populations they serve. Students develop their own systemic/relational program, training, research, or dissertation grant ideas; locate potential funding sources; tailor applications and proposals to each funding source; and critique and refine proposals to meet professional and grantor standards.

CFSD 626. Program Evaluation and Monitoring for Families and Communities. 3 Units.

Addresses formative and summative evaluations that use quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method designs that are consistent with the program’s design and logic model. Emphasizes program evaluation and clinical outcomes as well as collaborations with stakeholders to ensure evaluation reports meet intended purposes. Includes assessment of program need, theory and adherence, process and performance, outcomes, impact, and efficiency.
Prerequisite: CFSD 622, CFSD 624.

CFSD 627. Statistical Analysis for Program Evaluation. 3 Units.

Reviews and utilizes basic statistical tools program administrators employ to analyze evaluation results. Provides a framework for evaluation methodologies and statistical analysis used in evaluation report development. Explores decision making strategies based on evaluation results and statistical analyses.
Prerequisite or concurrent*: CFSD 624, CFSD 626*.

CFSD 628. Needs Assessment for Families and Communities. 3 Units.

Examines needs assessment methodologies that use literature review, quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method designs identifying a need or gap in services for a specific problem or population. Uses a systems lens, emphasizing social justice and anti-racism, to develop a deeper understanding of problem formation and maintenance. Encourages development of ideas to address student-identified gaps or need within families or communities.

CFSD 634A. Practicum in Couple and Family Therapy. 3 Units.

First in a three-course practicum sequence. Applies systems and relational therapy to relational distress and mental health symptoms. Emphasizes a positive, strengths-based approach to resilience. Addresses gender, culture, socioeconomic, and political aspects of practice.
Prerequisite: 200 clinical hours.

CFSD 634B. Practicum in Couple and Family Therapy. 3 Units.

Second in a three-course practicum sequence. Applies systems and relational therapy to relational distress and mental health symptoms. Emphasizes a positive, strengths-based approach to resilience. Focuses on mode of systemic conceptualization and in-session processes.
Prerequisite: 200 clinical hours.

CFSD 634C. Practicum in Couple and Family Therapy. 3 Units.

Third in a three-course practicum sequence. Applies systems and relational therapy to relational distress and mental health symptoms. Emphasizes a positive, strengths-based approach to resilience. Emphasizes religious beliefs and spirituality, and moral and ethical imperatives in relationally-based practice.
Prerequisite: 200 clinical hours.

CFSD 694. Directed Study: Family Studies. 1,2 Unit.

Individual study in areas of special interest concerning family life education. May be repeated for credit at the discretion of the faculty.

CFSD 695. Project Research. 1-12 Units.

Required research associated with the capstone project for the D.M.F.T. degree.

CFSD 698. Dissertation Research. 1-10 Units.

Completes independent research contributing to the field of marital and family therapy.

CFSD 785A. Begin Clinical Training in Couple, Marital, and Family Therapy. 0 Units.

Enables students to consult with clinical director to set up and begin supervised clinical practice in the field of couple, marital, and family therapy. Acceptance into a CFS doctoral program.

CFSD 785B. Clinical Training in Couple, Marital, and Family Therapy. 4 Units.

Provides direct client contact in the practice of couple, marital, and family therapy and documents completion of a minimum of 200 hours of direct client contact. Meets AAMFT-approved standards and applies toward 40 hours of clinical experience. May cover up to five quarters and be repeated five times.

CFSD 786. Professional Development Proposal. 0 Units.

Must be registered for at least one quarter prior to eligibility for 786A. The student's professional development plan must be formulated and approved by the faculty during this course.

CFSD 786A. Professional Development Doctoral Portfolio. 1-12 Units.

Provides professional development experience for doctoral students to meet their professional development program requirement. Must be arranged in advance in the department. Repeatable for a total of 36 units.
Prerequisite: CFSD 786.

CFSD 786B. Professional Internship in Couple and Family Therapy. 2-6 Units.

Supervised client contact (face-to-face hours only) in the practice of couple and family therapy.