Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy
63 Credit Hours
The Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy degree equips students to provide compassionate care in our ever-changing world that presents individuals, couples, and families with new challenges daily. Such challenges for mental health and family relationships require that counseling clinicians are not only well grounded in theory and practice, but also see personhood (of themselves and their clients) as a tool for therapeutic change.
Our MAMFT program’s mission is to foster the development of competent marriage and family therapists whose personal and professional selves are formed through the awareness of systemic perspectives, multicultural contextualization, and spirituality. The program’s hybrid learning format blends online and in-person coursework. Courses address the impact of everyday systems at work with individuals, couples, and families. This relational/systemic perspective sees everyday life as impacted by larger systems in clients’ personal lives and relationships.
Program Highlights
- 100% job placement rate of program graduates.
- Hybrid program format – Students can take 50% of their courses online and 50% of their courses in person. This hybrid learning format enables students to get the best of both worlds.
- Practical experience from first course – You don’t have to wait for internships to get client session practice. New students participate with student interns in supervised client sessions during their first intro course, gaining practical experience and observation from the very beginning of the program.
- More than couples and families – Marriage and Family Therapy uses a systems approach to consider the whole person in their context. Students learn to serve individuals, couples, and families from a perspective that considers their lived experience and the systems in which they are embedded.
- Emphasis on diversity – The program honors diversities of race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and physical ability throughout its curriculum and clinical training. Clinical supervisors at the Counseling Center represent diversity of racial ethnicity, gender identification, and theoretical orientation.
- On-site practicum and residency opportunities – A distinct advantage of study at CTS is that students may conveniently complete their practicum hours at the CTS Counseling Center without the need to go elsewhere for this portion of the degree requirement. The center also offers residency opportunities for graduates as they prepare to complete clinical hour requirements to obtain state licensure.
- Prepare for diverse practice settings through a wide variety of clinical situations and experiences, including:
- Individual counseling (adults, children, and teens)
- Family counseling
- Couples counseling
- Premarital counseling
- Crisis counseling
- Psychoeducational groups
PRE-REQUISITES
- Bachelor’s degree from regionally accredited school
Requirements
Coursework Outline Download
Accreditation
The MAMFT is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Select MAMFT faculty and supervisors are members of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.
Accredited Since 1994
This degree can be paired with a Master of Divinity. Speak with your admissions counselor for more information.
100
placement of MAMFT graduates
2.5 Years
average time it takes a counseling student to complete their program
100
placement of MACMHC graduates
10
Student to Faculty ratio
85
of CTS students receive financial aid
Over
1000000
in financial aid dispersed annually
Why Marriage and Family Therapy?
This video from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy explains what Marriage and Family Therapy is and highlights the benefits of this therapy approach.
Resources
Information for prospective and current MAMFT students
Christian Theological Seminary Clinical Mental Health Counseling Core Faculty
PhD, LMFT, Director of Post-Graduate Residency Program, Assistant Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy
Lois and Dale Bright Professor in Christian Ministries, Professor of Pastoral Theology and Marriage and Family Therapy, Director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program
Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology and Marriage and Family Therapy
LMFT, CFLE, Affiliate Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy
COAMFTE Graduate Achievement Data for CTS MAMFT Program
Accredited: January 1, 1994 | Advertised Program Length*: FT: 4 years
| Cohort Year Students Entered Program | # of Students in Program - FT | Graduation Rate in Advertised Time (%)* - FT | Job Placement Rate (%)** - FT | Licensure Rate (%)*** - FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 - 2016 | 6 | 100% | 100% | 66.67% |
| 2016 - 2017 | 8 | 37.5% | 100% | 75% |
| 2017 - 2018 | 10 | 70% | 100% | 100% |
| 2018 - 2019 | 8 | 62.5% | 100% | 66.67% |
| 2019 - 2020 | 13 | 84.62% | 100% | 81.82% |
| 2020 - 2021 | 10 | 50% | 100% | 100% |
| 2021 - 2022 | 12 | IP | IP | IP |
| 2022 - 2023 | 6 | IP | IP | IP |
| 2023 - 2024 | 11 | IP | IP | IP |
FT=Full-time
PT=Part-time
IP=In Process: Students from the cohort listed have yet to graduate from the cohort year listed.
Programs are only required to provide data on the past 9 years/cohort or since the program was initially accredited, whichever is shorter.
* Graduation Rate is the program’s Advertised Length of Completion which is how long the program is designed to complete as written.
** Job Placement Rate is the percentage of graduates from the cohort year that are employed utilizing skills learned in the COAMFTE accredited program.
*** Licensure rate is the percentage of graduates from the cohort year that have achieved ANY level of MFT licensure.
For Master’s programs only, COAMFTE has established a benchmark of 70% licensure rate for each cohort.
CTS Counseling Center
A distinct advantage of study at CTS is that students may conveniently complete their practicum hours with the CTS Counseling Center, without the need to go elsewhere for this portion of the degree requirement. The center also offers a residency for graduates as they prepare to complete clinical hour requirements to obtain state licensure.
