Core Curriculum | 43 units

Individual and Family Lifespan Development
Overview of theory and research on the psychological, biological, and social aspects of human growth and development across the life span, with attention to family development and dynamics. Relationship of developmental concepts to counseling strategies in school and family counseling.

Counseling Across Cultures
Course features an understanding of multicultural issues in counseling with diverse ethnic groups, cultures, and social classes in American society. Emphasis is on developing cultural sensitivity to one's own cultural value system and the values and attitudes of diverse groups in cross-cultural counseling settings; increasing awareness of the effects that culture, race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexual orientation have on human development and the counseling process; and on learning effective counseling strategies and generic counseling methods that accommodate a diversity of cultures.

Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy
Course features an overview of major theories and approaches to psychological and counseling treatments. Course covers basic skills for interviewing, establishing a therapeutic relationship, and case conceptualization.

Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues
Course features the roles and responsibilities of Marriage and Family Therapists according to the laws and ethical principles governing practice. Particular emphasis will be given to the ethics codes of major professional associations, family law and statutes covering mental health practice for MFTs in California, and legal mandates pertaining to children in schools.

Individual and Family Psychopathology
Course includes an understanding of individuals and family psychopathology through the examination of a variety of models. Basic knowledge of the diagnostic process and criteria associated with diagnostic categories in the DSM-IV are explored, including use of the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning (GARF-AXIS IV of DSM-IV).

Problem Solving Therapy and Counseling
Course features counseling models on multimodal levels, such as cognitive, behavioral, and interactional. Primary emphasis in individual counseling within a broader systemic context, with secondary emphasis on couples therapy. Course integrates two or more time-limited, problem-solving therapies. Practice includes the integration and demonstration of skills and techniques from the models explored.

Child and Parent Therapy and Counseling
Counseling children and parents through client assessments, case conceptualization and goal setting, data collection, and behavioral and interactional strategies. Emphasis on systems methods and social-cognitive learning theory, eliminating dysfunctional behavior, and developing adaptive behavioral repertoires. Consultation with parents, teachers, and other professionals.

Individual and Systems Assessment
Course includes exposure to a variety of assessment procedures including structured interviews, standardized and non-standardized tests, and behavioral assessment. Special emphasis will be on assessment of couples, family, and parent-child interaction using empirically-validated models.

Brief Interactional Systems Therapy and Counseling: Theory and Practice
Course features the application of a range of brief systems therapy models, such as brief strategic, time-limited, behavioral, solution-focused, and narrative. Primary emphasis on couples counseling with secondary emphasis in individual counseling within a broader systemic context. Practice includes the integration and demonstration of skills and techniques from the models explored.

Pragmatic Family Systems Therapy and Counseling: Theory and Practice
Course features the application of pragmatic family therapies, such as strategic, structural, behavioral, and communication models to families. Practice includes the integration and demonstration of skills and techniques from the models explored.

Individual and Family Life Transitions Counseling
Application of adult development and life transitions theories to the practice of counseling adults and their families. Strategies and techniques for assessing and assisting adults and their families in initiating, understanding, coping with, and resolving major life transitions (e.g., loss, illness, career change, and relationship change, etc.).

Group Leadership and Systems Consultation
An overview of the theories and practice of group counseling and consultation, with emphasis on cognitive-behavioral, problem solving, and psychoeducational approaches. Students will conduct and critique group counseling sessions and design a workshop or therapeutic group for individuals or families. Course includes the application of group consultation and leadership skills within organizational settings, including schools and the workplace.

Individual and Family Therapy and Counseling Research
An introduction to the process, methods, and research literature pertaining to counseling individuals and families. Application of basic research concepts (e.g. hypotheses, research questions, research design, sampling, instrumentation, data collection, and analysis) to individuals and family systems.

Clinical Psychopharmacology
This course explores basic principles and applications of psychopharmacology in the mental health field. Students will survey principles of drug action and neurotransmitter systems in the nervous system and various classes of psychiatric drugs. Students will also investigate ethical and clinical issues facing Marriage and Family Therapists when psychopharmacological interventions are part of treatment.

Career Counseling: Theory and Practice
Career counseling theory and applications. Focus on career planning, interest assessment, employment counseling, vocational information resources, use of technology, current trends and implications for individuals and family development.

Later Life Counseling: Theory and Practice
An examination of the psychological, social, economic, and cultural dimensions of later life and the impact of cultural attitudes on individuals and their families. Includes counseling strategies for use with later life clients and their families.

Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
Study of the interactional patterns, dynamics, etiology, types, legal and medical aspects, and the treatment of alcoholism and other kinds of chemical substance dependency.

Spousal and Partner Abuse Assessment, Detection and Intervention
This course covers spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention, including knowledge of community resources, cultural factors, and same gender abuse dynamics. Course includes analyses of patterns of emotional, physical, sexual and economic abuse and strategies for changing the cycle of violence.

Supervised Traineeship | 6 units

Traineeship I
A Level 1 supervised experience in marriage and family therapy in an institutional setting under professional supervision.

Traineeship II
Prerequisite: CPSY 637. A Level II supervised experience in marriage and family therapy in an institutional setting under professional supervision.

Traineeship III (Optional unit)
A Level III supervised experience in marriage and family counseling in an institutional setting under professional supervision.