Department of Counseling

“The training of marriage and family therapists is based on a relational view of life in which an understanding and respect for diversity and non-discrimination are fundamentally addressed, practice, and valued. Based on this view, marriage and family therapy is a professional orientation toward life and is applicable to a wide variety of circumstances, including individual, couple, family, group, and community problems. It applies to all living systems; not only to persons who are married or who have a conventional family. . . . all training is …related to context, and culturally sensitive, whether contact hours are relational or individual, whether diagnostic procedure is traditional or relational, and whether a presenting problem is explicitly related to a marriage, a family or to neither.” (COAMFTE Standard 11)

Program Plan

The MFC/T Program requires additional clinical experiences and supervision to meet the accreditation standards for both CACREP and COAMFTE. The masters’ program is a 63 credit hour program that begins with core coursework in both counseling and marriage and family therapy, and culminates in two pre-practicum experiences behind the mirror observing other trainees, a one semester practicum experience in the Clinic for Individual and Family Counseling, and a minimum of two-three semesters of internship placement at a community mental health agency. The doctoral program is a 120 semester hour program (a maximum of 60 semester hours of appropriate coursework from a master’s degree may be brought into the doctoral program). This program coursework focuses on advanced theories and research in the marriage and family field, 12 semester hours of research, a minimum of three advanced practicums, a year of supervision training, a nine month internship placement in the field, and the completion of a dissertation.

Students in the MFC/T Program are not required to attend counseling of their own, but they will be required to evaluate their own values and how those values may impact clinical/supervisory experiences throughout various courses. For example, in the Systems Theory course students are required to do a personal epistemology paper on their view of change, in the Professional Identity and Ethics course students are required to examine their ethics and values as they relate to the profession, and in the Introduction to MFT Theory and Techniques course students are required to prepare a genogram and write a paper about their own family-of-origin. These assignments, and others, are intended to help students understand their own values, as well as how these values may impact work with clients.

Training, and Supervision

MFC/T master’s level students are expected to complete 500 hours of direct client contact (at least 250 of these hours must be with couples and/or families) and obtain 100 hours of supervision (at least 50 hours must be based on live/video supervision). MFC/T doctoral level students are expected to complete 1000 hours of direct client contact (at least 500 of these hours must be with couples and/or families) and obtain 200 hours of supervision (at least 100 hours must be based on live/video supervision. MFC/T doctoral students who have a master’s degree from an accredited COAMFTE program can bring into the program the first 500 hours from their previous master’s program to reduce the 1000 hours requirement. Other students who have previous marriage and family clinical experience will have their hours reviewed on a case by case basis. All MFC/T students are expected to participate in both individual and group supervision with the ratio of one hour of supervision for each five hours of direct client contact. All students are also expected to participate as members of a clinical team, be live observed, and videotaped.

During supervision each student is assigned a core MFC/T faculty member as a supervisor. When placed at an internship site, each student has an additional appropriately licensed site supervisor. All students who are placed for internship are also expected to meet with their university supervisor bi-weekly

Graduation

The MFC/T master’s program requires the passing of a master’s level comprehensive examination, as well as completion of coursework and clinical hours, to graduate. The exam is based on course materials and it is expected that it will aid students in preparation for taking the marriage and family and counselor licensure exams. The MFC/T doctoral program requires the passing of doctoral level comprehensive examinations, as well as completion of coursework, clinical hours, and successful pass on defense of dissertation. The doctoral level comprehensive also includes a clinical component that addresses the students progress as a clinician/supervisor.

Code of Ethics

The University of Akron Marriage and Family Counseling/Therapy Program adheres to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapy (OCSWMFT) Board’s laws and regulations, as well as the Codes of Ethics for AAMFT and ACA. The Program, The Department of Counseling and the College of Education at the University of Akron have an ethical and professional responsibility to insure that all students enrolled in the marriage and family program display ethical, professional, and personal behaviors that comply with professional ethical codes and the OCSWMFT Board.

Affirmative Action Policy

It is the policy of The University of Akron that there shall be no discrimination against any individual because of age, color, creed, handicap, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. This nondiscrimination policy applies to all students, faculty, staff, employees, and applicants. The MFC/T Program continually seeks to enhance the diversity of its’ program by the inclusion of racial diversity in our training contexts and in recruitment of new students for the program.