Northcentral University can help you become part of one of the fastest growing mental health professions.
Regardless of where you are in your education or your career, Northcentral offers the degree programs and personal support that can prepare you for a rewarding, valuable position in Marriage and Family Therapy.
THE MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY FIELD IS GROWING in part because of raised awareness about the importance of better managing family relationships and stress in our rapidly changing world. Today, there are some 50,000 MFTs, and more are needed. The field's growing prominence is also due to its family-centered approach and demonstrated effectiveness. For more information click on Money US News and US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Studies show that clients are highly satisfied with the services provided by MFTs. They report marked improvement in work productivity and co-worker relationships, family and partner relationships, emotional and overall health, social life and community involvement.
- Clients report that MFTs are the mental health professionals they would most likely recommend to others.
MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPY (MFT) is a distinct mental health discipline with a unique body of knowledge, research, clinical approaches, and licensure laws.
As a profession, MFT was developed out of the field of psychiatry in the 1940s.
The shift in thinking that developed into the MFT profession was to take the focus off individual pathology and view people’s symptoms and problems as interactional processes best understood within the larger family or couple context.
MFT vs. TRADITIONAL THERAPY CHART
MFT Program Approvals and Accreditations
In order to ensure the highest level of quality in training and education within our MFT programs, we seek to obtain and maintain proper external reviews and approvals of our degree programs. We currently have the following examples of program approvals and accreditations—achieved or in process—related to the MFT Programs at Northcentral.
First, we applied for and received approval of our MFT programs (MA and PhD) with the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education (AZBPPE). This was originally approved in April, 2008. In order to review this degree program approval, click here and search for Northcentral University.
Second, we applied for approval of both programs with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The HLC approved both degree programs in September of 2009. Click here to review our accreditation status with the HLC.
Third, in December of 2010, we received approval of our MA MFT program from the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (CA-BBS; the MFT licensing board in California). This means that our degree program is pre-approved as meeting the educational requirements for MFT licensure in the State of California. Click here to review Northcentral University on the CA-BBS list of Accredited Schools with MFT Degree Programs.
Fourth, although it is not directly related to the MA MFT program, another approval we received was that of the AAMFT preapproving our Supervision Methods course. This course is the first and only online supervision training course that is approved by the AAMFT. We see the approval of this course as an important recognition that online coursework and training, if well designed, can be substantially equivalent to in-person experience. The fact that the approval is from the AAMFT is a respected achievement for us as well. To find our course in the list of approved courses, click here and search for courses in Arizona.
In addition to these completed approvals, we are now in the process of seeking accreditation of our MA MFT program with the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). To date, no distance-based MFT programs have been accredited by COAMFTE. Note: We are not currently accredited by COAMFTE or CACREP and cannot guarantee that they will approve our program.
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