Graduate Catalog
Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
Family therapy is a distinct profession with its own history, theories, models, professional organizations, and journals. Family therapists are generalists in that we typically treat a wide variety of psychological, emotional, and relational problems. We work with individuals, couples, families, and community groups. The hallmark of family therapy is our systemic and social constructionist approaches, as well as our preferred inclusion of multiple people in the therapeutic process. Family therapists share the premise that human behavior occurs within family, social, and cultural contexts. We understand thoughts, feelings, and behaviors/interactions as interrelated across individual, family, community, societal, and global systems. This includes acknowledging individual psychological, physiological, and genetic factors as well as family and other relational patterns of interaction. Importance is placed on understanding how race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, abilities, language, country of origin, and other social identities/locations interconnect to maintain systems of power and privilege. Family therapists are concerned with how these contextual factors influence well-being and are committed to challenging social structures that maintain individual and family problems.
Accreditation and Licensure
Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy programs at Lewis & Clark are approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). Graduates are eligible to pursue licensing as marriage and family therapists (LMFT) in Oregon.
Most other states grant eligibility for licensing to graduates of our Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy programs. However, some states may have additional educational requirements that must be met prior to licensure.
Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
The Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy (MCFT) program is designed to lead graduates to eventual licensure and employment as marriage and family therapists in a variety of clinical and agency settings. The MCFT curriculum provides the knowledge and skills necessary for practitioners to provide high-quality, effective therapy using active, positive approaches that help individuals, couples, and families build on their strengths, improve their relationships, and generate solutions to mental health and relational problems. The program is unique in its emphasis on taking a social justice perspective in the practice of family therapy.
The MCFT program uses a cohort model which encourages students to build relationships and help each other develop over time. Throughout the program, students complete readings and assignments to prepare for active participation and application exercises in the classroom. Practice skills are integrated throughout courses and students complete an extensive supervised clinical internship during the last 15 months of their program in order to develop core practice competencies.
Lewis & Clark's MCFT program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). It meets the academic requirements for state licensure in Oregon and most other states. Graduates of this program will have met the academic requirements needed to become licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT) and clinical members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
MCFT students can include a special concentration on addictions treatment in the context of families. Since addictions treatment is in great demand across the country, an opportunity to be trained in this area strengthens the practice focus of our students and increases their marketability.
MCFT students can choose to include a special concentration in international family therapy, which includes courses on global awareness and international family therapy, as well as travel to another country and a capstone course.
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 60 semester hours, including:
Degree Courses
| CPSY 504 | Family Therapy: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| CPSY 506 | Life Span Development | 2 |
| CPSY 514 | Group Counseling With Children and Adolescents | 3 |
| or CPSY 515 | Group Counseling With Adults | |
| CPSY 516 | Family Development: Cross-Cultural Perspectives | 2 |
| CPSY 522 | Diagnosis of Mental and Emotional Disorders | 2 |
| CPSY 526 | Practical Skills in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy | 3 |
| CPSY 530 | Research Methods and Statistics I | 3 |
| CPSY 556 | Equity in Family Therapy | 3 |
| CPSY 560 | Couple Therapy | 3 |
| CPSY 561 | Assessment and Prevention in Family Therapy and Counseling | 3 |
| CPSY 562 | Advanced Family Therapy | 3 |
| CPSY 563 | Treatment Issues in Family Therapy | 3 |
| CPSY 564 | Treating Addictions in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy | 2 |
| CPSY 566 | Legal and Ethical Issues in Family Therapy and Counseling | 2 |
| CPSY 569 | Introduction to Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy | 1 |
| CPSY 578 | Sex Therapy | 2 |
| CPSY 584 | Practicum in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy | 4 |
| CPSY 588 | Internship in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy (three semesters, 4 semester hours each) | 12 |
Graduate Core Requirement
A minimum of 2 semester hours of Core Program coursework and one Core convocation
Elective Courses
Any remaining required semester hours may be earned by taking elective courses.
Additional Courses for Concentration in Addictions Treatment (6 semester hours)
| CPSY 545 | Drugs, the Brain, and Behavior | 3 |
| CPSY 546 | Models of Addiction and Recovery | 3 |
| or CPSY 547 | Addictions Treatment: Procedures, Skills, and Case Management | |
Additional Courses for Concentration in International Family Therapy (8 semester hours)
| CPSY 557 | Global Awareness in Professional Practice | 2 |
| CPSY 567 | International Family Therapy | 2 |
| CPSY 568 | International Family Therapy Capstone | 2 |
| CPSY 902 | Culture and Community | 2 |
Master of Science in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
Students admitted to the Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy program may choose to seek an M.S. degree. This option, which is often of interest to students planning to pursue a doctoral degree in psychology, is available only upon formal application to the M.S. program. Students wishing to pursue this degree apply after completing the requirements listed below.
Requirements for Application
Application to the M.S. requires prior admission to the Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy program.
In addition to prior admission, application to the master of science requires the following:
- A demonstrated capacity for initiative and independent research
- Completion of Research Methods and Statistics I (CPSY 530) with a grade of B or better
- Completion of Research Methods and Statistics II (CPSY 531)
- Completion of a thesis proposal, including a timeline for completing the project, agreement by a faculty member to serve as chair of a thesis committee, and designation of a three-person faculty committee
- Formal approval of a thesis proposal by a thesis committee
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 64 semester hours, distributed as follows:
Students must meet all regular requirements for a Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy
| CPSY 594 | Proposal Writing | 1 |
| CPSY 595 | Master's Thesis Research (Satisfactory completion of a thesis—a minimum of 2 semester hours and maximum of 9 semester hours is required) | 2 |
Practicum and Internship Information
During their final 15 months of a Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy (MCFT) program, students are involved in direct clinical work with individuals, couples, families, and groups. One semester of practicum is followed by three semesters of internship, moving students toward increasingly independent practice. There are select agencies in Portland and its surrounding areas that are well-suited for training in family therapy. Lewis & Clark faculty and staff work closely with agency supervisors to ensure positive and appropriate placement of MCFT students.
While in their practicum and internship, MCFT students must complete at least 500 hours of direct client contact, half of which must be relational (with couples and families). Students participate in weekly individual and group supervision, which relies heavily on "raw data," including video tape and live observation of students' clinical work.
Prior to enrollment in a practicum or internship, students must complete a portfolio of their work in the program, including coursework, field work, and other professional activities. More information is available in the program handbook, available online.
Master of Arts Courses
CPSY 504 Family Therapy: Theory and Practice
Content: Overview of the fundamental assumptions and ideas
of general systems theory and the basic premises
of theoretical orientations within family therapy.
Participants explore the application of course
material to their work setting or training track.
Prerequisites: For students in the Professional Mental Health Community
Counseling or Professional Mental Health
Counseling-Addictions programs, CPSY 502 or 503, CPSY 506,
CPSY 509 or 511, CPSY 513, CPSY 550, CPSY 530 or CPSY 535.
For students in other programs, none.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 506 Life Span Development
Content: Exploration of life span development through the
lenses of social, cultural, cognitive, biological,
and learning theories and research. Emphasis is on
gaining better conceptual understanding of healthy
development and better practical understanding of
how to help children, adolescents, and adults
address the developmental challenges they face
across the life span. Particular focus placed on
understanding our own developmental processes as
well as the role of cultural difference and
commonality in the developmental process.
Prerequisites: For Professional Mental Health Counseling and Professional
Mental Health Counseling--Addictions students, CPSY 502 or
CPSY 503, CPSY 513.
Credits: 2 semester hours.
CPSY 514 Group Counseling With Children and Adolescents
Content: Instruction and practice in developing group
treatments for children and adolescents in
clinical and school settings. Students gain
practice as group leaders in addressing issues
related to group dynamics, cultural diversity,
potential problems encountered when running
groups, and generalization and maintenance of
behavioral change. Students also gain experience
constructing curricula for specific issues such as
divorce, substance use, grief, and social skills.
Prerequisites: For students in the Professional Mental Health Counseling
or Professional Mental Health Counseling-Addictions
programs, CPSY 502 or CPSY 503, CPSY 506, CPSY 509 or CPSY
511, CPSY 513, CPSY 522, CPSY 530 or CPSY 535, CPSY 534,
CPSY 550. For students in Marriage, Couple, and Family
Therapy programs, CPSY 504, CPSY 506, CPSY 526; for
students in the School Psychology program, CPSY 507.
Restrictions: Consent of Counseling Psychology department required.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 515 Group Counseling With Adults
Content: Introduction to the major schools of thought
regarding group therapy and the common factors
associated with positive outcomes. Covers group
dynamics, obstacles to success in group therapy,
and the stages of group process. Role-playing,
outside group membership, and demonstrations
illustrate principles of effective group
leadership.
Prerequisites: For Professional Mental Health Counseling and Professional
Mental Health Counseling--Addictions students, CPSY 502 or
CPSY 503, CPSY 506, CPSY 509 or CPSY 511, CPSY 513, CPSY
522, CPSY 530 or 535, CPSY 534, CPSY 550. For Marriage,
Couple, and Family Therapy students, CPSY 504, CPSY 506,
CPSY 526.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 516 Family Development: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
Content: Family interaction processes and development
within cultural contexts. Topics include: family
development, diverse family forms, patterns and
dynamics of family interaction, and the impact of
social context and culture on family life.
Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 2 semester hours.
CPSY 522 Diagnosis of Mental and Emotional Disorders
Content: Introduction to the structure and uses of the
DSM-IV and ICD-9 systems for diagnosing mental and
emotional disorders. Limits and weaknesses of
these approaches--especially with regard to
cultural differences--and alternatives to them.
How to use these systems effectively in the
context of person-centered, psychosocial, and
systemic interventions, and in culturally diverse
environments. Current knowledge, theory, and
issues regarding selected disorders. Use of
technology-based research tools to secure and
evaluate contemporary knowledge.
Prerequisites: For Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy students, CPSY 569.
For Professional Mental Health Counseling and Professional
Mental Health Counseling--Addictions students, CPSY 502 or
CPSY 503, CPSY 506, CPSY 509 or CPSY 511, CPSY 513, CPSY 530
or CPSY 535, CPSY 550.
Credits: 2 semester hours.
CPSY 526 Practical Skills in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
Content: Overview of basic relational therapy concepts and
skills, including skill development through
role-playing and simulated counseling experiences.
Prerequisites: CPSY-504, CPSY 566, and CPSY 569.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 530 Research Methods and Statistics I
Content: Introduction to research methods with an emphasis
on design, sampling, measurement issues, and
introductory data analysis. Topics include (1)
research design: elements of the research process,
types of designs, program evaluation; (2) ethical
considerations of research: informed consent,
research with diverse and vulnerable populations,
research with children, human subjects review; (3)
basic measurement concepts: validity, reliability,
norms, score interpretation; (4) basic statistical
concepts: frequency distributions, central
tendency, measures of variability, correlation.
Reviews Web-based resources for conducting
research. Note: Taught during the fall semester
only, as the first course of a two-semester
sequence. Students who wish to pursue the
thesis-option M.S. program are advised to take
this sequence as early as possible in their course
of study.
Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 556 Equity in Family Therapy
Content: Development of awareness and knowledge of
diversity necessary to practice family therapy
from liberation-based and social-justice-based
frameworks. This includes interrogating multiple
embedded systems of power and privilege relative
to interconnections of identity and social
position. Focus is on helping students become
capable family therapists in diverse contexts,
including becoming aware of their own beliefs,
biases, and prejudices relative to culture, race,
ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, or
physical or mental ability.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Admission to the Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
program.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 560 Couple Therapy
Content: Systems theory therapies and practices relative to
assessment, research, and treatment of couples.
Explores cognitive, affective, interactional, and
systemic theories of human behavior and change as
related to couples.
Prerequisites: CPSY-504.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 561 Assessment and Prevention in Family Therapy and Counseling
Content: Examination of the theoretical assumptions,
values, and cultural frameworks underlying
individual, couple, and family assessment
approaches. Specific assessment techniques and
tools are discussed, evaluated, and practiced.
Preventative interventions such as premarital
counseling and parent education are also explored
and critiqued from a critical multicultural
perspective.
Prerequisites: CPSY-504.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 562 Advanced Family Therapy
Content: Introduction to the practice of systemic therapy.
In this survey course, students learn the history,
theoretical assumptions, and primary techniques
associated with each of the major family therapy
models. Students practice using theory to guide
interventions through case examples, video, and
role plays.
Prerequisites: CPSY-504.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 563 Treatment Issues in Family Therapy
Content: Applications of family systems approach to
treatment of families in crisis and transition.
Topics include issues such as substance abuse,
domestic violence, sexual abuse, trauma and loss,
poverty, and chronic illness. A portion of this
course emphasizes clinical case conceptualization
and treatment planning.
Prerequisites: CPSY-504.
Credits: 0.5-3 semester hours.
CPSY 564 Treating Addictions in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
Content: Family systems view of the development and
maintenance of substance abusing patterns for
family therapists and other health practitioners.
Examines the contributions made to the
understanding and treatment of substance abuse by
family researchers, theorists, and clinicians.
Considers clinical intervention methods of
substance abuse with attention to the treatment of
adolescents, couples, and families.
Prerequisites: CPSY 504 or CPSY 534.
Restrictions: Priority is given to students in the Marriage, Couple, and
Family Therapy and Professional Mental Health
Counseling-Addictions programs. Permission of the
Counseling Psychology Department Office.
Credits: 2 semester hours.
CPSY 566 Legal and Ethical Issues in Family Therapy and Counseling
Content: Survey of current issues relating to ethical
practice and legal responsibilities in family
therapy and counseling. Addresses issues such as
confidentiality, informed consent, dual
relationships, and therapist liability. Includes
models for ethical decision making, working with
the legal system, and relevant aspects of family
law.
Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 2 semester hours.
CPSY 569 Introduction to Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
Content: Basic theoretical assumptions of the profession of
marriage, couple and family therapy, with an
overview of its historical roots, social and
cultural contexts, types of practice, ethical
principles, and professional orientation.
Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 1 semester hour.
CPSY 578 Sex Therapy
Content: Sexual health and introduction to treatment of
sexual issues. Topics include sexual development
across the lifespan, sexual orientation and
identity, critique of the social construction of
sex, systemic bio-psycho-social-spiritual
assessment of sexual well-being, and treatment of
specific sexual problems.
Prerequisites: CPSY 504 or CPSY 534, CPSY 562.
Corequisites: CPSY 560.
Restrictions: Consent of intructor required.
Credits: 2 semester hours.
CPSY 584 Practicum in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
Content: Supervised practicum bridging theoretical and
practical topics, Students apply their emerging
skills and understanding of family therapy models
to their work with individuals, couples, families,
and groups.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Consent of MCFT program director and MCFT clinical
coordinator.
Credits: 4 semester hours.
CPSY 588 Internship in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
Content: Applied training in family therapy during a
calendar-year internship, including supervised
clinical practice with individuals, couples, and
families using systemic, social constructionist,
and critical family therapy models.
Prerequisites: CPSY 584.
Restrictions: Consent of advisor.
Credits: 1-4 semester hours.
Master of Science Courses
CPSY 530 Research Methods and Statistics I
Content: Introduction to research methods with an emphasis
on design, sampling, measurement issues, and
introductory data analysis. Topics include (1)
research design: elements of the research process,
types of designs, program evaluation; (2) ethical
considerations of research: informed consent,
research with diverse and vulnerable populations,
research with children, human subjects review; (3)
basic measurement concepts: validity, reliability,
norms, score interpretation; (4) basic statistical
concepts: frequency distributions, central
tendency, measures of variability, correlation.
Reviews Web-based resources for conducting
research. Note: Taught during the fall semester
only, as the first course of a two-semester
sequence. Students who wish to pursue the
thesis-option M.S. program are advised to take
this sequence as early as possible in their course
of study.
Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 531 Research Methods and Statistics II
Content: Research design and data analysis, inferential
statistics. Simple and complex designs, normal
distribution, z-test, t-test, analysis of
variance, statistical power, simple regression.
Overview of nonparametric and multivariate
analysis. Note: Taught in spring semester only, as
the second course of a two-semester sequence.
Students who wish to pursue the thesis-option M.S.
program are advised to take this sequence as early
as possible in their course of study.
Prerequisites: CPSY-530.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 594 Proposal Writing
Content: Direct instruction and support for the process of
preparing a thesis and/or other research or grant
proposals. Includes both a colloquium and
individual consultations with a thesis chair (or,
if not writing a thesis, another faculty member).
The colloquium will focus on the refinement of
research questions, the specifics of research
design, and the Human Subjects in Research
application process. Consultations with thesis
committee chair or other faculty member will focus
on the development of a manuscript that clearly
details the purpose of the research, summarizes
relevant literature, and identifies the proposed
design and methodology for the research project.
Prerequisites: CPSY 530 and CPSY 531, or consent of instructor.
.
Restrictions: Permission of thesis coordinator.
Credits: 1 semester hour.
CPSY 595 Master's Thesis Research
Content: Completion of thesis research project under the
direction of the chair of the candidate's thesis
committee. Three semester hours, which can be
taken in 1-semester hour increments, are required
for degree. Grades are deferred until the
candidate has successfully defended his or her
thesis.
Prerequisites: Consent of thesis committee chair.
Restrictions: Consent of thesis committee chair.
Credits: 1-9 semester hours.
Additional Courses for Addictions Concentration
CPSY 545 Drugs, the Brain, and Behavior
Content: Psychopharmacology of alcohol and drug abuse.
Major drugs and classes of abused substances.
Mechanisms of action in the brain, patterns of
physiological response in abuse, addiction, and
recovery. Impact on brain function, cognition,
emotions, behavior, and social effects.
Pharmacological adjuncts to detoxification and
treatment.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Permission of the Professional Mental Health Counseling -
Addictions program director.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 546 Models of Addiction and Recovery
Content: Theories of the nature, course, causes, and
effects of addiction to alcohol and drugs of
abuse. Conditions, processes, and patterns of
recovery. Emphasis on physiological, social
learning, and interpersonal models and theories.
Natural history of onset, abuse, addiction, and
recovery; effects of intergenerational
transmission, genetic predilection, developmental
risk, and sociocultural factors; effects on
psychosocial development; impact of culture and
gender differences. Implications for treatment.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Permission of the Professional Mental Health Counseling -
Addictions program director.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
CPSY 547 Addictions Treatment: Procedures, Skills, and Case Management
Content: Emphasis on developing detailed understanding and
beginning skills in the use of specific
strategies, procedures, and interventions in
assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of substance
abuse and addictive disorders. Topics include
multiple modes and models of assessment,
intervention and treatment, content and basic
assumptions of different treatment modalities,
organization of comprehensive treatment
strategies, motivational interviewing in the
context of stages-of-change models, contracting
with clients, consultation, integration of medical
and psychosocial treatments, referral processes
and standards, issues of moderation versus
abstinence, relapse prevention, and case
management. Also covers documentation, record
keeping and management, confidentiality, and
ethical and legal issues.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Permission of the Professional Mental Health Counseling -
Addictions program director.
Credits: 3 semester hours.
Additional Courses for International Family Therapy Concentration
CPSY 557 Global Awareness in Professional Practice
Content: An overview course designed to enhance global
awareness from a systems perspective. By viewing
the world as a single place with interconnected
social, political, environmental, economic, and
biological dynamics, students are encouraged to
recognize the impact of the global in all local
contexts, including counseling and education.
Prerequisites: None.
Restrictions: Admission to the Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
program.
Credits: 2 semester hours.
CPSY 567 International Family Therapy
Content: Introduces students to family work worldwide,
including the emerging professionalization of
family therapy in many countries. Foci include
international family therapy education and
clinical practice; transferability of family
therapy knowledge across national contexts; and
issues of power, resources, and colonization in
transnational work.
Prerequisites: CPSY 557.
Restrictions: Admission to the Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
program.
Credits: 2 semester hours.
CPSY 568 International Family Therapy Capstone
Content: Culmination of a collection of courses and
experiences related to international family
therapy. Provides an opportunity for students to
integrate their international knowledge and
experience into local practice through service
delivery to transnational communities.
Prerequisites: CPSY 557.
Restrictions: Admission to the Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy
program.
Credits: 2 semester hours.
CPSY 902 Culture and Community
Content: An intensive international or intercultural
immersion course designed to raise awareness of
issues in personal and community well-being in a
particular community or region. After pre-visit
briefings and readings, students visit
professionals at schools, clinics, and NGOs to
learn about the cultural and social realities of
the community or region. The visit is followed by
systematic reflection on implications for local
practice and the understanding of one's own self
and society. Interdisciplinary approaches and
interprofessional collaboration are emphasized.
Prerequisites: None.
Credits: 2 semester hours.
Graduate Departments and Programs of Study