Program Snapshot

Accreditation

WSCUC

Concentrations/Specializations Offered

The Couples Therapy course includes the completion of Gottman Level 1 training, which equips students with new insight into couples’ struggles using research-based assessments and effective interventions based on the Gottman Sound Relationship House Theory. Students receive a certificate of completion and are then eligible to take the Level 2 training.

Upon completion of the MFT program, students may choose to take 11 additional units that fulfill the requirements for a Substance Use Disorders certificate. This certificate allows you to establish a competency that historically has only been afforded to those working in the substance use disorders field. As primary care physicians, mental health providers and substance use providers coalesce into whole person care, you will be a part of cutting-edge treatment.

LMFT Track or Dual LMFT/LPCC Track

The Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy offers one additional 3-unit course which provides for students interested in dual licensure as both an LPCC and an MFT. Coursework meets the State of California requirements for both licenses.

Length of Program

63-82 units total. In designing your approach to MFT study, the blueprints can be laid out in a two-, three-, or four-year program. The timeline is up to you. Depending on the course of action you choose to complete this 66-unit degree, you may take 6-15 units each term.

Schedule/Format

Participation in the full-time, two-year academic plan requires class attendance during the evening, two to three days per week. Classes meet once weekly. Classes are offered each evening (beginning at 4:05 and 7:30 p.m.). An additional 10-12 hours per week for clinical placement training is required once trainee status is obtained. See the sample two-year sequence below.

Participation in the reduced-load three-year plan also requires class attendance during the evening two to three days per week, but the student generally takes only three courses per semester rather than the four courses per semester required by the two-year program. Approximately 10-12 hours per week for clinical placement training is required until the student has accumulated the required 300 hours of direct clinical contact.

Participation in the reduced-load four-year program requires the student to take only two courses per semester. Students must also accumulate a minimum of 300 hours of direct clinical contact in their practicum setting prior to graduation.

Students are not allowed to switch between APU’s Azusa campus and the regional campuses (Inland Empire, Orange County, San Diego). You must register and take courses at the location you were originally admitted to. If you relocate during the program, you must speak with the MA program director.

Program Start

Fall, Spring

Estimated Total Program Tuition

$54,180 - $70,520

Religious Orientation

Using a foundation in Christian faith, a systemic family psychology approach, and an integration of theories of psychotherapy, students explore personal, ethical, and social values as they prepare to serve the needs of their communities.

Entering Class Size and Classroom Sizes

Lecture classes consist of 25-30 students, and clinical settings average 8-10 students.

Fieldwork Hours Accrued During Program

300 hours of direct client contact (e.g., individual, group, couples, family, and child therapy performed by the student) are required to graduate from the MA program.

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement During Program

Proof of 40 hours of completion must be submitted one week before commencement. Group therapy may also apply, but must be approved by the program director and the director of clinical training.

Comprehensive Exam/Culminating Project/Thesis/Etc:

The MA clinical competency exam (CCE) is designed to evaluate the level of clinical skills and knowledge developed by each Student during the master’s program, in an effort to ensure student readiness to enter the field as a marriage and family therapist registered intern. There are two clinical competency exams (Law and Ethics, and Clinical Vignette), and each is composed of questions pertaining to all course content within the MA program. The exams are administered online on two separate days approximately two weeks apart. Students who graduate in July will take these exams in the summer semester (May/June), prior to graduating. Students who graduate in December will take these exams in the fall semester (November/December), prior to graduating. There is no cost for taking the CCEs.