Training PhilosophyThe unique and overarching
goal of the Master’s Degree in Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) at Fuller
Theological Seminary is to train family clinicians within a systems framework,
in accordance with the mission of Fuller Seminary, and the California MFT
licensing laws delineated in Section 4980.37 of the California Business and
Professions Code. The curriculum is primarily devoted to the growth and
development of skilled therapists, though prevention and enrichment skills are
also encouraged.
The Fuller Seminary Marriage
and Family faculty seek to provide trainees with a strength based perspective on
enhancing marital and family functioning. Students are encouraged to strive for
clinically integrative strategies that foster moral and spiritual growth as part
of psychological and relational growth. The plurality of faith and values in
contemporary society, however, is also recognized and respected.
In order to achieve the
goals of training MFTs within the mission of Fuller Seminary, and the MFT
licensing laws of California, unique learning experiences are offered through:
(1) the acquisition of knowledge by formal classroom learning and (2) the
application of that knowledge in a clinical setting under the supervision of a
qualified therapist. The faculty also recognizes the importance of a
therapist’s personal awareness and maturity, so students are strongly urged to
engage in personal therapy.
Clinical training is
accorded its central role by inclusion throughout the program. After practicing
basic intervention skills in lab training, students participate in live
supervision and a clinical placement. In the next section, these three
dimensions are discussed in more detail.
In order to maximize the
integration of course work and clinical training, and to provide clinical
supervisors with an understanding of our training philosophy, eight guiding
assumptions have been delineated:
1.
Marital and family therapy is a discipline that is rapidly growing and
changing;
2.
Marital and family therapists should be encouraged to critically assess
MFT theories in order to foster the development of more effective methods of
treatment;
3.
Marital and family therapists need high quality competence in the
diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of a broad spectrum of individual and
relationship problems, including mental illness;
4.
Marital and family therapists must be able to consult with a variety of
professionals, including clergy persons, school personnel internists,
psychiatrists, psychologists, and family law specialists;
5.
Marital and family therapists need competence in counseling children,
couples, families, group and individuals, in the context of ethnicity, culture
and gender, religion;
6.
Marital and family therapists need skill in the identification and
treatment of the moral and spiritual dimensions of marital and family
constraints;
7.
Clinical faculty should have an integral role in training, demonstrating
the application of theory to clinical practice; and
8.
Mental health facilities must be utilized in training marital and family
therapists to ensure a broad range of exposure to family problems.
Contact Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary
135 N. Oakland Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91182
800-238-5537--Admissions
800-235-2222--All other inquiries
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