
Clinical-Counseling
Psychology - Marriage and Family Therapy Concentration
What do Marriage and Family Therapists do?
Marriage and Family Therapists evaluate and treat mental and emotional
disorders and other health and behavioral problems, and address a
wide array of relationship issues within the context of the family
system. Some of the problems that Marriage and
Family Therapist help people with are:
- Persistent problems with a child's behavior
- Marital discord
- Sexual concerns
- Difficulty in talking with family members, friends and coworkers
- Unmanageable anger, hostility or violence
- Feelings of depression, anxiety or loneliness
Marriage and Family Therapists are widely employed as clinicians
and consultants in mental health clinics, hospitals, schools, drug
and alcohol centers and a variety of other settings. Trained marriage
and family therapists, are also used to conduct or direct research.
What is the Program?
The Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program at La Salle is one
of four concentrations in the Clinical/Counseling Psychology Program.
It is a 48 credit hour program which is normally completed in two
to three years.
It helps to prepare students for employment in professional setting
with special training in marriage and family therapy.
It has been designed to fulfill the basic educational requirements
for clinical membership in the American Association for Marriage
and Family Therapy.
It is excellent preparation for those students planning to pursue
doctoral studies in clinical and/or family psychology.
It prepares students for licensure as Marriage and Family Therapists
in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and most other states.
How does the Program progress?
The MFT program progresses from a knowledge base of core courses
in psychology and systems theory, to a sequence of skills courses
in assessment and intervention, to actual clinical practice, completed
in a 12 month clinical placement in the final year.
What is Marriage & Family Therapy? Marriage
and Family Therapy is an approach to mental health care which seeks
to help people within the context of their families, using family
systems theories and interventions.
Its practitioners hold a common assumption that if the individual
is to change, the context must change. Therefore, the unit of treatment
is no longer the person, even if only a single person is interviewed.
It is the set of relationships in which the person is imbedded.
Marriage and Family Therapy is a growing discipline whose practitioners
come from many disciplines including Psychology, Medicine, Social
Work, Pastoral Counseling and Nursing. And while each contributes
a unique perspective to the field, each shares in the larger, organizing
system perspective.
Why study Marriage and Family Counseling At La Salle?
La Salle has been training counselors and therapists since 1979.
Its faculty is highly qualified and posses a wide range of disciplinary
expertise. Its resources are extensive, including: an on-campus
clinical center - The Community Center of Counseling and Psychological
Services.- in which some students serve their internships;a state
of the art library - The Connelly Library - with extensive holdings
in psychology; a well developed assessment laboratory with a full
range of psychological testing materials. The thoroughness of its
training is widely recognized in the Philadelphia area and sets
its graduates apart.
Location
A noteworthy feature of La Salle's graduate programs in Clinical-Counseling
Psychology is that they are offered in their entirety at three campuses
- In Philadelphia at 20th & Olney
- In Bucks County in the Newtown area
- Gwynedd-Mercy College
Admission Requirements
Ordinarily students will be accepted into the program three times
a year - to begin their studies in the fall, spring or summer semester.
To be eligible, students must present:
- Evidence of successful completion of a four year baccalaureate
degree program, preferably in psychology, with a GPA of 3.0 or
higher
- Above average scores on either the Graduate Record Exam or the
Miller Analogies Test
- Two letters of recommendation from former faculty members or
supervisors
- A minimum of 15 hours of undergraduate psychology (this requirement
may be met by taking additional graduate courses)
- Life experience is valued and therefore some preference will
be given applicants who present relevant work experience, either
paid or volunteer
Required Courses
PSY500 Counseling Theories
PSY502 Counseling Laboratory
PSY503 Psychopathology
PSY504 Development
PSY505 Introduction to Systems
PSY506 Research & Statistics
PSY602 Advanced Counseling Laboratory
PSY603 Human Sexuality
PSY619 Ethnic/Gender & Family Issues
PSY602 Advanced Counseling Laboratory
PSY614 Working with Families
PSY619 Ethnic/Gender & Family Issues
PSY624 Marital Therapy
PSY 628 Introduction to Relationships
PSY 634 Addictions and the Family
PSY680/81/82* Internship
PSY690/91/92* Professional Seminar
* The Professional Seminar is taken in conjunction with the practicum
internship for a total of 9 credits

John J. Rooney, Ph.D.
Director
Graduate Clinical Counseling Psychology
1900 West Olney Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19141 USA
Phone (215) 951-1767 Fax (215) 951-5140
e-mail: psyma@lasalle.edu
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