La Salle University
Program snapshot
Why Study Marriage and Family Therapy at La Salle?
The Marriage and Family Therapy program at La Salle progresses from a knowledge base of core courses in systems theory to a sequence of skills courses in assessment and intervention, to actual clinical practice, completed in a one-year clinical placement in the final year. The required courses fulfill the educational requirements for licensure in the state of Pennsylvania and most other states, as well as for clinical membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
La Salle’s MFT degree prepares students for licensure as marriage and family therapists (LMFT) in Pennsylvania and most other states and for employment in many professional settings. Upon graduation from the program, students meet the education eligibility requirement for the national exam for licensure. The MFT degree also is excellent preparation for those students planning to pursue doctoral studies in marriage and family therapy or a related field.
Highlighted Courses
PMFT 505 Systems and Systemic Thinking
This course provides the student with an overview of systemic concepts and systemic functioning. It includes structure, development, health, and dysfunction from traditional systemic theoretical constructs and approaches. Particular emphasis is placed on acquiring a systems perspective and applying that perspective to families and other systems.
PMFT 608 Therapeutic Approaches for Children and Adolescents
This course is designed to provide an understanding of working with children, adolescents, and their families. It will focus on treating a variety of presenting issues, as well as provide several theoretical perspectives for working with families with children and/or adolescents. We will explore many clinical interventions for working with youth of varying ages, and the course will include play therapy. Students will have many experiential opportunities to learn about play therapy techniques and interventions. Careful attention will be paid to ethical issues, laws regarding mandated reporting, duty-to-warn, when treating children and adolescents, as well as cultural and diversity issues will be addressed.
PMFT 628 Understanding Relationships
This course examines human relationships with particular reference to their various forms, functions, and patterns of development. The processes of attachment, separation, individuation, and differentiation are highlighted and are used in a contextual (systemic) framework to examine each relationship. Special emphasis is placed on the clinical applications of this knowledge to couples and families. The student is required to complete a study of one of his/her primary dyadic relationships.
Meet the Faculty
Jazrael M. Turner, MA, LMFT has worked in the field of mental health as a therapist in various settings such as agency settings, University counseling, and private practice settings. Jazrael has worked with individuals, couples and families in therapy to support individuals with being able to better identify triggers, managing mental health symptoms, exploring relationships, establishing healthy boundaries, improving advocacy for self and increasing self esteem. During her time as a therapist, Jazrael has developed a passion working with college students and transitional aged youth. Jazrael’s work as a therapist currently focuses on black mental health, particularly pertaining to Millennial aged Black Women. Outside of teaching, Jazrael is the owner of a private practice and she also offers supervision and consultation services.
Accreditation
The Marriage and Family Therapy Program at La Salle University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, 112 South Alfred Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, Tel. No. 703.838. 9808. This accreditation is a measure of the program’s excellence. With it comes national recognition as one of the nation’s premium MFT training programs. AAMFT’s Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) is the nationally recognized accrediting agency that accredits master’s degree, doctoral degree, and post-graduate degree clinical training programs in marriage and family therapy throughout the United States and Canada.
