Clinical Experience

Couples and Family Therapy (CFT) programs are different from other mental health programs that emphasize individual functioning. While couple and family therapists treat individuals, they focus on relational treatment. Training and case conceptualization focuses on systemic thinking.

Our mission is to prepare systemic therapists to promote healing, growth, and relational connectedness.

The Master of Arts in Couples and Family Therapy (MACFT) program curates:

• Knowledge and skills for systemic therapy attuned to justice, resilience and trauma informed care.
• Passion to work with diverse populations in traditional and innovative settings.
• Direct experiences for students to provide at least 400 hours of in-person or virtual clinical treatment to relational and individual clients at agencies throughout the Puget Sound area.

Clinical Experience

In the second year of the program, our students begin a 12-month internship providing therapy for families, intimate relationships, and individuals.

During the internship students:

• Spend 15 to 20 hours per week at a clinical site for in person or virtual client contact, supervision, and other clinical work.
• Must accrue 400 clinical hours, including 200 relational hours (seeing couples, families and other relationship forms).
• Interns see brief and long-term clients to develop a range of skills to utilize after graduation.
• Participate in weekly on campus faculty-led group supervision with an AAMFT approved supervisor.
• Are required to become members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (WAMFT). WAMFT and AAMFT offer robust networking opportunities and clinical resources.

Our students take a year of classes before starting the clinical sequence. To demonstrate clinical readiness, they must pass prerequisite classes and receive passing grades on clinical skills rubrics. Our site supervisors report that our interns are well prepared to start seeing clients. MACFT pre-interns work directly with our clinical coordinator to secure an internship that meets program requirements and matches particular interests. Securing an internship requires effort and initiative. While our clinical coordinator will offer guidance and a list of approved sites, students are expected to take the lead in researching, applying to and securing internship opportunities. This includes completing necessary paperwork, communicating with potential sites, and fulfilling any requirements set forth by the hosting organizations. Required clinical orientations provide additional instruction and resources regarding site placement and clinical expectations (handbook provided). Since 2014, 100% of interns have completed clinical requirements either by the end of Clinical IV (77%) or Clinical Extension (23%).