Courtesy of LeTourneau University
LONGVIEW (KYTX)— LeTourneau University plans to launch a new graduate psychology degree program in the fall for people interested in helping hurting families.
LETU's new Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) is a specialized 66-hour professional graduate degree program designed to equip graduates to assess, diagnose and treat individuals, couples, families and groups to achieve healthy relationships. Approved by LETU trustees last November, the new degree is currently pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
"With the mounting pressures facing couples and families, the demand for well-trained, competent marriage and family therapists is expected to increase," said LETU Provost Dr. Philip A. Coyle, who himself is a licensed marriage and family therapist. "This new program will integrate Christian faith and clinical counseling practice that will enable our students to become relationship specialists, equipped to work with all age groups including children, adolescents, and adults."
Today, Marriage and Family Therapy is rated as one of the top careers and as a core mental-health profession. Some 1.8 million people are now receiving treatment from a marriage and family therapist. They serve as counseling practitioners, educators, administrators, family life educators, ministers of family life and counseling, parent trainers, youth ministers, pastors or teachers, business and entrepreneurial leaders, missionaries, and many varied roles in which counseling and family expertise is needed. Many serve in settings that include the church, community, government, military, hospitals and educational institutions.
Through extensive training in working relationally with individuals, couples, and families, students will develop the knowledge and skills to address a wide variety of issues including: marital and family discord, sexual dysfunctions, eating disorders and other behavioral compulsions, anxiety and depression, addictions and other self-destructive patterns. Other areas include environmental and family trauma, loss and bereavement, personality disorders and phase of life distress, individual and family crises, childhood behavior disorders, and spiritual and theological concerns.
LETU's MAMFT program is designed to provide graduates with the academic, practicum and internship requirements for state licensure as a marriage and family therapist (LMFT) or a professional counselor (LPC), and students may choose to complete academic coursework to become eligible for dual licensure. The degree also is designed to fulfill requirements for certification as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) through the National Board of Certified Counselors, as well as fulfilling clinical membership requirements in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors, a professional society of the American Counseling Association.
This new graduate degree is provided through a traditional day program in a part-time or full-time format over two or more years. Students may reside on campus and enjoy the full benefits of graduate student life. As LeTourneau's flagship master's degree for mental health providers, this MAMFT degree consists of a minimum of 66 semester graduate hours, including a practicum and internship experience under approved supervision.
LeTourneau also offers an academic program that combines the Bachelor of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology with the Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy that can be completed in 5 years for both the undergraduate and graduate degree.
Through the integration of Christian faith and clinical counseling practice, students will be equipped to address the whole person and help move the hurting individual and family system toward healthy functioning and relationship reconciliation, while using empirically grounded principles of psychology and counseling.
LeTourneau University is an interdenominational Christ-centered university located in Longview, Texas, offering academic majors in aviation, business, criminal justice, education, engineering, health science-nursing, human services, liberal arts, science and psychology. LeTourneau University also offers graduate degrees in business administration, counseling, education, engineering, psychology and strategic leadership. In addition to its residential campus in Longview, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs online and at educational centers in Athens, Austin, Baytown, Bedford, Dallas, Harlingen, Houston, and Tyler.
