Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy - Day Format
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Offering Locations
- Evening Classes
- West Los Angeles Graduate Campus
- Encino Graduate Campus
- Irvine Graduate Campus
- Day Classes
- Malibu
Hear from Students and Alumni
The focus of this program is to provide a strong master's-level foundation in the areas of clinical psychology and marriage and family therapy. The curriculum is designed to meet the academic requirements for the Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) license in California, as specified in sections 4980.37, 4980.40, and 4980.41 of the California Business and Professions Code. As part of their curriculum, students are required to gain supervised counseling experience in approved clinical settings. In this manner, students may earn a portion of the 3,000 hours of experience required for the MFT license.
The Drescher
Graduate
Campus at dusk
The program is designed for persons who wish to gain knowledge and develop skills related to providing psychotherapeutic services in a variety of settings. In addition, this program provides an academic and practicum foundation which may be helpful for students who plan to enter doctoral programs in family therapy or clinical, counseling, community, or developmental psychology.
GSEP on the
Drescher
Campus at Malibu
This program is designed for full-time students only.It is open to new students in September of each year and is offered at Pepperdine's state-of-the-art Drescher Graduate Campus in Malibu . Students are required to begin working in field placement settings during their second term in the program and for each successive term.
Continuation in Program
In addition to meeting academic standards for graduation, students are
expected to meet generally accepted behavioral criteria for a mental health
professional. Relevant areas include, but are not limited to, following
appropriate ethical-legal standards, demonstrating reasonable maturity in
professional interpersonal contacts, and remaining relatively free of
personal-emotional behaviors that could constitute a potential threat to the
welfare of the public to be served. A faculty panel will review feedback from
professors concerning individual students and initiate remedial interventions
where deemed necessary. Whereas every attempt will be made to resolve problems,
it is possible that these procedures could lead to dismissal from the
program.
Personal Psychotherapy for Training Clinicians
The psychology faculty and administration recommend personal therapy
for all students training to be psychotherapists since it is believed that
personal therapy is a vital component of the training and growth of the
psychotherapist, and that it is the professional responsibility of every
therapist to identify, address, and work through personal and relational issues
that may have an impact on clinical interactions with future clients.
Field Placement
MFT Clinical Training and Professional Development staff assist students in
locating Pepperdine-approved practicum sites. The clinical training staff visit
and evaluate established and potential sites, while maintaining the Field
Placement Directory, in which sites approved by Pepperdine are listed. This
directory can be found at each Pepperdine graduate campus.
Marriage and Family Therapist License Requirements
A licensed marriage and family therapist in California is able to
offer psychotherapeutic services to those with relationship dysfunctions and to
collect a fee for such services. The Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) governs
the licensing process. The current general requirements for the license include
the following:
1. A state approved master's degree that includes a minimum of 48 semester
units of course work in the content areas specified by law.
2. Supervised experience totaling 3,000 hours in assessing and treating
individuals, couples, families, and groups to improve their interpersonal
relationships.
3. A seven-hour workshop on the assessment and reporting of child abuse.
4. A written exam that is administered by the BBS.
Specific licensing requirements depend on when the student enters a master's program, graduates, and applies for licensing. Pepperdine's primary role is to assist students in completing academic requirements for the license. Pepperdine is also responsible for coordinating and approving all MFT hours gained before the degree is earned. Since licensing requirements change periodically, students are advised that it may be necessary to modify the curriculum of the clinical psychology program so that it may continue to conform to the current requirements. Also, students should maintain contact with the BBS to stay informed on any changes that may affect their efforts to obtain a license. A copy of the current MFT regulations may be obtained by writing to the Board of Behavioral Sciences, 400 "R" Street, Suite 3150 , Sacramento , CA 95814 . Students are encouraged to visit the BBS Website at www.bbs.ca.gov for additional information about licensing. Students should also contact the clinical training staff to obtain a copy of the MFT Handbook that lists essential information on BBS and Pepperdine MFT requirements.
