Academic Program

Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy with Latinx Mental Health

The Latinx Mental Health emphasis prepares students to provide culturally informed, ethically grounded, and evidence-based psychological services with individuals, couples, and families across diverse cultural and linguistic communities. While the curriculum offers specialized preparation for work with Latinx and Spanish-speaking populations, the clinical knowledge, systemic perspective, and professional skills developed through the program are applicable across a wide range of behavioral health settings and ethnic/racial communities.

The emphasis is open to students from all backgrounds. Students develop skills in systemic assessment, culturally informed clinical practice, ethical decision-making, family-centered treatment, and community-informed behavioral health care while learning to recognize the inherent dignity, strengths, and unique experiences of every individual and family.

Spanish-Language Clinical Development

For students who enter the program with conversational Spanish proficiency, the emphasis provides opportunities to strengthen professional Spanish-language communication for behavioral health settings. Rather than serving as a beginning Spanish-language program, the curriculum focuses on developing clinical vocabulary, therapeutic communication, and professional confidence for bilingual practice.

Because Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the United States, these specialized experiences help prepare bilingual clinicians to communicate more effectively with Spanish-speaking clients and families.

Cohort Learning Model

Students in the emphasis participate in a cohort model designed to foster supportive professional learning communities. By progressing through the program together, students build lasting professional relationships, engage in peer consultation, and learn collaboratively while developing their professional identities. The cohort structure also allows students attending from Pepperdine's Calabasas, West Los Angeles, and Irvine campuses to coordinate their schedules efficiently while participating in Latinx courses offered through the Irvine Graduate Campus.

Professional Preparation

The Latinx Mental Health emphasis fulfills the academic requirements for both the LMFT and LPCC licensure pathways while providing specialized preparation in culturally informed behavioral health care, bilingual clinical practice, and family systems approaches.

Graduates leave the program prepared to integrate scientific knowledge, clinical reasoning, ethical reflection, cultural understanding, and compassionate care in serving diverse individuals, couples, families, and communities.

Formation

Beyond developing clinical knowledge and technical skills, Aliento is committed to the professional formation of future therapists. Students are encouraged to cultivate sound clinical judgment, ethical integrity, cultural humility, intellectual curiosity, and compassionate service—qualities that support meaningful therapeutic relationships and lifelong professional growth.