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DESCRIPTION
As a profession, the field of Marriage and Family Therapy has
a long and honorable history which predates many other mental
health professions. The American Association of Marriage Counselors,
which later became the American Association for Marriage and Family
Therapy, was founded in 1942. Cybernetics, which evolved from
the Macy conferences in the same year, and which focuses on information
processing, feedback mechanisms, and patterns of communication,
informs the theories and methodologies of this discipline.
Additionally,
systemic thinking dating from the 1920's and 1930's in seminal
works by Sullivan, von Bertalanffy, and Bateson, have become the
cornerstones for theories in the field of Marriage and Family
Therapy. The significance of the idea of cybernetics/systems is
that the focus shifts from the individual, to relationships between
individuals as well as the larger systems of which each relationship
is a part. The field has continued to develop so that marriage
and family therapists diagnose and treat a wide range of mental
and emotional disorders as well as other health and behavioral
problems. The discipline has further evolved to a level where
43+ states now license Marriage and Family Therapy as a profession.
Numerous accredited masters and doctoral programs, as well as
post-degree training programs, testify to the growth of the field.
The University of Louisiana at Monroe first developed a master's
degree program in Marriage and Family Therapy in 1983 and joined
the ranks of accredited masters degree programs in Marriage and
Family Therapy in 1987. The ULM program is accredited by both
the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy
Education (COAMFTE) and the Council for the Accreditation for
Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This makes
it one of only two dually accredited marriage and family therapy
programs
in the nation. In July of 1995, the Louisiana Board of Regents
approved the development of a doctoral program in marriage and
family therapy which has been implemented since the Fall of 1996.
In support of continuing excellence in the marriage and family
therapy programs at ULM, the University established the Hanna
Spyker Endowed Chair in Marriage and Family Therapy. This position is
currently vacant.
Recent graduates from the ULM program have found employment in settings such as private practice, program directors at hospitals, directors of services at homes for children, and therapists performing a variety of services with a wide range of problems in mental health agencies. Graduates are also active in family life education and enrichment in a variety of contexts. Approximately 10-15% of the graduates from the ULM program have pursued doctorates in marriage and family therapy or related fields.
The master's degree program is an intensive, sixty-three semester
hour program requiring two years of full-time study. Graduates
of the program meet academic requirements for licensure as a
professional
counselor in Louisiana as well as Clinical Membership of AAMFT
and licensure in other states as marriage and family therapists.
The program is dedicated to educating highly qualified master's
level clinicians and scholars.
An accessible and dedicated faculty who are active in research
and publication, and a low student-faculty ratio fosters interactive
educational experiences approaching a collegial, mentor relationship.
Another important aspect of the program is the admittance of up
to15 full-time students per class who develop close relationships
in their academic and clinical work together.
To a large degree, the requirements for licensure and accreditation
in the dually accredited program dictate specific curriculum
requirements,
however, each class takes on its own character as current theory
and research are presented in different forms reflecting the styles
and theoretical orientations of the instructors. The internship
experience requires that students complete a minimum 500 clinical
hours working with individuals, couples and families. The student will
receive a minimum of 100 hours of face-to-face supervision both in
group and individual format from the supervising faculty. The
students'
educational experiences are enhanced by special seminars and guest
presenters. Additionally, students with special interests often
work with a faculty-sponsor to make formal presentations at state
and national conferences.
Coursework required for the Marriage and Family Therapy program qualifies students academically to meet Professional Counselor licensure requirements in Louisiana and many other states. Since the program is accredited by COAMFTE, students can qualify for Clinical Membership in AAMFT upon completion of the clinical practice requirement. It is advised that students seek information from the licensure and certification agencies in the states in which they are interested in working for specific requirements. Addresses and telephone numbers for the state licensure and certification agencies are available from the Marriage and Family Therapy Program Director.
Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Master of Arts degree program in Marriage and Family Therapy is at the discretion of the Program Admissions Committee of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program. In addition to the University requirements for admission to the Graduate School at ULM, applicants for admission to the Master of Arts degree program in Marriage and Family Therapy will meet one of the following criteria:
1. A minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 2.8.
2. A minimum combined score of 900 on the GRE General Test (Verbal plus Quantitative).
3. A total of at least 1900 points based upon the formula - 400 times the overall undergraduate grade-point average plus the combined GRE General
Test score (Verbal plus Quantitative).
Undergraduate requirements: 18 semester hours of behavioral science to include Psychology 401 and 406 or equivalent.
For application procedure and forms go to Admission Procedures
Or contact:
Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling
013007