C/MFT Graduate Programs
Couple/Marriage and Family Therapy may be the exciting career that you are looking for. Do you care about people, interested in promoting healthy relationships? This career may be for you. Being a Couple/Marriage and Family Therapist allows you the opportunity to witness personal growth, healing in relationships, and the resilience that couples and families have to make positive changes in their lives together. To become a RMFT, you must have a minimum of a qualifying Master’s Degree and acquire the required clinical experience and supervision hours of training. Often a bachelor’s degree in various disciplines such as psychology, social work, or nursing, will be accepted as a prerequisite for entry into a Master’s program for couple/marriage and family therapy (see below). If you decide to pursue a career in Couple/Marriage and Family Therapy after you have received a Master’s degree in an adjacent discipline, you may attain RMFT status so long as you have obtained a qualifying degree and take any required additional courses in Couple/Marriage and Family Therapy. The programs listed in the module below are approved by CACFT/ACTCF as meeting direct educational requirements for RMFT status. Programs completed at other institutions will be evaluated upon application. Please see the educational requirements needed for membership status listed below the approved programs listings. |
Are you interested in a professional career as a Couple/Marriage and Family Therapist?University of Calgary
Professional Certificate in Couple and Family Therapy, Levels 1 & 2
The Couple and Family Therapy (CFT) professional certificates (Levels 1-2) and diploma, provide professionals holding master’s degrees in various disciplines (e.g. social work, nursing, psychology, counselling, public health, pastoral/theology, education) or degrees in law or family medicine or psychiatry with advanced practice skills in working with couples and families. The professional certificates and diploma in CFT allow working professionals to access professional development in a subject area that has not been available in Alberta for many years.
The program is offered online with a social work perspective to help families facing multiple stressors (e.g. unemployment, trauma, substance abuse, children’s diagnoses/difficulties, parenting, custodial issues) and/or are underserved.
The certificates at Levels 1 and 2 will each be comprised of four courses, and are pre-requisites for the Diploma which is comprised of a 350-hour supervised practicum.
Diploma in Couple and Family Therapy
To be admitted to the Diploma in Couple and Family Therapy, the student must have completed Certificate Levels 1 and 2 within the previous 4 years.
Students will be awarded the Diploma in Couple and Family Therapy after they have completed the 350-hour, supervised practicum. The required hours will be completed in the time allotted by the semesters of enrollment (e.g., fall/winter, spring/summer).
Website: University of Calgary
Contact:
Program Coordinator Dr. Monica Sesma Vazquez at msesmava@ucalgary.ca
Trinity Western University
Master of Christian Studies in Marriage and Family Therapy: MCS-MFT
Master of Christian Studies in Marriage and Family Therapy at Trinity Western University provides the education and personal formation needed to become a registered marriage and family therapist (RMFT). You will be trained and equipped to help individuals and groups in their personal growth and in the context of their relationships, with a strong understanding of evidence-based treatments and hundreds of clinical practice hours in preparation for a career in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Website: Trinity Western University
Contact: Program Director Dr. Estera Boldut at Estera.Boldut@twu.ca
University of Winnipeg
Master of Marriage and Family Therapy
The Master of Marriage & Family Therapy (MMFT) program at the University of Winnipeg offers a clinical Masters degree designed for those who want a quality professional training program. Our program is accredited by the Commission for Accreditation for Marriage & Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), and consists of 63 credit hours total (24 credit hours across 4 practica and 39 credit hours in coursework). Most students complete the program in 4-6 years, taking 1-2 years of theory courses before proceeding into practicum. Under extenuating circumstances, when part-time study is not possible, the program may accommodate a student’s need for full-time study (3 years). Students are required to provide 500 clinical face-to-face hours, 250 of which are with couples and families. Practicum spots are provided for students as the program has a relationship with many sites and approved supervisors across Winnipeg and the surrounding area.
Website: University of Winnipeg
Contact: mftinfo@uwinnipeg.ca
University of Guelph
Master of Relational and Family Therapy
The University of Guelph, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, graduate program in Couple and Family Therapy is an intensive program combining academic courses and clinical training. This master's degree program is accredited by the Canadian Association for Couple and Family Therapy. The program is designed to produce sophisticated therapists and scholars by integrating contemporary theory, research competence, and systemic approaches to therapy and in the understanding and treatment of families today.
Website: University of Guelph
Contact: frandept@uoguelph.ca
Advanced Certificate in Couples and Family Therapy Studies
- Take one or more courses for professional development or complete the 6 courses required for the certificate.
- If you are not yet a practitioner, explore a new career field and gain practical skills.
- If you are a current practitioner, acquire specialization in Couple and Family Therapy to assist you in your current practice.
- As a seasoned professional, keep abreast of key therapy topics, methods and approaches.
- Network with other professionals in your field.
- Work towards the course content requirements for CACFT/ACTCF Registered Marriage and Family Therapist membership.
Website: Advanced Certificate in Couples and Family Therapy Studies
Contact: continuinged@uoguelph.ca
Saint Paul University
Master in Counselling and Spirituality in Couple and Family Therapy
The two year Masters in Counselling and Spirituality in Couple and Family Therapy Program at Saint Paul University in Ottawa allows a student to enter into the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and gives them the foundational work to become a RMFT member of the Canadian Association for Couple and Family Therapy (CACFT/ACTCF).
The requirements for admission to the Saint Paul University Master in Arts in Counselling and Spirituality: Individual and Couple and Family Program:
- an honours bachelor's degree or its equivalent;
- 12 credits of theology or spirituality at university level;
- 48 credits in psychology, sociology, social work, health sciences, theology, or in related fields such as, but not exclusively, animation, social communications, mission sciences or conflict studies
Graduate Diploma in Couple and Family Counselling
The requirements for admission to the Saint Paul University Post-Graduate Diploma in Couple and Family Counselling:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree with honours or with a major in a related discipline such as counselling, spirituality, practical theology, health care, psychology, social work, pastoral studies or a discipline judged equivalent to these;
- Completion of 24 credits in total in psychology and sociology;
- Completion of 6 credits in theology or religious studies or a discipline deemed equivalent*;
- Completion of a counselling training with clinical experience (a minimum of 120 hours of supervised direct, face-to-face, contact with clients);
- An average of at least 70% (B)
Website: Saint Paul University
Tyndale University College and Seminary
Master of Divinity in Counselling
The Master of Divinity in Counselling program is designed to prepare graduates for employment in clinical counselling or church ministry settings. Students with a clinical focus are geared towards psychotherapy and the educational preparation for registration with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and certification with professional counselling associations such as the Canadian Association of Couple and Family Therapy (CACFT/ACTCF). Graduates with a Pastoral Care and Counselling Focus are trained in issues such as: family conflicts, crisis intervention, and life transitions. Tyndale students gain counselling experience through solid counselling internships.
McGill University
Masters in Science in Couple and Family Therapy
The McGill School of Social Work proudly offers the Master of Science (Applied) in Couple and Family Therapy, an advanced clinical degree in couple and family therapy. This unique program prepares graduates for a career as a Couple and Family Therapist and qualifies for professional permits with the OTSTCFQ (t.c.f.) and OPQ (psychotherapist).
The educational objectives of the Master of Science (Applied) in Couple and Family Therapy are to train highly competent graduates with expertise in couple and family psychotherapy by integrating contemporary theory, research competence and varied approaches to therapy in the understanding and treatment of couples and families today. The program provides graduates with the skills and clinical competencies that will allow them to work with diverse couples and families, leading to employment opportunities in settings such as CSSSs, hospitals, Youth Protection, community organization, and private practice.
Website: McGill Couple and Family Therapy Program
Contact: msca.cft@mcgill.ca
Briercrest College and Seminary
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
The Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) degree provides a professional course of study that equips students for a vocation in the mental health sector and in specialized counselling ministries in church and parachurch organizations. The program is designed to help students meet the academic course requirements for pursuing RMFT membership within the Canadian Association for Couple and Family Therapy (CACFT). Graduates of the MA Marriage and Family Therapy program are eligible to obtain membership with the Professional Association of Christian Counsellors and Psychotherapists (PACCP) and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). It should be noted that recognition in each of these associations is independent of Briercrest’s program and that it is the student’s responsibility to pursue such recognition after graduation. The Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy degree takes a minimum of two and one-half to three years of full-time studies to complete.
Website: Briercrest Master of Arts Marriage and Family Therapy
Contact: Margaret Clarke
Current program accreditation standards approved 4 January 2023. To review this document please click here.
Educational Requirements
Marriage and Family Studies (a minimum of three courses required)
These courses will prepare candidates to understand and conceptualize their clients using systems theory. Candidates should be familiar with and think in systems terms about issues and dynamics present in a wide variety of family structures and a diverse range of presenting issues (e.g., gender and orientation, culture and migration narratives, substance abuse, First Nations and indigenous issues in Canada/North America). Topic areas may include: Systems Theory, Family Development, Blended Families, Gender Issues in Families, Cultural Issues in Families, The Indigenous Worldview and Indigenous Family Dynamics, Residential School Trauma and Recovery, Genocide and Families, Forced Immigration and Family Impacts, Traumatized Families and Intergenerational Impacts.
Marriage and Family Therapy (a minimum of three courses required)
These courses will prepare candidates to grasp and demonstrate their ability to utilize advanced family systems theories and systemic therapeutic interventions as they engage with client couples and families. Candidates will also demonstrate substantive understanding of the major theories of systems change and the applied practices evolving from each theoretical orientation. Major Theoretical Approaches might include: Strategic, Structural, Object Relations Family Therapy, Behavioral Family Therapy, Communications Family Therapy, Intergenerational Family Therapy, and Systemic Sex Therapy, Neurobiology and Trauma-Informed Practice, Traumatology: Types 1, 2 and 3, Culturally-Based Theoretical Approaches and including Safe and Effective Use of Self.
Human Development (a minimum of three courses required)
These courses will prepare candidates to demonstrate knowledge of individual personality development and its normal and abnormal manifestations. Candidates should be conversant in human development across the life span, which includes special issues that affect an individual’s development (i.e. culture, gender, and human sexuality). This material should be integrated with systems concepts. Topic areas may include: Human Development, Child/Adolescent Development, Psychopathology, Personality Theory, Human Sexuality, Attachment as a Precedent for Mental Health in Adults. Test and measurement courses are not accepted toward this area.
Professional Ethics (a minimum of one course required)
This course will prepare candidates to function as ethical professionals in the field of marriage and family therapy. This course should also include exploration of the significance of diversity in the practice of therapy. If the course has been taken in Canada after 2015 it should include an understanding of the resolutions from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Religious ethics courses and moral theology courses are not accepted toward this area.
If the course does not provide opportunity to reflect on the resolutions form the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, applicants are strongly encouraged to attend an additional course, workshop, or training event that focusses on the TRC in order to fulfill this requirement.
Research (a minimum of one course required)
This course will prepare candidates to understand and perform research, demonstrating an ability to read and think critically regarding research in the field of marriage and family therapy. Topic areas may include: Research Methodology, Quantitative, Qualitative Methods, and Statistics.
To become an Associate member you must have completed at least
- 1 course in Marriage and Family Studies
- 1 course in Marriage and Family Therapy
- 1 course in Ethics
- 2 others in any category
The degree must include a supervised practicum (supervised client contact hours with individuals, couples, and families). A minimum of 150 supervised client contact hours is required. Applicants who did not complete the full 150 hours practicum during their graduate program may document the remaining hours with initial post graduate client contact hours supervised by an RMFT Supervisor, Supervisor Qualifying, or by an Alternate Supervisor pre-approved by CACFT specifically for that applicant.
Definition of Direct Client Contact Hours (DCC): Time spent in direct contact with the therapist and the client(s) in the active process of therapy.
Activities not considered Direct Client Contact hours: scheduling, case planning, observation of therapy, documentation, case consultation.
Definition of counting supervision hours: You can count 50 (fifty) minutes of supervision as 1 (one) hour of supervision.
Please note that we recognize the efforts and investment in courses, certificates, and degrees. However, we require particular courses related to systemic therapy focused on interpersonal dynamics in order to ensure the development of a particular skill set and knowledge base. As a result, not all courses are accepted. Please make sure that you review our required course list to find out what we require and to help guide you in your application or course selection process. If you have questions about a course please reach out to admin@cacft.ca.
Also Note:
- Self study activities/plans, workshops, and audited courses will not be considered for any of the course requirements defined for RMFT membership. These learning activities could count as CEU if they meet the requirements for CEU.
- Asynchronous courses will generally not be accepted, as live, synchronous courses that are grounded in relational and systemic theory and practice are required. IF the applicant can show sufficient justification for the purpose of the course being asynchronous and that there is integration of theory into clinical practice, and CACFT determines that the course contains sufficient content and evaluative process, the course may be accepted. Only one asynchronous course would be counted per applicant in the Human Development and Research categories if the above has been satisfied.
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