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

To become an RMFT you need all 11 of the required courses.

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.