Our Mission

The Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Pacific Lutheran University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

The mission of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Pacific Lutheran University is to train students in developing a systemically-oriented, culturally competent worldview that is implemented with a wide range of clinical concerns impacting individuals, couples, and families.

Graduates of the program will:

• Practice from a systemic and culturally sensitive lens.
• Be prepared to obtain employment in community mental health agencies.
• Identify as a couple and family therapist and contribute to the profession and local community.

A Cooperative Cohort of Colleagues

With small class sizes of approximately 20 students, our students get to know each other very well right away.  While there is room for flexibility in terms of practica and summer course start dates, students find that the relationships they develop by working so closely together benefits both their professional and personal lives.

We Value Diversity

We value a diverse learning community. Together, we encounter and experience a rich variety of perspectives, ideas, belief systems and ways of thinking. In and out of class, we are enriched by each other's stories, opinions, and personalities. The learning that happens between students is equally as vibrant and powerful as the literature we read, the assignments we complete and the exams we take. The relationships we build with each other as a cohort of graduate students make us more culturally aware human beings and more effective therapists-in-training.

The Couple and Family Therapy Center

The Couple and Family Therapy Center is a training facility for our MFT students to hone their therapeutic skills with and for clients who come to us from our community.  Together, clients and therapists in training work toward their common goals.

Interested in Clinic Services?  Click here

MFT Featured Stories

• Marriage and Family Therapy named one of the 50 best careers of 2010!  Here is the link to the story.
• MFT Graduates featured!  Click here to read a story about Najib, who will be the first marriage and family therapist in Saudi Arabia.