| Faculty | Prerequisites | Admission | Requirements | Approved Courses |
253.535.8782
Norris Peterson, Ph.D., Dean, Division of Social Sciences
Charles York, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Marriage and Family Therapy
David Ward, Director of Clinical Training
Practica Supervisors: Callison, Lewis, Lundbeck, Tschimperle
“As I visit with interns from MFTH programs, I realize what a superior education I received from PLU... other programs only touch on small amounts of what we studied…” Kathleen Maxey, MFT Graduate
The primary objective of the Marriage and Family Therapy (MFTH) program is to train clinicians interested in counseling children, adults, couples, or families with a wide range of mental health problems, ranging from the chronically mentally ill to troubled children, from a marriage and family therapy perspective. Students participate in an intensive 20-hour-per-week, four or five semester clinical experience which includes 500 hours of therapy under close supervision in an on-campus clinic and in a community placement. The on-campus clinic and four off-campus sites offer all students a managed care clinical experience. Academic courses are scheduled at 3:00 p.m. to allow students to work full-time during their first academic year while they prepare for their clinical experience. Because faculty recognize that adult students bring expertise with them, students are highly involved in learning via exercises, classroom discussion, and real-life activities. The program is secular in nature and emphasizes the application of theory to practice, rigorous evaluation, and direct supervision of one's clinical competency.
The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and also complies with Washington State licensure requirements for marriage and family therapists.
Applicants who have a degree in family studies, human services, psychology, sociology, social work, or the equivalent are not required to meet any program prerequisites. Applicants who do not have a degree in any of these areas are required to complete a minimum of 15 semester hours (22.5 quarter hours) in family social sciences, human services, psychology, sociology, or social work.
The MFTH program is looking for individuals who have professional goals consistent with the program, volunteer or professional experience in the social services, the ability to handle the academic rigor of the program, and the personal qualities required of couple and family therapists. Our goal is to have a student body highly diverse in spirituality, age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and also inclusive of international students. To be considered for admission, applicants must: have a bachelor's degree, submit transcripts of all undergraduate work, have a specific interest in MFT, provide a current resume, obtain two letters of recommendation, complete an application, and prepare a career statement.
The comprehensive career statement (maximum of five double-spaced typed pages) should address the following questions:
This statement replaces the required goal statement on the application form.
Based on a committee review of applicants' written materials, a pool of applicants to be interviewed is established. The primary purpose of the interview is to determine the fit between the applicants' professional goals and the purpose and mission of the MFT program.
Accepted applicants must make a $300 advance payment to confirm their acceptance of an offer of admission within three weeks of their acceptance date.