Masters (MA) in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling

The MA in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling program is designed for people who desire graduate study and preparation for marriage and family therapy. We recognize there is a need for specific clinical training and expertise required for working with couples and families as well as individuals, groups, and the broader community. It is therefore intended that the program leading to the MA degree in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling will assist students in the process of developing such expertise for effective practice in marriage and family therapy.

Accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and approved by the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists

GSC Mission:

The Graduate School of Counseling is grounded in and shaped by our commitment to an integrated understanding of the Christian faith and mental health that embraces diversity and promotes justice.  We train graduate level mental health professionals who work in community, private practice, and school settings.  Through rigorous academic and clinical training we foster the personal and professional development of students with the goal of promoting relational, psychological, academic, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Graduates will:

• Demonstrate and articulate an understanding of professional identity as a marriage, couple, and family counselor
• Demonstrate knowledge and clinical competence of an ecosystemic approach to human growth and development to understand the needs of individuals and systems at all developmental stages and multicultural contexts as it pertains to marriage, couple, and family counseling
• Demonstrate knowledge and articulate an understanding of career development as it pertains to marriage, couple, and family counseling
• Demonstrate the effective group counseling facilitation and development in a multicultural society
• Demonstrate and articulate an understanding and competence in individual and group approaches ot assessments and evaluation as a marriage, couple, and family counselor
• Demonstrate and apply relevant research methods and understand basic statistical operations in the application and use, from a multicultural context, in the field of marriage, couple, and family counseling
• Demonstrate reflective and ethical decision making grounded in the knowledge of relevant legal and ethical codes as well as an examination of personal values
• Within a systemic context (couples, marriages, and families) demonstrate knowledge and application of effective strategies for counseling prevention and intervention and treatment planning
• Within a systemic framework (couples, marriages, and families) demonstrate clinical competence as a marriage, couple, and family counseling intern including the skills and practices of individual, couple, and family treatment, systemic assessment and diagnosis, treatment, termination, documentation, and ethical practice of working within a systemic framework
• Articulate how personal faith informs one’s identity and practice as a marriage, couple and family counselor
• Articulate knowledge of the contextual components of the helping relationship and the counseling process, demonstrating knowledge in theories, consultation, ethical relationships, and the integration of technology
• Demonstrate application of skill in recognizing one’s own limitations as a professional counselor (seeking supervision, self-evaluation, and self-care)
• Demonstrate personal awareness, theoretical knowledge, and clinical skills needed to engage in multi-culturally sensitive individual, couple, family and group counseling and advocacy 
• Demonstrate the College of Education Conceptual Framework to Think Critically, Transform Practice, and Promote Justice

• Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. A cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or above is required. The undergraduate degree does not have to be in the field of psychology.
• Completed Application Form at apply.georgefox.edu
• $40 non-refundable application fee
• Résumé of work and/or volunteer experience
• Written admission statement addressing the question provided in the Application Form
• One academic reference form and one professional reference form
• An official transcript from each college or university attended
• Group interview with the Admissions Committee. An invitation will be extended to those meeting initial program criteria.

• The Admissions Committee will consider each application item and the Group Interview as part of the admissions decision.
  
  

  Additional requirements for international students are online here.

Up to 22 credit hours from another CACREP Accredited program can be transferred. Credits from Non-CACREP Accredited programs will only be considered as electives.  Program directors will determine the number of transferable credits upon admission into the program. Students must have earned a grade of B or better for a course to be considered for transfer. In addition, only courses taken elsewhere within 10 years of the date of matriculation to the MA in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling program will be considered for transfer. Transferability of credits earned at this institution and transferred to another is at the discretion of the receiving institution.

Of the 64 hours required for the MA in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling program, a minimum of 46 hours must be taken in resident study at George Fox University. All work leading to the MA must be completed within seven years from the time of matriculation. Extension of this limit requires the approval of the Graduate School of Counseling (GSC) Faculty. However, only one such extension may be considered due to special circumstances, such as ill health. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the degree. A leave of absence is valid for up to one year after which the student must re-apply to the program.

The MA in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling program is generally 2-4 years in length with 64 semester hours of course work required as a minimum for graduation. Of those hours, 4 are in prescribed spiritual integration courses, 31 in prescribed counseling courses, 17 in the area of specialization, and 9 in field experience credits.

Each student must complete a minimum of 20 hours of personal counseling/therapy as part of the MA in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling program. Additionally, an ongoing review process serves as a way to assess the student's fit for the program; fit for the profession; emotional, psychological, and intellectual ability; as well as maturity level for functioning safely as a mental health professional. Graduate School of Counseling faculty will review students each fall and spring semester. For more specific information, please refer to the student handbook.

Digital Synchronous track students admitted to the GSC in Fall 2024 and beyond are required to complete two Residency Events.

Residency I
Early in the Fall term of a Digital Synchronous track student's first year in the GSC, the student will travel to Portland to attend a 2-day Residency I event.

Requirement: Completion of this Fall-only event is required prior to enrolling in all future GSC courses. Completion of the event is noted on the student’s transcript. If a first-year Digital Synchronous track student cannot attend Residency I (attendance in full), additional coursework is postponed until the following Fall.
Purpose:
Residency I is the foundational first-year experience to prepare Digital Synchronous track students for their educational program. This includes building deeper levels of understanding and trust that are required for meaningful and substantive online engagement.
Goals:

• To feel welcomed as a GSC student, and as part of the larger GFU community;
• To gain a deeper understanding of the nature of a mental health care provider within the counseling professions, and the academic commitment required to practice safely and effectively;
• To have an understanding of the social and emotional growth process required of GSC students in order to practice safely and effectively as mental health providers within the counseling professions; and
• To leave Residency I feeling a sense of connection to and partnership with peers, faculty, and staff.

• Fee: Contact the GSC for current Academic Year costs. This fee covers 2 nights lodging; select meals; and Residency I activities.
• Additional Costs for the Student: Travel to and from Portland; travel between the hotel, the Portland Center, and other Residency I events; additional lodging if desired; additional meals other than during the 2-day event; other incidentals.

• To complete the Field Placement application process required prior to starting the clinical practice component of their degree program;
• To review and practice skills and strategies for securing a Field Placement setting; and
• To engage in a follow-up self assessment of the student’s professional disposition development thus far using an assessment tool they were first introduced to during Residency I and select Year 1 classes.

In order to graduate with the MA in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling degree students must:

• Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 64 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
• Achieve no grade lower than a B in all courses. If a grade of a B- or lower is received in a required course, that course must be retaken (for more specific information, please refer to the student handbook).
• Complete a minimum of 20 one-hour sessions of therapy from a family systems perspective with a licensed marriage and family therapist.
• Complete a 700-hour supervised clinical field experience in marriage and family therapy that meets the currently articulated criteria for such training, with at least 280 hours of direct client contact (120 hours required with couples and families; 160 with individuals, couples, or families)
• Successfully complete the Clinical Portfolio (reading fees are assessed during the final semester of clinical internship), in which the student articulates his/her current understanding of marriage and family therapy and applies the same through an analysis of his/her counseling practice, an evaluation of his/her strengths, and a three-year professional development plan