Marriage and Family Therapy Higher Education

The Marriage and Family Therapy Field Is Growing 

According to the 2012 Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of marriage and family therapists is expected to grow much faster than average (41 percent) for all occupations due to population growth and the fact that MFTs can serve as a less costly alternative to psychiatrists and psychologists. The field's growing prominence is also due to its family-centered approach and demonstrated effectiveness.

“We are living in a time where it has become increasingly important to better manage family relationships and stress in our rapidly changing world,” explains MFT Associate Chair Dr. James Billings. “The holistic and systemic approach that MFTs bring to the field of mental health has proven to be not only effective but also efficient, with many clients requiring only 12 or fewer sessions to see a significant reduction in presenting symptoms.”  

• Studies show that clients are highly satisfied with the services provided by MFTs. They report marked improvement in work productivity and co-worker relationships, family and partner relationships, emotional and overall health, social life and community involvement.
• Clients report that MFTs are the mental health professionals they would most likely recommend to others.

NCU’s MFT Programs

NCU’s online MFT degree programs are specifically designed to help you receive the education and training needed to be successful in this demanding and growing field of Marriage and Family Therapy. The course work is designed to meet the national educational standards set by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and is intended to allow working adults to create a personalized degree plan that provides the flexibility to match their schedules and time constraints. Click a program below to learn more.

• Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy
• PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy

MFT Program Approvals and Accreditations

In order to ensure the highest level of quality in training and education within our MFT programs, we seek to obtain and maintain proper external reviews and approvals of our degree programs. We currently have the following examples of program approvals and accreditations achieved or in process related to Northcentral’s Marriage and Family Therapy programs.

• Northcentral University’s Master’s program in MFT is the first online MFT program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE).  This achievement marks the highest level of program accreditation possible for an MFT program.  
• In April of 2008, we applied for and received approval of our MFT programs (MA and PhD) with the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education (AZBPPE). In order to review this degree program approval, click here and search for Northcentral University. 
• We applied for approval of both programs with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The HLC approved both degree programs in September of 2009. Click here to review NCU’s accreditation status with the HLC.
• In December of 2010, we received approval of our MA MFT program from the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (CA-BBS), the MFT licensing board in California. This means that our degree program is pre-approved as meeting the educational requirements for MFT licensure in the State of California. Click here to review Northcentral University on the CA-BBS list of Accredited Schools with MFT Degree Programs. The MA MFT program went through this process again in 2012 when CA changed their educational requirements.  Northcentral was again approved to offer a BBS pre-approved Master’s degree in California.
• The state of New York requires all out of state universities to gain approval in order to place student interns in New York State clinical sites.  Northcentral University initiated this application process in the fall of 2009.  On October 1, 2012 the state of New York approved Northcentral Marriage & Family Therapy students to perform Marriage & Family Therapy activities legally within their state as an intern.  In addition, New York has a program evaluation process that would pre-approve graduates for licensure approval within the state of New York. Northcentral University’s MFT program is currently pursuing program approval within the state of New York.
• Our Supervision Methods course is preapproved by the AAMFT. This course is the first online supervision training course that is approved by the AAMFT. We see the approval of this course as an important recognition that online coursework and training, if well designed, can be substantially equivalent to in-person experience. The fact that the approval is from the AAMFT is a respected achievement for us as well. To find our course in the list of approved courses, click here and search for courses in Arizona.