Master of Arts in Counseling: Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling
Facilitate healing, growth, and renewal for couples and families.
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Become a Holistic Healer
Become a skilled, compassionate, and culturally attuned counselor for couples and families with the M.A. in Counseling: Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling from the Townsend Institute at Concordia University Irvine. This specialization prepares you to guide couples and families through relational strain, life transitions, and emotional challenges—helping them rebuild trust, strengthen communication, and experience emotional and spiritual renewal.
Grounded in a biblically informed and clinically rigorous curriculum, the MCFC program equips you with the essential tools of professional counseling practice while fostering your own personal and professional growth. You’ll explore systems theory, attachment, interpersonal neurobiology, and emotionally focused approaches while developing the confidence, compassion, and clarity needed to support clients through conflict, trauma, and relational healing.
Through meaningful coursework, mentorship from experienced practitioners, process-based learning, and hands-on clinical experience, you’ll gain the insight and practical skills needed to serve couples and families with wisdom, empathy, and cultural humility.
Graduates of this family-focused program are prepared to pursue California Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) licensure and serve diverse communities with a grounded sense of purpose and care.
Note: While coursework is completed online, the program includes a required in-person residency featuring relational learning, live skills practice, and direct feedback from master practitioners.
Online and On Campus
Study online, and complete a residency on campus.
66 units and a 4-Day Residency
Attend in-person trainings with Dr. Townsend.
$695/Unit
Financial aid is available to those who qualify.
“God transformed me through the Townsend Institute’s counseling program. When somebody comes into my office, no matter the issue or diagnosis, I have the capacity now of being present with them in whatever they’re experiencing. That speaks to the counseling aspects I learned [from Concordia University Irvine].”
Anthony Johnson ’19
Getting Started
At the heart of our counseling program is a mission to develop competent, culturally aware, and spiritually grounded counselors who promote the wellness of all populations and systems. You’ll be empowered to advance the counseling field and effect positive societal change from a research-supported perspective.
The Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling track is a 66-unit program designed to prepare you for real-world practice with a balance of theory, research, and applied experience. For each 7-week course, you’ll be supported through virtual classroom sessions with your professors and classmates, and through experientially focused assignments that connect you with fellow students.
Expect to invest 13-16 hours per week per course. Students working full time are encouraged to take one course at a time.
This program can lead to licensure in California and other states. You are responsible for confirming specific state requirements before pursuing licensure. To obtain your state’s web address, view State Licensure Boards.
Master of Arts in Counseling: Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling is approved by the CABBS as an approved MFT program.
Next Start
August 24, 2026
Upcoming Starts
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Fall 1 2026 August 31, 2026
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Fall 2 2026 October 26, 2026
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Spring 1 & Full 2027 January 11, 2027
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Spring 2 2027 March 15, 2027
Curriculum
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
- COUN621 – Psychopharmacology
- COUN627 – Human Sexuality
- MCFC606 – Foundations and Contextual Dimensions of Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling
- MCFC623 – Foundations of Marriage and Family Therapy
- MCFC624 – Advanced Marriage and Family Counseling
- MCFC640 – Supervised Practicum
- MCFC641 – Supervised Internship I
- MCFC642 – Supervised Internship II
View the Concordia University Irvine Online Catalog for a full list of courses.
Upon completing this program, you’ll be able to:
- Conduct research and apply data-driven approaches to improve counseling outcomes.
- Facilitate individual, couple, and family sessions using ethical and effective methods.
- Apply Christian principles and ACA ethical standards in all areas of practice.
- Communicate with clarity and compassion to promote healing and resolution.
- Serve diverse populations across the lifespan with humility and cultural awareness.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
- Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice: Graduates will develop a professional identity as a counselor in alignment with ethical and legal standards, informed by Concordia Lutheran Christian identity, and exhibit the dispositions related to effective, ethical practice.
- Social and Cultural Identities and Experiences: Graduates will develop an understanding of theories and models of multicultural counseling and advocacy while demonstrating multicultural competence in their interactions with individuals, families, and groups.
- Lifespan Development: Graduates will incorporate theories and principles of optimal lifespan development in order to promote resilience and wellness in individuals and families across the lifespan.
- Career Development: Graduates will demonstrate the ability to conceptualize the interrelationship among work, socioeconomic standing, wellness, disability, trauma, relationship, and other life roles for clients’ diverse career needs and educational development.
- Counseling Practice and Relationships: Graduates will apply theories and models of counseling through essential interviewing, counseling, and case conceptualizations skills, while integrating developmentally relevant and culturally sustaining treatment and intervention plans.
- Group Counseling and Group Work: Graduates will demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical foundations of group counseling and group work, including how to effectively facilitate group practice, navigate group dynamics, and implement appropriate therapeutic facts unique to working with groups.
- Assessment and Diagnostic Process: Graduates will acquire, refine, and demonstrate an ability to assess client issues for diagnosis and treatment planning utilizing culturally sustaining and developmentally appropriate methods.
- Research and Program Evaluation: Graduates will demonstrate the ability to critique research to incorporate evidence-based counseling practices in various settings.
- Specialty Counseling Practice: Graduates will acquire, refine, and demonstrate appropriate skills specific to their chosen counseling specialty (i.e., Clinical Mental Health Counseling or Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling).
Program Mission Statement
As a Christ-centered counseling program, our mission is to develop competent, culturally informed counselors, educators, supervisors, scholars, leaders, and advocates to promote the wellness of all populations and systems. We are dedicated to preparing wise, honorable, cultivated citizens through a connected community of learners, empowering them to advance the counseling field and effect positive societal change from a research-supported perspective.
Accreditation
WSCUC Accredited
Practicum and Internships
The M.A. in Counseling: Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling program includes a required practicum and two internships.
The practicum allows you to practice individual, family, and group counseling skills in a supervised clinic setting. Requiring 100 hours, you’ll need a minimum of 40 direct client contact hours. You’ll have weekly individual and group supervision from a Concordia professor.
The 300-hour internships let you practice and provide counseling-related activities normally expected of a regularly employed counselor. You’ll need a minimum of 120 direct client contact hours in each internship, and you’ll also receive weekly individual and group supervision from a site and Concordia supervisor, as well.
Residency
There is great value in frequent, real-time interaction with fellow students and your instructors. That’s why our graduate programs launch with a 4-Day Residency where you will meet Dr. Townsend personally as he and our Institute Fellows conduct a series of trainings. You will also go through 8 process-focused growth groups that are truly transformative. Learn more about the 4-day Residency by registering for an online Townsend LIVE info night.
Tuition and Fees
At Concordia, we understand that investing in your education is a significant decision. That’s why we offer a variety of scholarships and financial aid options to help make your academic journey more affordable. View tuition costs and fees.
Admission Requirements
View the Graduate Application page for full details on application and admission requirements.
Townsend Information Sessions
Experience a new kind of relational education. Join us online for a Townsend Institute LIVE info night and hear from our faculty, academic advisors, current students, and alumni about their experience in the Townsend Institute.
Career Outcomes
The need for Marriage, Couple and Family Counselors is growing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of marriage and family therapists is projected to grow 13 percent by 2034 — much faster than the average for all occupations.1 Demand is especially high in California, with the American Psychological Association estimating there is only one mental health provider for every 1,000 individuals.
In our rigorous graduate program, you’ll become uniquely qualified to help meet this demand. Not only will you master conflict resolution with effective communication strategies, you’ll also become an ethical leader informed by Christian principles, legal precedence, and the ACA Code of Ethics. By the time you graduate, you will be equipped to help couples and families heal spiritually and holistically, balancing clinical judgment, diagnostic decision making, and research-based best practices to serve the diverse needs of families.
Networking Opportunities
As a graduate student at Concordia, you’ll become part of a vibrant community of over 25,000 alumni and over 3,500 peers, fostering meaningful connections that support both personal and professional growth. Our dedicated faculty and staff are committed to helping you discover and develop your callings through mentorship and collaboration.
Located in Irvine — home to more than 900 tech companies and a hub for innovation — students benefit from proximity to leading industries in life sciences and information technology. One-third of all Fortune 500 companies have a presence in Irvine, offering abundant opportunities for internships, mentorships, and career advancement.
Irvine’s strategic position in Southern California provides access to a dynamic business ecosystem, making it an ideal place to build your professional network. Whether you’re attending on-campus events or engaging with our online community, Concordia offers the resources and support to help you thrive in your various vocations.
Explore Financial Aid
Reduce your tuition costs with financial aid — with help from a team that wants to make your time at Concordia as affordable as possible.
Meet Our Faculty
FAQs
How long does it take to complete the M.A. in Counseling: Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling?
Most students finish the 66-unit program in about 3-4 years, depending on course load and internship scheduling.
Is the program fully online?
Yes, coursework is delivered online for maximum flexibility. However, students attend a 4-day on-campus residency to connect with Dr. Townsend, faculty, and peers through intensive growth experiences.
What sets the Townsend Institute apart from other counseling programs?
The Townsend Institute combines clinical excellence, relational learning, and Christian formation to create a transformational counseling experience unlike traditional programs. Here, you won’t just develop counseling skills—you’ll grow personally, professionally, and spiritually through immersive, community-based learning.
Through evidence-based clinical training, process groups, mentorship, and real-time feedback from experienced practitioners, you’ll develop the empathy, self-awareness, and relational presence needed for effective counseling.
Rooted in Christian values and whole-person growth, the Townsend Institute prepares you to serve others with competence, compassion, wisdom, and purpose.
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Sources
1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, on the internet, at:
- https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/marriage-and-family-therapists.htm (viewed Oct. 27, 2025),
- https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0600000 (viewed Oct. 27, 2025).
Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.