Master of Arts in Counseling: Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling

To earn your Master’s in Counseling: Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling degree, you’ll take 66 units of classes. 

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.

Learning activities will involve approximately 13 to 16 hours of the student's time investment each week. It is recommended that students working full time take only one course at a time.

This program can lead to licensure in California and many other states. It is the sole responsibility of the student, not the program, to obtain information regarding prerequisites for licensure as outlined by their particular state board of counseling. To obtain your state’s web address, view State Licensure Boards.

Core Courses

• COUN 599: Townsend Institute Residency
• COUN 600: Townsend Institute Orientation
• COUN 601: Human Growth and Development
• COUN 602: Theories of Counseling
• COUN 603: Clinical Psychopathology and Diagnosis
• COUN 604: Theory and Practice of Groups
• COUN 605: Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues
• COUN 607: Social and Cultural Foundations
• COUN 609: Theory and Practice of Assessment
• COUN 610: Townsend Model Theory and Application
• COUN 611: Foundations of Crisis and Trauma Counseling
• COUN 612: Career and Lifestyle Development
• COUN 613: Foundations of Addiction Counseling
• COUN 614: Methods and Practice of Research and Evaluation
• COUN 633: Counseling Skills and Techniques (3 units)

Emphasis

• MCFC 606: Foundations of Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling
• COUN 621: Psychopharmacology
• MCFC 623: Theories of Marriage and Family Therapy
• COUN 627: Human Sexuality
• MCFC 624: Advanced Marriage and Family Therapy
• MCFC 640: Practicum
• MCFC 641: Internship I
• MCFC 642: Internship II (3 units)

For course descriptions, please see the Academic Catalog.

This program aligns with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences to meet their academic requirements for the Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) license.

The Townsend Institute takes a different approach to academics. We know it’s the time you spend with people who have legitimate on-the-ground experiences and have accomplished their goals that has the greatest impact. That’s why we provide students with the opportunity to personally learn from Dr. John Townsend, our Institute Fellows and faculty, such as Dr. Kaitlyn Stafford, Dr. Shelley Coleman, and Dr. Christi Myers. Together, they cultivate a relational learning experience, addressing the head and the heart through science and data.

There is excellent value in frequent, real-time interaction with fellow students and your instructors. Throughout this program, students will participate in Virtual town hall meetings and  1 on-campus residency. Furthermore, during this 4-day residency, you will meet Dr. Townsend personally, and he and our Townsend Institute Fellows will conduct a series of training sessions. You will also go through numerous process-focused growth groups – you will not leave the same person.

To learn more about the Institute’s 4-day Residency, attend a Townsend LIVE info session.

The Townsend Institute is housed within Concordia University Irvine, a private, Lutheran university. Located in Southern California, Concordia serves over 4,000 students annually, on campus and online. Centered by a Christian worldview, and guided by the Great Commission, Concordia is home to a thoughtful and caring community of learners.

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 16 percent by 2033 — much faster than the average for all occupations. 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 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.

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 individuals through a connected community of learners, empowering them to advance the counseling field and effect positive societal change from a research-supported perspective.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates will demonstrate the following:

• PLO1: Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice
  Graduates will develop a professional identity as a counselor in alignment with ethical and legal standards, informed by our institutional Lutheran identity, and exhibit the dispositions related to effective, ethical practice. (GLO: Ethical Leadership)
   
• PLO2: Social and Cultural Identities and Experiences
  Graduates will develop an understanding of theories and models of multicultural counseling, social justice, and advocacy while demonstrating multicultural competence in their interactions with individuals, families, and groups. (GLO: Community Engagement)
   
• PLO3: 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. (GLO: Reflective Practice)
   
• PLO4: 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. (GLO: Community Engagement)
   
• PLO5: Counseling Practice and Relationships
  Graduates will apply theories and models of counseling through essential interviewing, counseling, and case conceptualization skills, while integrating developmentally relevant and culturally sustaining treatment and intervention plans. (GLO: Effective Communication)
   
• PLO6: 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 factors unique to working with groups. (GLO: Integrated Learning)
   
• PLO7: Assessment and Diagnostic Processes
  Graduates will acquire, refine, and demonstrate an ability to assess client issues for diagnosis and treatment planning utilizing culturally sustaining and developmentally appropriate methods. (GLO: Integrated Learning)
   
• PLO8: Research and Program Evaluation
  Graduates will demonstrate the ability to critique research to incorporate evidence-based counseling practices in various settings. (GLO: Scholarly Research)
   
• PLO 9:  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). (GLO: Integrated Learning and Community Engagement)
   
• Specialized Practice Areas
  (1) Clinical Mental Health Counseling & (2) Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling