What you'll learn

Do you wish to join the fast-growing couple and family specialty in the counseling/therapy profession? University of Colorado Denver’s MA in Counseling with a concentration in couple and family counseling/therapy (CFTC) prepares students for careers as couple and family therapists who treat mental and emotional challenges, while promoting optimum relational health through a systemic, holistic approach.

Launch your counseling career with real-world experience unmatched by any other mental health graduate program in Colorado. Our students receive mentored counseling/therapy experience in our campus Student and Community Counseling Center with live supervision and continual feedback from licensed clinicians. Our graduates are recognized for being strongly prepared and committed to providing culturally informed, equity focused services.

Our faculty members are committed to fostering social, relational and cross-cultural learning contexts that will prepare you to prize human diversity and to offer a continuum of mental health services across a variety of settings for the benefit of the community and society.

Mission Statement

The Master's specialization in Couple & Family Counseling/Therapy at the University of Colorado Denver prepares students for careers as ethical couple and family therapists who treat mental and emotional disorders, while promoting optimum relational health through a systemic, holistic approach. The focus of the CFT specialization is systemic and relational, with a commitment to fostering an open culture of social, relational and cross–cultural contexts of learning that are essential for effective therapist training. Educating students with a critical eye on research, the CFT specialization prepares relational therapists who value inclusion and prize diversity such that they are prepared to offer a continuum of mental health services across a variety of settings for the benefit of the community and society.

Overall Program Goals

The Couple and Family Counseling/Therapy faculty are committed to the following program goals:

• Program will exhibit commitment to diversity and cultural responsiveness.
• Program educates students in a systemic paradigm and emphasizes the use of a systemic framework in their clinical practice.
• Program is committed to educating students on research.
• Program is committed to developing ethical practitioners.
• Program demonstrates commitment to graduate success.

Student Learning Outcomes

The following are the corresponding student learning outcomes for the Couple and Family Counseling/Therapy program:

• Students will demonstrate clinical competency in working in diverse settings and with diverse client populations.
• Students will successfully pass the multicultural curriculum
• Students will demonstrate their knowledge of a systemic framework in a case application paper
• Students will apply a systemic framework in their clinical practice
• Students will develop a research proposal
• Students will learn to critically analyze common assessments in the field
• Students will show a commitment to professional ethical behavior in their clinical practice
• Students will complete program in a timely manner
• Graduates will be gainfully employed in the field
• Graduates will pass the National Marital and Family Therapy Exam

Diversity Composition Information: Fall 2020

* Categories with less than five students are suppressed for privacy purposes.
** Faculty includes any instructor of a Couple and Family Therapy track required course fall 2018 to fall 2020.

Choose CU Denver's School of Education & Human Development

You can trust CU Denver to provide an education that will prepare you for excellence in your career as a counselor. The university and school are recognized for preparing leaders of distinction who value educational excellence and social justice. Additionally, CU Denver’s School of Education and Human Development is counted among U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools,” making us one of the top schools in the country.

License Portability

• Marriage and Family Therapy State Resources
• Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Boards
• Professional Counselor Licensure Information - Colorado
• State Professional Counselor Licensure Boards

Courses

Most of the courses for this 63-credit program take place Monday - Thursday in three-hour blocks beginning at either 3:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. However, core and prerequisite classes are offered starting at 3:30 p.m. on a consistent basis. Some classes meet on weekends (Friday evening or Saturday during the day) or in a hybrid format. Very few classes will be available fully online.

Course syllabi are available for review by prospective students on request. Email academicservices@ucdenver.edu with the course number and prefix.