Master of Arts in Counseling, Couple and Family Counseling/Therapy

MA

Prepares students for careers as couple and family therapists. Faculty teach students to prize human diversity and offer a continuum of mental health services across a variety of settings for the benefit of the community and society. Graduates treat relationship and emotional challenges, while promoting optimum relational health, through a systemic, holistic approach.

The Program at a Glance

School: School of Education & Human Development Campus: CU Denver Classroom: Online and on campus classes Accreditation: CACREP, COAMFTE Recommended completion time: 3 to 4 years Credits required for completion: 63

The Details

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

Couples And Family Therapy Track Student Program Outcomes of Fall Cohorts as of Fall 2018

Couples And Family Therapy Track Cohorts Number of students in cohort by Initial Term Enrollment Status Graduation Rates Job Placement* Licensure Exam Pass Rate**
Full-time (FT) Part-time (PT) Minimum (3.5 Years) Maximum (7 Years)
FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT
2008-2009 15 12 47% 58% 93% 83% 75% (n=4)   100% (n=2)  
2009-2010 17 6 76% 50% 88% 67% 100% (n=3)   100% (n=2)  
2010-2011 15 3 67% 33% 93% 33% 67% (n=3)   100% (n=1)  
2011-2012 10 2 100% 0% In Process 100% (n=1)      
2012-2013 17 1 53% 100% In Process 100% (n=2)      
2013-2014 17 1 53% 0% In Process 100% (n=3)      
2014-2015 16 1 In Process In Process 67% (n=3)      
2015-2016 15 0 In Process In Process        
2016-2017 11 3 In Process In Process        
2017-2018 14 1 In Process In Process        
Fall 2018 7 1 In Process In Process        

* Job placement rate is collected from alumni surveys. Current data comes from a spring 2019 survey. The rate includes the student who said they were employed in a position related to couple and family therapy. The total number of cohort responses is included in the cell.
** Licensure exam pass rate is collected from alumni surveys. Current data comes from a spring 2019 survey. The rate includes the students who reported passing the National Marital and Family Therapy Examination or their state's equivalent licensing exam. The total number of students who reported taking an exam is included in the cell.

Diversity Composition Information: Fall 2019


 Students Faculty**

Total

64

15
Gender

Female

53

11

Male

11

4
Ethnicity

Asian

Less than 5*

1

Black / African American

5

1

Hispanic / Latinx

12

2

International

Less than 5*

0

Not Hispanic; more than one race

Less than 5*

0

Unknown

Less than 5*

1

White / Caucasian

39

10

* 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 2019.

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

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.

Program Curriculum

.pdf

Admissions Requirements

Diversity Statement

We encourage applications from persons from a variety of sociopolitical contexts, such as racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, veterans, sexual and gender minorities, and individuals from a variety of religious and spiritual backgrounds. The couple/family faculty provides open and supportive learning environments where students are invited to engage in personal and reflective processes about their own and others’ experiences, beliefs and values. We seek to train counselors/therapists who can approach clients with integrity, respect and sensitivity for differences in beliefs, values, and lifestyles.

Application Deadlines

Due to the competitive nature of this program, faculty are only able to review complete applications; this includes letters of recommendation, transcripts and all other required elements of the application. In order to secure your application as “complete” in sufficient time for faculty review and consideration we highly recommend submitting your application at least one to two months prior to the deadline to ensure we have ample time to work with you on your application should items be missing. To avoid your application remaining incomplete at the time of the posted deadline please be sure to complete the steps below as early as possible.

Fall Semester: January 15

Spring Semester: September 15

Application Requirements

  • 3 recommendation letters
  • Official Transcripts from all institutions attended
  • Resume/CV
  • Written Statement
  • $50.00 application fee
  • Admissions Interview: Upon successful completion and review of your file, qualified applicants are invited to attend a REQUIRED half-day interview on the Denver campus (or virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic) approximately one month after the deadline date. During this interview applicants will be oriented to the program, participate in small group interviews and large group. Participation in the interview is mandatory and you will not be accepted into the program without attending. We do not conduct individual interviews for admission to our program. Final selection of the applicants will be based on their performance in the interview.
  • International Applicants only: Proof of English Language Proficiency (International applicants should review the following information regarding English language proficiency)

For more information, email education@ucdenver.edu or call 303.315.6300.

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