Master of Science in Family Therapy

“The MSFT program at Friends is student-focused, it is professionally relevant, it is well-respected and it is a family. What other graduate program can boast that its alumni return to teach, supervise, volunteer and host students on a regular basis?”

Erin Cavanaugh, Family Therapy Graduate 2011

What jobs can you get with a master’s degree in family therapy?

Marriage and family therapy is an ideal profession for those who value helping others discover positive change in the midst of personal and relationship struggles. A family therapy degree at Friends University prepares you with the theoretical, clinical, multicultural and interpersonal competencies for eventual licensure and practice as a Marriage and Family Therapy mental health professional. Current Marriage and Family Therapy graduates are working as counselors, therapists and social workers.

With a high job growth in therapy degrees over the next decade, there has never been a better time to get a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy. The need for jobs in social work, therapy and counseling is expected to grow 22% by 2028.

A degree for counselors, therapists and social workers

The MSFT program trains students in the context of a relational and systemic perspective and strives to produce ethically sound clinicians who are competent in multicultural, theoretical, clinical, and interpersonal domains.

Psychotherapy with individuals, couples and families all require specialized knowledge and training as well as personal inspiration. Our COAMFTE (Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education) accredited program offers extensive training and experience providing care to others in personal distress. Each year advanced students in the program collectively provide more than 10,000 hours of relational services to individuals, couples and families. In this, we believe we have created a unique graduate training experience that offers you these practices and more.

The Master of Science in Family Therapy Program at Friends University is pleased to provide a public portfolio of program information in compliance with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. This information includes but is not limited to the MSFT program’s mission statement, program goals, student learning outcomes, faculty information, demographic data, student achievement data, and policies and procedures supporting the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Friends University. To access the information, please select the following link to the MSFT LiveText Portfolio Management System (www.livetext.com), select the “visitor pass,” and enter the following code: 340BA284

Accreditation

The marriage and family therapy graduate degree at Friends University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), 112 S. Alfred St., Alexandria, VA 22314 (703-838-9808), coa@aamft.org.

Application Deadlines

The Friends University MSFT program has specific deadlines for applying. The following deadlines are for the 2019-2020 year. 2020-2021 dates will be posted soon.

• Round 1 – Wichita – Friday, Dec. 20, 2019
• Round 2 – Wichita – Friday, March 27, 2020
• Round 3 – Wichita – Friday, May 29, 2020
• Round 1 – Kansas City – Friday, Dec. 6, 2019
• Round 2 – Kansas City – Friday, Feb. 28, 2020
• Round 3 – Kansas City – Friday, May 8, 2020

Interviews

• Round 1 – Wichita – Monday, Feb. 24, 2020
• Round 2 – Wichita – Monday, April 27, 2020
• Round 3 – Wichita – Monday, June 22, 2020
• Round 1 – Kansas City – Friday, Jan. 17, 2020
• Round 2 – Kansas City – Friday, April 3, 2020
• Round 3 – Kansas City – Friday, June 5, 2020

Program Outcomes

Program outcomes for the Marriage & Family Therapy graduate program are below:

• Demonstrate awareness and regulation of self emotion.
• Demonstrate awareness and regulation of self in interaction.
• Demonstrate constructive response to difference.
• Demonstrate the ability to promote therapeutic alliance.
• Demonstrate the ability to use therapeutic influence constructively.
• Demonstrate understanding of relevant conceptual knowledge.
• Demonstrate application of relevant conceptual knowledge.
• Demonstrate integration of multiple concept frameworks organized by systematic/relational orientation.
• Initiate and assess treatment need.
• Plan and facilitate research/theory informed intervention.
• Evaluate progress and conclude treatment.
• Utilize supervision and professional collaboration.
• Follow legal, ethical and professional standards.

Featured Faculty

Dr. Rebecca Culver-Turner

• Associate Professor of MFT (Wichita) and Wichita Site Program Director
• B.A., Ozark Christian College; Ph.D., Kansas State University

Dr. Chris Habben

• Professor of Marriage & Family Therapy; Kansas City Site Program Director; Kansas City Site Specialized Accreditation & Assessment Administration
• B.A., Hope College; M.S., M.A., Fuller Theological Seminary; Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Jennifer Jay

• Assistant Professor Marriage & Family Therapy; Wichita Site Clinical Director; Wichita Clinical Internship Supervisor
• B.A., Wichita State University; M.M.F.T., Abilene Christian University; Ph.D., Oklahoma State University

Dr. Sarah Lyon

• Assistant Professor of MFT (Kansas City) and Kansas City Site Clinical Director and Internship Supervisor
• B.A., University of Kansas; M.S., Oklahoma State University; Ph.D., Kansas State University

Dr. Steve Rathbun

• Professor of Marriage & Family Therapy
• B.A., Mid-America Nazarene College; M.A., University of Northern Colorado; Ph.D., Kansas State University

Dr. Rebekah R Reyes Adams

• Assistant Professor Marriage Family & Therapy

Dr. Michelle Robertson

• Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy
• B.A., Midwestern State University; M.M.F.T., Abilene Christian University; Ph.D., University of Louisiana