Linda Stone Fish, Graduate Program Director, 315-443-3024

The M.A. program consists of a 60-credit curriculum that has been accredited since 1972 by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) and is designed to meet academic requirements for clinical membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Students are mature individuals who have a strong commitment to the family therapy profession and to meeting the mental health needs of underserved populations.

The M.A. program focuses on the family as a system and the cultural and societal frameworks within which couples and families grow and develop. Students are trained as therapists and scholars who challenge themselves by fostering relationships with others who hold various and diverse world views. By working toward the creation of an environment of respect, honesty, and integrity, students and faculty in the program strive to increase cultural sensitivity, heighten awareness of self in relation to others, and generate an understanding of the role played by context in issues presented in therapy.

All students enroll in a clinical practicum and complete 500 hours of supervised clinical practice with individuals, couples, and families. They spend one year training at the Couple and Family Therapy Center. During their second year they have the opportunity to train at a variety of local health and human service agencies.

Enrollment in the marriage and family therapy program is limited due to the intense clinical training students receive; Most admission decisions are made in spring for the following fall; however, spring and summer admissions are available on a limited basis