Master of Arts (M.A.) - Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling Program
Dr. Wen-Mei Chou, Program Coordinator
The Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling program at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling program is currently accredited under the 2016 standards.
Mission
The mission of the Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling track (MFCC) is to provide students with the academic knowledge, the therapeutic skills, and the ethical foundations necessary to practice in the field of marriage and family therapy. The Counselor Education faculty is committed to providing a program milieu that offers students the opportunity for professional and personal growth. This program prepares students through curriculum designed to meet the academic requirements set forth by Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and the Marriage and Family Therapy licensing exam.
MFCC Goals
Goal 1: Prepare clinical mental health counselors to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and changing society.
Objective 1. The Masters of Arts in Counseling Program seeks to develop counselors firmly grounded in the practice of Multicultural Counseling Competencies with an understanding of the impact of heritage, attitudes, beliefs, understandings, and acculturative experiences on an individuals’ views of others. (CACREP Common Core Area 2)
Objective 2. The Masters of Arts in Counseling Program seeks to develop counselors with a broad knowledge of the internal and external factors that affect clients’ human development, functioning, and behavior, and an ability to utilize this knowledge to competently serve clients. (CACREP Common Core Area 3)
Goal 2: Prepare qualified clinical mental health counselors who are proficient in written and verbal communications.
Goal 3: Prepare professional mental health counselors to practice effectively in collaborative and interdisciplinary environments.
Objective 3. The Masters of Arts in Counseling Program seeks to develop and train counselors who develop a base to grow a personal model of counseling based in sound theory and practice, and with the ability to assess and addresses crisis, especially suicide (CACREP Common Core Area 5)
Objective 4. The Masters of Arts in Counseling Program seeks to develop and train counselors in how to develop and provide group counseling based on effective therapeutic factors and characteristics. (CACREP Common Core Area 6)
Objective 5. The Masters of Arts in Counseling Program seeks to develop counselors who understand concepts essential to understanding and administering assessments. (CACREP Common Core Area 7)
Objective 6. The Masters of Arts in Counseling Program seeks to develop and train counselors who understand statistics and research methods used in counseling research, and how to use that data to more effectively serve clients. (CACREP Common Core Area 8)
Goal 4: Promote the development of counselor professional identity and an understanding of professional ethical standards and the appropriate legal statues.
Objective 7. The Masters of Arts in Counseling Program seeks to develop and train counselors who understand the ethics of our professional counseling organizations and credentialing bodies, and they understand how to self-evaluate their own performance in relation to these ethical standards. (CACREP Common Core Area 1)
Goal 5: Provide Clinical Mental Health program students with the academic and practical experiences that satisfy the program accreditation standards set forth by the Counsel for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) and satisfy the licensure requirements of the State of Texas’s Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors.
Objective 8. The Masters of Arts in Counseling Program seeks to develop and train counseling students who have a holistic understanding of career development and the multifaceted factors that affect the development of self and career. (CACREP Common Core Area 4)
Course Requirements – 60 Hours
Counseling Core Courses (36 hours)
Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling Specialized Courses (12 hours)
Elective (3 credits from any of the following or other counseling courses with approval)
Clinical Instruction (9 hours)
Comprehensive Examination (0 hours)
Marriage & Family Therapy Practice Examination. The policies and procedures for the administration and scoring of the comprehensive examination for each specialization are available through the Director of the Master of Arts in Counseling Program.
Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling
This section identifies how the UMHB Marriage, Family & Child Counseling track meets the academic content areas required in Rule §801.113(d) and (e) and §801.114, Academic Course Content of Title 22, Texas Administrative Code, Part 35, Chapter 801, effective March 7, 2019 for meeting the course requirements for licensure as a marriage and family therapist in the State of Texas:
Theoretical Foundations of Marriage and Family Therapy (1 course)
Assessment and Treatment in Marriage and Family Therapy (4 courses)
| CNSL 6301 | Brief Counseling Interventions with Individuals & Families | 3 |
| CNSL 6304 | Couples Counseling | 3 |
| CNSL 6306 | Counseling Children & Adolescents | 3 |
| CNSL 6316 | Applied Counseling Techniques in Individual & Family Counseling | 3 |
| CNSL 6393 | Advanced Marriage and Family Techniques | 3 |
Human Development, Gender, Multicultural Issues and Family Studies (2 courses)
Psychopathology (1 course)
Professional Ethics (1 course)
Applied Professional Research (1 course)
Elective (3 credits-any of the following)
Supervised Clinical Practicum (12 months or 3 courses)
In addition to completing all degree requirements, students who want to become Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) in Texas must, after graduation, complete a 3000 clock hour internship approved by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists. Prior to beginning this internship, graduates must apply to take the Marriage & Family Therapist Licensure examination and apply to the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists for a temporary license. Graduates must also take and pass the Jurisprudence Exam administered by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists.