| Course Code | Name | Course Description |
| MFT8101 | Advanced Theories in MFT | This course is designed to be an advanced survey of the theoretical literature related to the practice of marriage and family therapy. The course includes an integrative and critical thinking focus on systems theory, attachment theory, agentive theory, common factors and the metaframeworks perspective. Course content will be related conceptually to clinical concerns. |
| MFT7103 | Research Methods in MFT | This doctoral-level course focuses on the fundamentals of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches to research in marriage and family therapy. Learners gain an understanding of the strengths and limitations of each approach, and how these methods apply to a research topic. The concepts of research ethics, scholarly research writing, and developing a research proposal will also be explored and practiced. |
| MFT8102 | Dynamics of Family Interaction | This course examines the theoretical and empirical contributions to the understanding of marital and family systems. The specific focus of the course is on the processes and dynamics of interaction within these relationships. The course will include content on the history of family life, diverse family types, roles and rules in families, family problems and family health, and rituals in family life. Conceptualizations of effective functioning in marriages and families will be studied and various factors that impact marital and family systems will be addressed. |
| MFT7104 | Statistical Design for MFT Research | This course provides an introductory exploration of statistics for the graduate Learner. It includes instruction on the calculation, use, and interpretation of descriptive statistics, and introduces inferential statistical analysis. The emphasis of this course is on providing a working knowledge of basic statistical concepts to help the Learner understand statistical methodology used in family therapy research, and also more generally, developing a working knowledge of statistical usage in everyday life. |
| MFT8201 | Play Therapy Methods | This course will focus on the history, principles, and theories of play therapy, play therapy orientations, and applications in clinical practice with a specific emphasis on conceptualizing play therapy using a system theory orientation. Methods of play therapy with individual children, adolescents, and families will be addressed. |
| MFT7105 | Advanced Assessment in MFT Research and Intervention | In this course, Learners are trained to administer assessment instruments as an evaluative component of clinical practice and research in marriage and family therapy. Learners will become familiar with the use of a wide variety of assessment instruments and clinical assessment procedures relating to children, individuals, couples, and families. Learners will also identify specific measurement and evaluation tools or methods for potential use in their own dissertation research. |
| MFT8202 | Family Therapy with Adolescents | This course is designed to provide clinically relevant background information, theory, and therapeutic models and interventions for pertinent presenting clinical problems relevant to adolescents. Course material will address family therapy practice and be related conceptually to theory. Specific methods of therapy with adolescents and facilitating parental and family involvement will be discussed. Intervention strategies for difficult adolescents will be discussed, many of which have a common focus on working both within the family and with external systems relevant to the life of the adolescent. |
| MFT7106 | Quantitative Research Design in MFT | This course provides Learners with the skills essential in the critique and execution of quantitative research methods relating to marriage and family therapy. Course content will cover evaluation and critique of research processes, research problems, research designs, selection of appropriate methods of data collection, data analysis strategies, interpretation of findings, and research/evaluation report writing. Learners will develop a preliminary methodological design for potential use with their envisioned dissertation research. |
| MFT8203 | Parenting Strategies | This course is focused on research and intervention with parents. The course focuses on developing competency in a variety of areas of parenting and child guidance. In particular, course content will address diverse family systems, family literacy, health and nutrition, and fostering physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development from birth through adolescence. Additionally, the course will include discussion of various techniques on how to responsibly discipline children. |
| MFT7107 | Qualitative Research Design in MFT | This Doctoral level course will focus on understanding fundamental assumptions within the qualitative research paradigm, the utility and experience of performing qualitative research inquiry in contemporary family therapy, and exposure to various methods and approaches to data collection within the qualitative paradigm. There is an emphasis on clinical research from a systems perspective and Learners will be expected to take a learning-through-doing/experiential approach. Course activities will develop a Learner’s appreciation of a qualitative research stance, ability to critically review various field methods within qualitative research, and development of qualitative research writing skills via reflexive journals and fieldnotes. Although we will focus primarily on only a few, through readings and experiential activities, Learners will be exposed to a variety of qualitative research methods. These will include Phenomenology, Grounded Theory, Action Research, Performance and Arts-Based Ethnography, Narrative Inquiry, Life Histories/Case Studies, Critical Ethnography, Fieldwork Interviews, Discourse and Conversation Analysis, and Focus Groups. The signature activity of the course is a draft of the Learner’s Methodology dissertation chapter. |
| MFT8204 | ADHD Assessment and Treatment | This course will cover a number of topics related to Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Among the topics covered will be etiology of the disorder (both physiological and systemic), diagnosis (to include differential considerations), assessment, and treatment. Within the topic of diagnosis, the importance of identifying comorbid disorders, as well as distinguishing ADHD from other commonly occurring disorders with overlapping symptoms (e.g., Pervasive Developmental Disorders) will be addressed. Considerations regarding treatment will have a purposeful focus on both neurobiological and systemic implications, to include the role of medication in managing associated symptoms. |
| MFT7108 | Advanced Data Analysis Strategies in MFT | This course is an intermediate examination of statistical analyses commonly used in the field of marriage and family therapy (MFT). It prepares doctoral MFT Learners with the skills required to plan, conduct (using SPSS), report, and interpret quantitative statistical analyses. Topics include: basic statistical knowledge, probability theory, exploratory date analysis, assumptions for statistical tests, parametric, and nonparametric tests. Specific analyses include: correlation, regression (simple, multiple, and logistic), basic ANOVA, and advanced ANOVA techniques. |
| MFT7109 | Planning Dissertation Research in MFT | Learners in this course will begin the process of writing a dissertation. The course will address the University dissertation process and aids to successfully completing a dissertation, including self-care and time management. |
