NOM Marriage PhD Brochure

Ph.D. in Family Therapy Program Description The Ph.D. in Family Therapy is a 96-credit-hour program designed for individuals holding master’s degrees who wish to fully grasp both the historical and the cutting-edge theory informing the current practice of family therapy. The program is also dedicated to understanding the relationship between theoretical ideas and the variety of established and emerging schools of family therapy. The program integrates systemically oriented theory and clinical practice, language, and thinking systems. It is designed to enhance students’ clinical skills in order to become top-level practitioners, while at the same time, demonstrating the place of qualitative and quantitative research in this pursuit. Graduates of the program should look forward to productive careers in academic, supervisory, clinic, and community-based employment settings. The Ph.D. in family therapy at Nova Southeastern University is fully accredited with the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), 112 South Alfred, Alexandria, VA 22314, 703- 253-0457 http://www.aamft.org. During the Ph.D. program, students may also fulfill the academic requirements for becoming a clinical fellow and approved supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. The program’s supervision course is approved for meeting the supervision course requirement for AAMFT-approved supervisors. For licensed marriage and family therapists, additional training and supervision to become AAMFT-approved supervisors is provided through the Brief Therapy Institute. The Family Therapy Clinic at the Brief Therapy Institute Students in the family therapy program receive clinical training and experience at the Brief Therapy Institute (BTI), NSU’s on-site family therapy clinic. The clinic serves a wide variety of clients from all life circumstances. This training focuses on working with families and individuals of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, religious affiliations, and sexual orientations. Much of the therapy at BTI is provided by practicum teams, each composed of an AAMFT-approved faculty supervisor and a maximum of six graduate student therapists. As one of the team members—a designated primary therapist— works directly with clients, the others join the supervisor in an observation room behind a one-way mirror. Communication between the two rooms is by telephone so that during the session the supervisor and team may call the primary therapist, make observations, and pose questions.