Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling

Students who complete this specialization will have satisfied the educational requirements and be eligible to register as an Associate MFT to complete post-degree hours and sit for licensure examinations necessary to be licensed as an Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) in the State of California. Graduates from this specialization are typically employed in community mental health, hospitals, private practice, crisis and trauma centers, and educational settings.

The counseling profession embraces a diversity of disciplines. Yet, professional counseling associations, national accreditation bodies, and state licensing boards have not provided, nor have they agreed on, any clear and consistent definitions that demarcate and differentiate the roles and functions of these specialty areas. Those who wish to pursue the MFCC specialization should determine if the cultural-systemic-familial-relational treatment philosophy is best compatible with your professional identity and orientation when providing assessment, diagnosis, and intervention to individuals, children, families, couples, and relationship partners. For more information about MFTs in California, visit CAMFT’s Informational Page

A note about terminology: the Department is aware that the term MFCC (Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling) has been replaced by MFT (Marriage and Family Therapy). However, since MFCC appears in the degree title, which can only be changed by the University’s Chancellor's Office, we will use the term MFCC when referring specifically to the degree. We will use the term MFT when referring to the program as the field.