Multicultural Family Therapy

Program Overview

The Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy in Multicultural Family Therapy prepares therapists for a world in which almost every family is shaped by more than one culture. Immigration, interracial and intercultural marriage, international adoption, and generational differences in language and values mean that the meaning of family itself — who belongs to it, who decides, what loyalty requires — cannot be assumed. Students study culture both as a clinical variable and as part of the therapist's own self. The multicultural counseling competencies of awareness, knowledge, and skills are set beside the stance of cultural humility, which treats the client as the expert on their own culture and the therapist as a lifelong learner. Acculturation and John Berry's four strategies, the acculturation gaps that divide immigrant parents from their children, racial and ethnic identity development, microaggressions, intersectionality, and the effects of migration and discrimination on family life are examined in depth. Clinical courses draw on the cultural genogram, Celia Falicov's multidimensional ecosystemic approach, Nancy Boyd-Franklin's multisystems work with Black families, the ethnicity and family therapy literature, and the practical disciplines of working with interpreters and community leaders. The church was multicultural from Pentecost, and the vision of every nation, tribe, people, and language gathered in worship gives Christian therapists both a calling and a standard to be measured against. The doctoral project develops and evaluates culturally adapted services for a particular community. Graduates lead multicultural family services, serve immigrant and refugee congregations, train culturally responsive practitioners, and consult with mission agencies. The program is formation for practice and not, by itself, a licensure qualification.

Core Courses

• MCT 801 — Culture, Family, and the Therapist’s Self (6 credits)
• MCT 812 — Multicultural Competence and Cultural Humility (6 credits)
• MCT 824 — Migration, Acculturation, and Family Life (6 credits)
• MCT 836 — Race, Identity, and Discrimination (6 credits)
• MCT 848 — Culturally Adapted Family Interventions (5 credits)
• MCT 860 — Applied Research Design in Diverse Communities (4 credits)
• MCT 899 — Doctoral Project in Multicultural Family Therapy (24 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Master's degree in marriage and family therapy, counseling, psychology, social work, ministry, or a related field
• Experience in counseling, family ministry, chaplaincy, or human services
• Statement of purpose describing the families you serve and the question you want to pursue
• Current resume or professional profile
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available
• Signed acknowledgment that the degree does not by itself confer a license to practise therapy in any jurisdiction