About Lipscomb
Program in Marriage and Family Therapy
The M.MFT in Marriage & Family Therapy offers a 60-hour curriculum designed to meet the academic requirements for licensure as a Marriage & Family Therapist in Tennessee. This credential allows students to provide Marriage and Family Therapy services to individuals, couples, and families in a variety of settings in the community such as mental health centers, private practices, churches, and parachurch organizations. For a detailed description of the LMFT guidelines in Tennessee, click here. Our program’s emphasis on faith integration would be especially helpful for those who wish to practice in faith-related settings (although students are not limited to only these settings). Students wishing to be both an LMFT and an LPC-MHSP can take 2 additional courses (for a total of 66 hours) and be eligible to seek a dual license.
The M.MFT in Marriage and Family therapy is a 60 hour, 24 month program structured in a cohort model which requires all the coursework and practice necessary for students seeking MFT licensure. Students in this program attend full-time, year-round and take courses on Tuesday evenings at our new off-site location in Cool Springs. Students will complete 500 hours of supervised clinical work in addition to their coursework.
The courses below are listed in sequence. Courses with * beside them are not part of the 60-hour degree, but are additional courses that can be taken at the Nashville campus by those seeking dual licensure.
Fall I
Introduction to Systems and Family Theory
Introduction to Counseling Skills
Family Life Cycle
Spring I
Family Therapy I
Advanced Psychopathology
Pre-practicum
Maymester I
Non-traditional Families
Summer I
Professional Development and MFT Ethics
Couple, Marital, and Sex Therapy
Practicum I
Fall II
Family Therapy II
Family Assessment
Practicum II
Group Therapy * (for dual license only)
Spring II
Cultural Diversity in MFT
Research and Stats
Practicum III
Career Counseling * (for dual license only)
Maymester II
Spirituality in MFT
Summer II
Treating Addiction in Families
Therapy Across the Life Cycle
Practicum IV
Intermediate Statistics (Nashville campus - not required but highly recommended for those preparing for doctoral studies)