A counselor and a patient sit in an office talking

Marriage and Family Therapy

Program Overview
Admissions Requirements
MMFT Courses
Tuition & Aid

The Master of Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT) programs (Austin; Nashville) provide the knowledge and skills you need to help individuals, couples and families from diverse backgrounds overcome life challenges and improve their mental wellbeing. Through rigorous coursework and a minimum of 300 hours of clinical training, you will be well prepared for the MFT licensing exams.

Whether you are straight out of undergraduate studies, looking for a meaningful career change or would like to expand your existing skill set in helping others, a master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy can position you to serve and heal in impactful ways.

Our programs can be completed in 24 months through a cohort format, following a specific course sequence.

The Lipscomb Marriage and Family Therapy Program in Nashville is COAMFTE accredited. While the Austin program will be pursuing COAMFTE accreditation, it is being modeled after an established and successful accredited program.

The Lipscomb MMFT programs are supported by an advisory board composed of strategic stakeholders inside and outside of Lipscomb University.

Master of Marriage and Family Therapy Program Outcomes

The mission of our Master of Marriage and Family Therapy programs is to prepare you with academic and clinical training in marriage and family therapy that is founded in science for work with individuals, couples, families and social systems from diverse ideological, spiritual, demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds. This training is informed by Christian values such as love, empathy, forgiveness, grace and tolerance, encouraging students to provide greater service in the home, congregation, community, nation and world.

Through our robust MMFT programs, you can provide effective marriage and family therapy services in a variety of settings such as mental health centers, private practices and churches as a highly trained, caring and compassionate therapist. You will be equipped with the key counseling techniques and skills to serve individuals overcoming their mental health challenges, help couples restore a thriving relationship and lead families to create healthy and effective family processes.

Review detailed Program Goals and Outcomes for both programs.

Explore program outcome information specific to the Nashville program:

Play Therapy and Therapy with Military Families Specializations

Play Therapy Specialization (Nashville)

Play therapy is an empirically grounded therapeutic approach where clients use the natural medium of play and toys as tools to express themselves. As children's experiences and knowledge are often communicated through play, it becomes an important vehicle for them to know and accept themselves and others.

While pursuing an MMFT degree at Lipscomb, you may choose a specialization in play therapy, a nine-hour training track structured to equip you with knowledge, personal experience and practical application of play therapy and expressive arts techniques. This specialization requires one additional course (3 credit hours) in addition to the prescribed curriculum for the master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. You will learn how to leverage play therapy to foster the mental health and development of children, adults and families.

The play therapy courses are held as weekend intensives in Nashville, TN.

Military Families Specialization (Austin)

Through courses focused on working directly with active duty military and Veteran individuals and families, our students will gain the competence and confidence to seek jobs treating those populations.

Clinical Requirements and Theory of Change Paper

Capstone: Theory of Change

As a capstone project, students write a Theory of Change (TOC) paper. The TOC is an integrative culmination of all learning in the program into a coherent articulation of how students conceptualize and perform their practice of marriage and family therapy.

Clinical Hours Requirements

Students in our MFT programs are required to accomplish a minimum of 300 direct client contact hours with 100 of those hours being relational client contact hours (e.g. couple therapy, family therapy). In Tennessee, Texas, and many other states, 300 direct client contact hours is all that is required in order to pursue licensure as a marriage and family therapist after graduation. However, in many other states (at least 10 at last count), 500 or more hours of direct client contact are required. Therefore, we strongly recommend doing whatever it takes to graduate with over 500 hours of direct client contact. The national exam website has information on state practicum requirements in their “Licensure Resources” section. For the most up-to-date information, we recommend looking directly at state board information on practicum requirements for MFT licensure.

Clinical Placements

Nashville

Marriage and family therapists engage with everyone with respect, compassion, humility and fairness, and with an appreciation for cultural diversity and difference. As a program, we operate our own sliding fee scale clinic, the Lipscomb Family Therapy Center, with the goal of making mental health and relationship care affordable for all individuals, couples and families in the Nashville community. In order to offer a diverse set of clinical experiences for our students, we have also partnered with other organizations for outside clinical placements. Some of our clinical partners have included:

Austin

Austin students can do their internships at various locations in the Austin area.

Our Commitment to Diversity

In Lipscomb’s MMFT programs, we strive to engage graciously with human systems in ways that result in healing, growth and increased resilience. We understand that individuals and human systems are unique and also an expression of the image of God. Therefore, it is our goal to treat everyone well, abiding by the Golden Rule. When people “do unto others as you would have them to do to you,” a shared cultural humility emerges allowing room for self-expression without fear of academic or social penalties. We are sensitive to the diverse nature of humanity and treat people and social systems with respect and appreciation in areas where differences and disagreements may be present.

Diversity spans the widest variety of individual and social system differences. These differences may be observed in:

Age
Ethnicity and Race
Gender
Physical Health and Ability
Sexuality, Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation
Cultural Assumptions
Language and Communication Processes
Political and Philosophical Ideology
Religion, Spirituality and Faith
Privilege and Power
Socioeconomic Status
Nationality and Immigration Status
Family and Social Structure

We seek to foster a safe learning environment where honest expression and respect for differences may result in the desired outcome of academic communion. Since agreement is not a prerequisite for academic communion, diversity and disagreement are not only welcomed but invited. In our MMFT programs, we believe the presence of healthy, respectful disagreement promotes a more productive academic environment for everyone.

View the Nashville program diversity and graduate achievements.

Admissions Requirements

Ready to apply to Lipscomb University’s Master of Marriage and Family Therapy degree program? Please submit:

Lipscomb University's online application
Write an essay describing your dream job in the field of marriage and family therapy. There is no one "right" way to answer this question. Great responses are thoughtful and may cover topics including preferred work settings, clientele, areas of special clinical interest, etc. It is required that you do not exceed 600 words. This is the equivalent of about two pages (1" margins) of content that is double spaced using a 12-point font style similar to Arial, GT Times or Times New Roman.
Three letters of recommendation
Official transcripts from all schools in which a degree was conferred
GRE scores (waived if you already hold a master's degree, optional if you have a 3.0 or above undergraduate GPA)
Optional--You may submit a 45-60 second video that answers the following question: What has led you to apply for the master's of marriage and family therapy program at Lipscomb University?
Interview

While the deadline to apply for Fall 2022 in Nashville has passed, we reserve the right to evaluate new applications on a case by case basis.

We are currently accepting applications for the MFT program in Austin.

International Students

MMFT Courses

With a robust 60-credit-hour curriculum, the Master of Marriage and Family Therapy program offers comprehensive courses to cultivate your therapy techniques, diagnostic skills and systemic therapeutic approaches, as well as a holistic understanding of theoretical frameworks of marriage and family therapy. In addition to the courses, you’ll participate in a minimum of 300 hours of clinical work through our clinical practice courses while pursuing the Marriage and Family Therapy license during your program of study.

Master of Marriage and Family Therapy Course List

Nashville Courses in Sequence:

Fall I

PSFT 5903 Introduction to Marriage and Family Therapy Skills
PSFT 5103 Introduction to Systems and Family Theory
PSFT 6613 Family Life Cycle: Theory and Practice
PSFT 5603 Research Methods and Statistics

Spring I

PSFT 5203 Family Therapy 1
PSFT 6053 Diverse Families and Systems I
PSFT 6603 Diagnosis and Assessment
PSFT 6833 Practicum

Summer I

PSFT 5403 Ethics and Clinical Practice
PSFT 6A23 Introduction to Play Therapy
PSFT 6843 Supervised Clinical Practice I

Fall II

PSFT 6713 Family Therapy II
PSFT 6763 Intimacy: Sexuality, Couple and Sex Therapy
PSFT 6853 Supervised Clinical Practice II
PSFT 6XN3 Advanced Play Therapy (specialization only)

Spring II

PSFT 6733 Diverse Families and Systems II
PSFT 6353 Treating Trauma and Addiction in Families
PSFT 6863 Supervised Clinical Practice III

Summer II

PSFT 6813 Exam & Licensure Prep
PSFT 6823 Professional Marriage and Family Therapy: Evidence Based Mental Health Care
PSFT 6873 Supervised Clinical Practice IV

Austin Sample Course Sequence:

Fall I

PSFT 5903: Introduction to Marriage and Family Therapy Skills
PSFT 5103: Introduction to Systems and Family Theory
PSFT 6733: Non-Traditional Families
PSFT 5203: Family Therapy 1

Spring I

PSFT 5403: Ethics and Clinical Practice
PSFT 6833: Practicum
PSFT 6613: Family Life Cycle: Theory and Practice
PSFT 5603: Research Methods and Statistics

Summer I

PSFT 673: Intimacy: Sexuality, Couple and Sex Therapy
PSFT 6603: Diagnosis and Assessment
PSFT 6843: Supervised Clinical Practice I

Fall II

PSFT XXXX: Therapy with Military Families
PSFT 6713: Family Therapy 2
PSFT 6863 Supervised Clinical Practice II

Spring II

PSFT 6823: Professional Marriage and Family Therapy: Evidenced Based Mental Health Care
PSFT 6053: Cultural Diversity in MFT
PSFT 6863: Supervised Clinical Practice III

Summer II

PSFT 6353: Trauma and Addiction in Families
PSFT 6813: Marriage and Family Therapy Exam and Licensure
PSFT 6873: Supervised Clinical Practice IV

Play Therapy Specialization

This concentration is a 9 credit hour concentration where two Play Therapy courses and one Play Therapy Supervised Clinical Practice (SCP) replace two regular MFT courses and integrate Play Therapy into one SCP. The MMFT with a Play Therapy Concentration is 63 credit hours. The play therapy courses are held as weekend intensives in Nashville, TN.

Play Therapy Special Courses

PSFT 6800 Clinical Practice Extension
PSFT 688V Independent Study in MFT
PSFT 6XN3 Special Topics in MFT

Tuition & Aid

Whether you are joining our Master of Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT) degree program in Nashville, Tennessee or Austin, Texas, you will receive the same quality education in a welcoming and engaging learning environment at a tuition rate of $962* per credit hour. An iPad for the program is included in the tuition.

Committed to providing affordable education to our students, Lipscomb University offers various scholarships and financial aid programs to help you pay your tuition. Explore your graduate financial aid options.

*Note: Graduate tuition rates may increase annually, effective at the start of the summer term.

Types of Aid

Assistantships and Scholarships

Graduate assistantships are available. Assistantships, though highly competitive, provide a tuition reduction between $15,000 and $30,000 (distributed evenly across the entire program) depending on whether the assistantship is half or quarter time. You may apply for a GA position after being accepted into the program.

The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) is the professional organization for Marriage and Family Therapists. Each year AAMFT welcomes applications for the AAMFT Minority Fellowship program. Click here for more details.

Student Loans

As a graduate student, you are still able to file the FAFSA—and you should! By filing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), you may be eligible for a number of student loans.

Federal Stafford Loan

A borrower must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment for at least six semester hours and must be working toward a degree or certificate. Loans must be actively accepted in myLipscomb in order to be applied as an expected payment to the student bill. Stafford Loans will not pay until the student has completed both Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note at studentloans.gov. Loans will not be credited to accounts until 30 days after classes begin or when a student begins the sixth credit hour, whichever comes last.

Graduate PLUS Loan

The Graduate PLUS Loan is available to independent graduate students. Both loans require credit approval by the Department of Education, as well as a FAFSA submission. Apply.

Private Loans

In addition to the federal loans outlined here, you may consider private loans made by banks and other financial institutions. It is recommended that private loans only be considered in instances where funding is needed in addition to any federal loans, as interest rates may be higher. Eligibility for these loans requires a credit check and students are often required to have a cosigner to qualify.

Veteran Aid/Yellow Ribbon Program

Through an agreement with the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, Lipscomb University will guarantee some level of graduate tuition funding, applicable to all Lipscomb University graduate programs, for graduate students who qualify for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Depending on program tuition rates, the graduate tuition funding may or may not cover the total tuition cost of the program.

The Yellow Ribbon Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) is a provision of the Post- 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. This program allows institutions of higher learning in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to fund tuition expenses. View eligibility requirements.

Any questions concerning eligibility or benefits should be directed to the VA school-certifying official located in the lower level of Bennett Campus Center, Suite 140, or visit their website.

Contact Information

Graduate and Adult Admissions, Admin

Kathi Johnson
Director of Graduate Enrollment
(615) 966-5237
kathi.johnson@lipscomb.edu

13:1

Student to faculty ratio

Why Earn Your MMFT Degree at Lipscomb University?

Multiple Campus Locations

Lipscomb University’s first-class Master of Marriage and Family Therapy programs are available at our Nashville campus in Tennessee and the Lipscomb University Austin Center in Texas. Our programs includes mainly in-person classes with a few online courses.

Austin Center Location

Cohort Model

Our MMFT degree programs employ a cohort model that emphasizes communal learning and extended field experiences. It provides students with the unique opportunity to learn systems theory while forming a social system within their cohort. You’ll have the opportunity to develop professional and personal relationships with like-minded peers that extend far beyond the duration of the program.

Hands-on Clinical Training

Besides strong theoretical courses, our Master of Marriage and Family Therapy program includes a minimum of 300 hours of hands-on clinical training. You will obtain valuable face-to-face client work experience to prepare for your future therapy practice. In Nashville, you may complete your clinical training at our Lipscomb Family Therapy Center or at our partner clinics. In Austin, training will be completed at partner clinics.

Small Class Sizes

With a low student-to-faculty ratio, you’ll have opportunities to engage in meaningful discussion, receive one-on-one mentorship and gain more personal feedback from our attentive faculty in our small-size classes. Plus, you’ll feel supported in a tight-knit learning community.

COAMFTE Accreditation

The Master of Marriage and Family Therapy degree program in Nashville, Tennessee, is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marital and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), the gold standard in the field. This accreditation ensures that our MMFT program delivers quality education and a high job placement rate after graduation. While the Austin program will be pursuing COAMFTE accreditation, it is being modeled after an established and successful accredited program.

Our Faculty

Chris Gonzalez

Associate Professor and Director, Marriage and Family Therap

Gonzalez joined the psychology and counseling faculty in Fall 2010 after completing his Ph.D. in Family Social Science from University of Minnesota. He teaches several courses in the MFT program....
Meet Chris Gonzalez
Justin Briggs

Assistant Professor and Clinical Director and Assistant Prof

Justin Gregory Briggs joined the faculty at Lipscomb University in 2014. He completed his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy at Purdue University and earned his M.S. in Marital and...
Meet Justin Briggs
Dave Morgan

Associate Professor

Morgan joined the psychology and counseling faculty in Fall 2013 after a several years in the Lipscomb University Counseling Center where he served as a therapist and the Director of...
Meet Dave Morgan
William Turner

Distinguished Professor

Turner holds a Distinguished Professorship in the College of Leadership and Public Service and is Special Counsel to the President for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. An expert in family, community,...
Meet William Turner
Tim Parker

Director, Austin MFT Program

Meet Tim Parker

Career Paths

Marriage and Family Therapists

Marriage and family therapists help people manage and overcome problems with family and other relationships.

Play Therapist

After becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist, you can become a registered play therapist. A Registered Play Therapist will use play therapy to help clients (regardless of age) find healing and achieve the growth they desire.

Marriage and Family Therapy

Program Overview