Courses

This course provides students with an introduction to group theory and acquisition of group leadership skills. Also included will be group development, ethical considerations, and the use of groups in church, parachurch and community mental health settings. The course will be taught from a relational/systems perspective. Using key theories of group counseling and family systems models, the class will explore attachment issues, recapitulation of family of origin in the group, boundary setting, and other individual/relational dynamics that occur in group work. The course includes an in-class group experience for facilitation skill building and person of the therapist development.

This course examines the major legal and ethical issues involved in the practice of therapy. Special attention is given to the American Association of Marriage and Family ethical standards, the laws of British Columbia regarding the practice of therapy, uniquely to Christian perspectives and responsibilities. Issues that are related to diversity and power and privilege as they relate to the areas of indigenous culture and history, age, gender, sexual orientation, health/ability, culture, SES, spirituality, and ethnicity will also be addressed.

As an advanced course in Marital and Family Therapy, this course will focus on the systemic issues and treatment of couples and families addressing essential topics like divorce, remarriage, stepfamily and blended family issues, severe illness and death, sexuality and intimacy, as well as violence and sexual abuse. Issues that are related to diversity and power and privilege as they relate to the areas of age, gender, sexual identity, health/ability, culture, SES, spirituality, and ethnicity will also be addressed.

This course provides students with clinical understanding regarding substance use, addictions and domestic violence offering a trauma-informed assessment and treatment. Students will learn to appreciate the complexity of substance use disorders, diversity of care, and providing informed referrals to evidence-based support services. They will learn to conceptualize and treat families in crisis in a systemic way, promoting recovery, safety, wellness, and harm reduction to improve care and support for those with substance use and addiction. The course will also emphasize understanding trauma and domestic violence and focus on conceptualization, assessment, treatment planning and appropriate referrals.

The course will familiarize the student with Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT), an empirically validated approach to working with couples who are experiencing marital distress developed by Drs. Susan Johnson and Leslie Greenberg. EFT offers a comprehensive theory of adult love and attachment, as well as a process of healing distressed relationships. Through a series of nine steps, this experiential–systemic therapy focuses on helping partners restructure the emotional responses that maintain their negative interaction patterns. This course fulfills the externship requirements toward Certification as an EFT Therapist.

In this course, we will explore the purposeful dynamics of emotion and the inherent properties of play — and most importantly, the magical interplay when they come together. We will play with the practical application across the lifespan. What does it look like to bring true play and playfulness into our practice, both in and out of the therapy room? What does it look like to matchmake play and emotion for those you care for and for yourself? With this insight of true play, we can see how play is nature’s design to take care of us, no matter what one’s role.

This course offers an innovative approach to exploring current theoretical trends and therapeutic strategies when working with children, adolescents, and their families. The course will be taught from a systemic perspective while taking into account the special needs of the individual child. One of the major components of the course will involve Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s Intensive course: Making Sense of Kids. The course will explore the dynamics of “stuckness” in childhood and adolescence through Dr. Neufeld’s comprehensive attachment-based developmental model. This course will cover a three-pronged approach to effecting deep and lasting change, with a deeper look at the interplay of attachment, maturation, and vulnerability.

This course is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of attachment theory across the lifespan, in particular, in adulthood. Students will explore the key concepts of attachment theory, the different attachment styles, and their impact on development throughout the lifespan. The course will focus on the different phases of adulthood from the early 20s to late adulthood, and how attachment can impact a range of outcomes such as relationships, mental health, and well-being. Additionally, the course will cover the implications of attachment styles on clinical practice, including considerations for cultural sensitivities, family systems, and a biblical view of attachment.

Students will participate in a clinical supervision group on campus under the direction of a faculty supervisor. The supervision group meets two hours per week for a period of 12 weeks. (3 hours per week over 8 classes in the summer). Students will also meet weekly for one hour of individual supervision with their on-site supervisor. Supervision will include collaborative conversations regarding the student’s clinical performance as well as personal and professional development. Attention will be given to client issues of diversity that are related to aspects of age, gender, sexual orientation, health/ability, culture, ethnicity, and spirituality. The goals of the internship experience are covered in the MCS-MFT Practicum/Internship Handbook.