In their release on The 50 Best Careers of 2011, the US News and World Report announced the profession of Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) would show strong growth over the next decade. As a more widespread acceptance of the field grows, people in need will become more willing to seek out counseling. According to the US Labor Department demand in this profession is expected to rise 14 per cent from 2008 to 2018 and salaries are expected to grow.
Meeting this demand is Trinity Western University’s ACTS Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy (MAMFT). “It’s one of three MFT programs in Canada, the sole program in British Columbia, and the only one in the country with a strong Christian integration emphasis,” says Johan P. Verseveldt, Ph.D., R. Psych., RMFT, MAMFT Program Director.
Today, more than 1.8 Million people receive treatment from a Marriage and Family Therapist. A MFT tackles a host of problems from adult schizophrenia, substance abuse to anorexia; it is considered a core mental health profession alongside social work, psychiatric nursing, psychology and psychiatry.
“Contrary to common thinking, it is not necessary to be married to conduct marriage counseling,” says Verseveldt, “The practice involves learning to listen to another individual, couple, or family from the client’s perspective, not one’s own. Mature students learn to employ clinical skills that are based on solid research.”
MAMFT student, Heather Currie, says, "I am confident that my studies at ACTS will provide a solid foundation for my future as a counselor. This program as well as being academically sound, has impacted me holistically, shaping me as a person as much as a future therapist."
“Many of our students receive jobs immediately upon graduation in settings such as mental health, school counseling, Ministry for Children and Families, churches, private practice, and not-for-profit organizations,” says Verseveldt.
The TWU ACTS MA in Marriage and Family Therapy is a professionally accredited degree program recognized both in and outside the Christian Community. It meets the criteria to be a Registered Clinical Counselor in B.C. and course work is especially designed to fit the criteria for membership in the American Association of Marital and Family Therapists (AAMFT); which also allows graduates to be Registered Marital and Family therapists in Canada.
Learn more about the TWU ACTS Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy program. Questions? Contact MAMFT Program Director Johan P. Verseveldt, Ph.D. at versevel@twu.ca
Considering hiring a TWU graduate? Check out TWU’s annual Career Fair on February 3, 2011.