Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy Program Mission and Philosophy

Mission Statement

The mission of the Master of Arts program in Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy is to prepare competent and effective professionals who practice relational therapy in ways that demonstrate: (a) integrity, compassion, and a sincere commitment to working with members of diverse groups, (b) excellent therapeutic skills with individuals, couples, and families, and (c) dedication to social justice and global citizenship. We promote intellectual curiosity among students, faculty, and supervisors in order to help all of us deepen our theoretical sophistication, research skills, and contributions to the understanding of families in context.

Program Philosophy

The MCFT program is based on an integrative approach to family therapy. The field of marriage, couple and family therapy flourishes as a result of the synergism between theory, research, and practice. In the Lewis and Clark program, students receive a broad overview of family therapy approaches and related theory from general systems, social constructionist, and critical theory perspectives. Special emphasis is placed on approaches that are strength and evidence based, brief, critical, and contemporary. Course material is continuously applied through practice, with the goal of integrating theory, research and practice into a total learning experience.

The MCFT program at Lewis & Clark College is committed to excellence and distinction as a learning and research community. As a program, we:

• Draw from systemic, social constructionist, and critical approaches unique to family therapy, while integrating knowledge from counseling psychology, addictions counseling, and community counseling;

• Value interdisciplinary knowledge and critique, seeking innovative contextual approaches to working with families.

• Encourage growth of student therapists through awareness of their emotional, psychological, and relational styles, family histories, and social identities (e.g., race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, ethnicity) that contribute to their worldviews and influence their work;

• Acknowledge that all knowledge is socially constructed within a particular time and place and is therefore socio-centric, encouraging students to critique existing family therapy approaches, recognize themselves as knowledge producers, and responsibly apply ideas in diverse contexts;

• Advocate for cultural democracy and social equity by infusing the curriculum with multiculturalism, highlighting issues of social justice, encouraging cultural immersion experiences, and promoting global citizenship in faculty, students, and supervisors; and

• Create a rich learning, research, and practice environment through collaboration with other Lewis and Clark programs and the Portland community, as well as national and global linkages.