Medical Family Therapy Certificate Program
The OBU Medical Family Therapy Certificate Program is a post-graduate certificate program focused on the theory and application of Medical Family Therapy (MedFT). Students who complete the program will receive training in the provision of collaborative health care services from a biopsychosocial-spiritual perspective, as well as the treatment of illness in the context of family and medical systems.
The certificate program will provide both educational and practical opportunities for students. It may be completed by OBU students concurrent with their enrollment in the MFT program, or by community behavioral health providers (Masters level clinicians including LMFTs, LPCs, LCSWs, nurses, physicians, etc.). Students will complete 9 credit hours of instruction (Introduction to Medical Family Therapy, Advanced Medical Family Therapy and a Medical Family Therapy Practicum). After completion of the two didactic courses, students will enroll in the MedFT practicum. In this course, students will be required to provide MedFT services in a medical setting. Emphasis will be placed on brief interventions (including solutions-focused therapy and motivational interviewing), as well as the application of course material from the two prerequisite courses. Within the 8-week timeframe of the practicum, students will be required to complete 80 clock hours at a medical site, including at least 40 hours of direct client contact. This practicum will be taught in the summer.
To apply for the certificate program, applicants will complete an application, submit letters of recommendation, official transcripts and a current resume/vita.
Enrollment Status
Graduate students enrolled for thesis, research, practicum or internship credits may be designated as full-time or half-time equivalency enrollment regardless of the actual credit hours of enrollment. For consideration of the equivalency enrollment, students must complete a Certification of Enrollment Status form and obtain approval from the Program Director or Academic Dean and the CGPS Dean. Sufficient hours required for the thesis, research, practicum or internship must be shown to be equal to or more than the equivalency of the nine credit hours of full-time enrollment, five to nine hours of the half-time enrollment, or less than half-time enrollment. The student’s coursework, along with his/her research/practicum work should be for full-time equivalency, 27 or more hours, and for half-time equivalency, 12-17 hours.
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