Sentio University

M.A. in Marital and Family Therapy

Online Only

Sentio University
1960 North Gramercy Pl.
Los Angeles, CA 90068

M.A. in Marital and Family Therapy Program Page

 

Program Snapshot

Accreditation

Approved to operate by the California Bureau for Private and Post-Secondary Education (B.P.P.E.)

Concentrations/Specializations Offered

None

LMFT Track or Dual LMFT/LPCC Track

LMFT

Length of Program

60 units; 20 months for completion

Schedule/Format

Classes meet online once a week, giving students the remainder of the week to do readings, assignments, etc.

Program Start

Fall

Estimated Total Program Tuition

$67,200

Religious Orientation

None

Entering Class Size and Classroom Sizes

Small cohorts with maximum of 16 students

Fieldwork Hours Accrued During Program

1,000 hours of practicum with 500 hours of client contact with individuals and couples. (Hours count towards LMFT licensure with the BBS)

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement During Program

None

Comprehensive Exam/Culminating Project/Thesis/Etc:

Students complete a Clinical Research Project based on their personal clinical outcome data from their work with clients.

Application Processs

Application Deadline

July 1st
Applications are processed on a rolling basis.

Undergraduate GPA Required

None

GRE Requirement

None

Prerequisite Courses

None

Application Highlights

2 letters of recommendation and submission of a Deliberate Practice assignment

Interview Requirement

Interview with the department faculty

Program Summary

The Sentio University 20-month Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program provides rigorous and intensive hybrid on-line and in-person training.  The program is comprised of five major components:

  1. Five semesters of online coursework in small classes with a maximum of sixteen students per class. 

  2. Five Intensive 5-day In-Person Residencies (one Residency at the beginning of each semester).

  3. Over 500 hours of supervised clinical experience at the Sentio Counseling Center where students provide online counseling for diverse, low-income clients.

  4. A Clinical Research Project based on student’s personal clinical outcome data from their work with clients.

  5. Therapist career development that prepares students to succeed post-licensure.

Sentio University offers an integrated and sequential learning experience that provides clinical skill development, personal growth, and professional development necessary for a successful career as a psychotherapist. Through academic coursework, students learn a broad range of evidence-based theories and models of MFT, analyze peer-review literature, and conduct empirical research on clinical data. Through Deliberate Practice, students acquire clinical skills and develop their personal characteristics and professional identity. Through supervised clinical practice, students implement MFT principles along ethical and professional standards with diverse populations of clients. This degree program prepares students for employment in a wide range of settings, including private practice, community mental health, medical settings, and non-profit agencies.

The program uses a cohort model, with a new cohort starting each Fall.  Cohorts and classes are limited to sixteen students to maximize personal mentorship and feedback for each student. In their first semester, Sentio students prepare to see their first clients by engaging in hundreds of hours of Deliberate Practice skill rehearsal. From the second through fifth semester, students gain supervised clinical experience at the Sentio Counseling Center, a 100% online clinical training site. The Sentio University training model emphasizes clinical skill development through close mentorship and video-based feedback from supervisors with advanced training in Deliberate Practice. All students are required to complete a minimum of 500 direct clinical contact hours, 100 of which must qualify as relational hours.