The Graduate Program in Human Development and Family Science offers a Ph.D. in Couple and Family Therapy. The program offers a doctoral curriculum that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). It meets the standards for AAMFT clinical membership, and is designed to prepare clinical scholars and researchers.
The Ph.D. in CFT is a researcher/scholar oriented degree. We use a scholar/clinician model with a heavier emphasis on research and scholarship than on clinical work. Students admitted into the program are expected to pursue careers in academia or research related areas. We train students to train other clinicians, do research in clinically related areas, and do clinical work.
To clarify, a Ph.D. in CFT is not the same as a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. To be a licensed psychologist you need to have a Ph.D. in Cinical Psychology. To be a licensed couple and family therapist (or marriage and family therapist) you need a masters degree. There are many masters degree programs accredited by the COAMFTE. We recommend that if you do not have a masters in CFT, and want to become a couple and family therapist that you pursue a degree in one of those programs. If you are interested in pursuing a masters degree in CFT to become a therapist please see the following list of accredited masters programs: COAMFTE Masters Programs
To be admitted into the Ph.D. in CFT, you must have a masters degree in a clinically related field. We rarely accept students into the straight through program.
Suzanne Bartle-Haring, Ph.D., Program Director
Natasha Slesnick, Ph.D.
Julie Serovich, Ph.D.
Tara Lehan, Ph.D., Post Doctoral Fellow
As a Ph.D. program in Couple and Family Therapy, the overarching goal of the program is to produce and support the growth of excellent researchers, academicians, and clinicians.
In order to meet this goal, the CFT faculty will provide up-to-date information on Couple and Family Therapy theory, research, and practice within the required courses of the CFT program.
The CFT Faculty will also provide supervision for students in the program in order to evaluate and enhance the student’s clinical skills.
The CFT Faculty will provide academic advising to CFT students. This advising will incorporate mentoring of both research and academic skills.
The CFT Faculty will oversee the training and education of CFT students in the program in order to uphold high standards of excellence, so that graduates of this program will contribute to the growth of the field of Couple and Family Therapy.
The CFT Faculty will maintain a learning environment where diverse people can express diverse opinions, behaviors, and values.
Students are involved in clinical work from the beginning of their program. Initial client contact hours will vary depending on experience. The program operates The OSU Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic which is equipped with state of the art video equipment and one-way mirrors for live observation of student work. During this initial experience, students are supervised by the MFT faculty. Supervision includes group and individual modalities, as well as live observation, videotape and case report. Later in the program students obtain a 9 -12 month internship (500 client contact hours required) in a community mental health clinic setting, with similar supervision opportunities. Several of these have been identified in the Columbus, OH area.
At the completion of the program students must have 1000 hours of face to face client contact. For those students with an MFT masters degree, the 500 hours from the master degree is included in the total requirement. Students without an MFT masters degree, must obtain a minimum of 500 hours of client contact at the OSU Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic and the remainder of their hours must be obtained at their internship site.
The University and the Department offers a wide variety of financial aid options. There are a limited number of graduate associateships available for top candidates.
The program admits 3 to 4 students per year. Maximum faculty to student ratio is 4 to 1. The program is kept small in order to provide the highest quality education and training.
Click here for curriculum requirements.
