The program of Family Therapy in the Department of Counseling and School Psychology is committed to a vision of strengthening healthy families by preparing ethical and qualified professionals who embrace an inclusive perspective of interconnected systems. The program¹s curriculum is comprised of basic professional counseling content and theory, and provides comprehensive framework for learning family therapy. The courses lead students to view families as entities within larger social systems and promote collaborative, inclusive, and integrative systems approaches.

The curriculum offers students in the family therapy program an optimal perspective for supporting individuals, families, and communities in urban environments, and provides them with a framework for developing skills to facilitate dialogue with marginalized individuals, families, and communities.

The University of Massachusetts Boston Family Therapy program was granted full accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) in 2003 and is the only Family Therapy program so designated within Massachusetts. Renewal of accreditation was granted in 2009.

The Family Therapy program is one of the four master level programs (Family Therapy, Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, School Psychology) and two doctoral programs (Counseling Psychology, School Psychology) within the Department of Counseling and School Psychology, which is housed in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The overall goal of the UMASS Boston Family Therapy Program is to prepare competent family therapists who can obtain licensure with the Board of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and to be concordant with the College of Education and Human Development educational outcomes and the urban mission of the university. In order to meet this overall goals, we educate family therapists who are informed by relational and strength-based theories.

We prepare students who advocate for equity and social justice We ensure that these professionals fulfill professional ethical standards and are reflective.

In order to achieve this broad goal, the UMB-FT offers learning opportunities that include: (i) counseling and family therapy courses that cover the family therapy knowledge content; (ii) experiential exercises in classroom settings that mirror real family therapy situations; (iii) a three semester internship placement at a community agency that serves families in an urban setting; (iv) the integration of theory and practice in a culminating capstone/portfolio product.