Why Pursue the Marriage & Family Therapy (Post-Masters) Certificate?
The Marriage and Family Therapy Certificate offers family systems conceptualization, clinical training, and systemic supervision for professionals from a Christian worldview.
The 14-credit Post-MA MFT Certificate equips practitioners to work with individuals, couples, families, and groups from a relational perspective. Relationships provide the context for all our experiences and models for our responses. In the MFT certificate program, you will learn about pathology and healing from a relational lens, whether you are working with individuals, couples, or families.
The MFT Certificate may be pursued by individuals who have graduated with a mental health masters (or higher) degree and are seeking specialization as a Marriage & Family Therapists*.
Overall, this certificate program will prepare Christian mental health professionals to specialize in providing a relationally focused conceptualization and treatment for those hurting all over the world and in service of Christ and His Kingdom and the global church.
*This program is only open to Central and Eastern European citizens who live and work in Eastern and Central Europe. Enrollees must have at least a master’s-level education to pursue the Marriage & Family Therapy (Post-Masters) Certificate.
Quick Facts
- 14 credits
- 3 years
- 8 classes
Marriage And Family Therapy Certificate Courses
- CMFT 509. Family Systems Theory & Practice. (2 Credits)
- CMFT 511. Trauma Informed Family Therapy. (2 Credits)
- CMFT 512. Personal and Spiritual Formation. (2 Credits)
- CMFT 513. Practical Ministry and Family Systems. (2 Credits)
- CMFT 514. Integration Seminar: MFT & Christian Faith. (2 Credits)
- CMFT 515. Couple Therapy. (2 Credits)
- CMFT 516. Clinical Internship & Supervision I. (1 Credit)
- CMFT 517. Clinical Internship & Supervision II. (1 Credit)
Locations of Marriage and Family Therapy Certificate Courses
- Summer Intensive at Wheaton College’s Campus: CMFT 509, 511, and 512
- Virtual: CMFT 513
- Taught in Central and Eastern Europe: CMFT 514, 515, 516, 517
Faculty Highlight
David Van Dyke, Ph.D.
Marriage and Family Therapy Program Director, Associate Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy
Admissions Requirements
Admission decisions based on total applicant pool.
- Application deadline for external applicants: January 1st for Summer. (Will be extended to March 1 for this first cohort.)
- Bachelor's Degree from a Regionally Accredited Institution.
- GPA 3.0 minimum.
- Master’s degree or higher.
- Official Transcripts from the school where one qualifying degree (i.e. MA, PhD, etc.) was earned.
- E-transcripts preferred. Address them to nancy.crane@wheaton.edu
- Mail hard copies to Graduate Admissions, Attn: Nancy Crane, 501 College Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187
- Application Form. Online.
- One essay.
- Affirmations of the Statement of Faith and Community Covenant.
- Professional Recommendation Form. Should be a person with whom you have had a supervisor-employee relationship, which can be in a non-paid context. A letter is acceptable as a supplement to the form.
- Recommendations from relatives not accepted. For help choosing a recommendation, preview the questions in the form at the bottom of this page.
- Resumé. Chronological.
International students, and permanent residents of the US whose native language is not English, are required to take either the TOEFL iBT Test, IELTS Academic Test, or Duolingo English test with the minimal scores indicated below:
- TOEFL iBT Test: 80 with at least 18 in each category
- IELTS Academic Test: 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each category
- Duolingo English Test: 105
- Applicants who wish to waive their English proficiency test, please refer to the English proficiency page for details.
An International Transcript Verification Report for one qualifying degree earned (i.e. MA, PhD, etc) is needed for students who completed degrees outside of the United States.
Please review the Graduate International Admissions web page for more detailed information.
Certificate FAQs
This certificate is for mental health professionals from Central and Eastern Europe who seek education, clinical training, and supervision towards recognition as a Marriage & Family Therapist. The unique contribution of the Wheaton certificate is that it provides expert systemic education, clinical training and supervision in country and language of origin, and integration of Christian faith with a systems approach to pathology, change, and flourishing.
The certificate meets the educational and clinical standards of the European Family Therapy Association (EFTA) toward recognition as a Marriage & Family Therapist. EFTA is the standard if there is no regulatory body regarding marriage and family within a given country. The certificate is similar to post-degree institute trainings in the EU, but our certificate includes faith integration. Our graduates will be able to communicate how the best of relational science and therapy fits within a Christian worldview.
Over your first summer, you will take the following three courses at Wheaton College:
- CMFT 509 – Family Systems Theory & Practice (2 cr)
- CMFT 511 – Trauma informed Family Therapy (2 cr)
- CMFT 512 – Personal & Spiritual Formation (2 cr)
The next two years, you will take courses in supervision (in country and language of origin) and three context courses (one online and the other two in Europe). After completing all of the courses, you will have taken 14 credit hours in three years.
Connect with Christine Myka at christine.myka@wheaton.edu with questions about the process and to see the specific course progression through the three years.
You begin the certificate with three two-credit courses in Wheaton, IL during a summer school intensive.. The program transitions to online and in-country offerings, where you’ll take one course at a time.
You will stay in Wheaton College housing, have Anderson Dining access, and be part of the European Summer Scholar Program (ESSP) while on campus. You can find out more about the ESSP here.
Here are important dates for the summer 2024 courses in Wheaton, IL:
- June 8: Fly into Chicago on or before this date
- June 9: Classes start
- July 18: Classes end
- July 19: Students need to be out of college housing and return flight
Students in the MFT post-MA program are required to attend all the Summer Program events (lectures and outings). Courses have been set up in the morning and early afternoon to accommodate this requirement.
Students take six credits during their first summer. The entire certificate is a total of 14 credits over three years.
Application for the program is through both grad admissions and ESSP application. Once accepted, staff will work with you on registering for classes.
Tuition for all Wheaton M.A. and certificate programs are the same (including online/hybrid courses). See tuition information.
Scholarships are available, please contact Christine Myka (christine.myka@wheaton.edu), Wendy Larson (wendy.larson@wheaton.edu), or your graduate admissions counselor to learn more.
There are scholarship funds available for students. Please contact Christine Myka (christine.myka@wheaton.edu) to learn more.
No, you must enroll in and successfully complete the courses to receive the certificate.
If it is in a mental-health-related discipline, yes. Examples include clinical mental health counseling, social work, humanitarian action, international development, and public health. If you are unsure if your degree qualifies, please contact a graduate admissions counselor on the Graduate Admissions page.
Hybrid courses provide students intensive days of education with in-depth interaction with classmates and instructors. For the online courses to deliver the same level of meaningful engagement with both content and peer-to-peer interactions, a longer format is required because the content is necessarily delivered at a slower pace. To accomplish this, the online courses offer lower intensity but a longer duration of engagement.
All courses, except for CMFT 513. Practical Ministry and Family Systems are in person. CMFT 513 will be an online course.
Yes. Students have a limit of five years to complete the certificate.
Please contact the registrar's Office: registrar@wheaton.edu
Contact Student Financial Services at sfs@wheaton.edu
You will find information about resources for your certificate in the School of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy guide linked from the library home page under research guides or accessed directly on the library website.
In the subject guide, you will find general instructions on how to search the library and library databases such as PsycINFO and you will also find some information specific to trauma resources under Recommended Resources -> Trauma Resources. The library has general resources as well as resources specific to an area of trauma, such as PSTD, in our journal articles and books both online and in print. Please reach out to your subject librarian, Mr. Steve Oberg, if you need help with planning and organizing your research, locating resources, and answering library questions. You can make an appointment online or contact Steve Oberg.
Some additional information for graduate students on the Wheaton College Library website may also be helpful.
- Review the Marriage & Family Therapy (Post-Masters) Certificate requirements.
- Start your application.
- Make sure to also apply through ESSP here.
If you have any questions, please contact the Graduate Admissions office for more information.
