Registration

Once a student is admitted to the family therapy program, that student is expected to begin registration and continue to be registered until graduation. The student may skip registration for one semester, but upon missing registration for two long semesters in sequence (without prior written permission from the Director of Training), the student is assumed to have withdrawn and must reapply and be readmitted prior to continuing in the program. Current Course Schedule & Registration Information is also available online. Actual registration is by phone, using the EASE System (281) 212-UHCL (281-212-8425).

Scholarships and Student Aid

Some student aid and scholarships may be available. The Financial Aid Office can help with loans and some scholarships. For information call the Student Information and Assistance Office (281) 283-2568.

Commitment to Diversity

The University of Houston Clear Lake in its catalog makes the following statement:

UHCL is fully committed to providing equal educational and employment opportunities for all persons regardless of race, color, sex, age, religion, marital status, national origin, veterans status, mental or physical disability and/or any other category against which discrimination is prohibited by state or federal law.

Further, the program is committed to diversity as an educational process and aspires to a level of diversity that reflects the population at large. We are also committed to support the growth of diversity among MFT community and believe completely in the benefits to diversity among people to mental health in general. Diversity is defined as a blend of various peoples of different origins with support and tolerance for their race, class, culture, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, or any other category that might distinguish one person from another. We are committed to diversity in the program and the classroom in general and believe fully in its benefits to the learning process.

The MFT Program has currently a 50% gender breakdown in faculty with one fourth of the faculty being non-White. Our current student body is 36% non-White with a 25/75% ratio of males to females. Our range in age in the current student body is 23 to 56 years in age.

Practicum

For full-time students, clinical experience begins during the first or second year with a family therapy practicum. In the practicum, six students meet one evening a week, working with couples and families under the supervision of an AAMFT-approved supervisor. The counseling is performed on campus at the university's Psychological Services Clinic which has one-way mirrors for observations as well as video facilities for recording sessions.

Internship

• Clear Creak Independant School District
• Family Service Centers
• University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston)
• Depelchin Children's Center
• Houston/Galveston Institute

Family Therapy Program History

The University of Houston-Clear Lake first began teaching courses in family therapy in 1977 and joined the ranks of accredited programs in 1983. The University of Houston Clear Lake Family Therapy Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) until June of 2009. We are in the College of Humanities and Human Sciences. The program currently features 6 faculty who are accessible to their students and actively involved in research, publication, and clinical practice.

Theoretical Overview

The program is based primarily on relationship therapies or systems theory, which enables clinicians to describe relationships and patterns of interaction as affecting mental health issues. Therefore, the theoretical choice of the program is primarily to work with families to solve everyday human dilemmas. We see the family, along with the culture to which the family is a part, as the primary group from which each of us derives meaning and is the context in which most of us live. Thus, it is the family to which we as therapists in the family therapy program have directed most of our attention. We also understand the importance of family therapists working at the individual level, couple level, the extended family level, the neighborhood level, and the societal level and see that as an important component of the systemic process.

Application and Selection Procedure

Students must submit separate applications for admission to graduate standing in the university and to the Family Therapy Program. Applications for admission are evaluated once a year; applications are accepted in the fall preceding the year of admission to the program. Deadline for submitting applications is January 25.

The program is competitive, admitting about 20 students each year. This represents 30-40% of applicants. The applicant needs to submit:

• a personal essay describing interest in the family therapy area
• a current resume
• transcripts of all college courses
• results from the GRE
• three letters of references with an official application form

The selection process consists of two phases. During the initial phase, each applicant's file is evaluated by the faculty. The second phase consists of group interviews with selected applicants. During the group interview, applicants discuss their interest in the field of family therapy and also discuss as a group a topic of current interest.

Criteria for Admission

Applicants are generally required to have a B.A. or B.S. degree, with the undergraduate GPA of 3.25. Specific prerequisites include 18 hours of undergraduate Behavioral Sciences course work, including:

• Introductory Psychology or Current Perspectives in Psychology,
• Theories of Personality
• Child Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
• Research Design
• Statistics

All general university admissions requirements must be met.

In selecting candidates for the program, the faculty are concerned with:

1. Ability to do graduate level work
2. Personal maturity and interpersonal skills necessary for clinical work
3. Life experience and professional experience which could be expected to enhance professional competence
4. Motivation and commitment concerning a career in family therapy
5. Personal readiness or appropriateness for training at this time

It is advised to review University Admissions for information regarding requirements