Program Description
School of Psychology, Family, and Community Faculty
School of Psychology, Family, and Community Graduate Programs Website
The SPU graduate Medical Family Therapy (MDFT) Certificate program is a 2-3 year graduate program that provides MDFT students with courses in biopsychosocial-spiritual care and interviewing, motivational interviewing, and topics that include: neuropsychology related to trauma, trauma-informed care, spirituality and health, grief and family process, collaboration roles for MDFTs, and specialty care like gerontology, moral injury, or acceptance and commitment therapy. The MDFT Certificate provides interns with a minimum of 11-months of supervised professional experiences providing mental health or chaplaincy care in a medical setting.
The medical field is developing integrated health care teams in medical settings and collaborative care networks with behavioral health providers to address the physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational needs of patients. Seattle Pacific University’s Medical Family Therapy (MDFT) Certificate program trains professionals in relationally focused mental and spiritual health so our graduates can support individuals and families as they face and navigate illness and its implications. Mental health providers can expand their scope of practice, learn how to collaborate, ensure their work is trauma-informed, and enhance their marketing skills to healthcare providers and clergy. The Medical Family Therapy Certificate is also open to graduates/graduate students in Mental Health and Chaplains who wish to expand their knowledge of mental health and family systems.
Most MDFT courses are open to graduates/graduate students in Mental Health, Psychology, Theology, Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition, Education and any other professional/graduate student - please ask permission to enroll from the faculty teaching the course. SPU MFT and Theology graduate students do not need pre-enrollment permission.
You can complete the Certificate program if you have completed your graduate degree in mental health or theology. You many also complete the Certificate if you are currently enrolled in the SPU Marriage and Family Therapy program, another MFT or Mental Health graduate program, or are enrolled in the SPU or another Theology graduate degree program. Completing the SPU MDFT program will require you successfully complete an additional 14 MDFT credits (6 seminar and 8 internship) to earn the Certificate. Check class delivery and the graduate schedule to ensure you can attend the class date. Seminar classes are usually only delivered in person on campus in Seattle. Internship will require a weekly practicum/supervision group meeting each week for all four quarters of internship.
- To earn the Certificate, everyone must take the two required MDFT courses (MDFT 6633 & MDFT 6652) and four more MDFT courses - courses offered will be listed under SPU Graduate Time Schedule
- MFT/Mental Health graduates and master's students will complete four quarters (8 quarter credits) of MDFT clinical practicum/internship in medical family therapy. The internship requires attendance at weekly practicum for group supervision every week
- Chaplains and theology students will complete 8 quarter credits of MDFT-related research, a medical Chaplaincy experience, extra MDFT courses -- or a combination to arrive at the 8 quarter credits needed. This personalize internship year plan must be pre-approved by the MDFT Program Director.
- MDFT Practicum/Internship/MDFT Research/MDFT Independent Study may only be taken by students enrolled in the MDFT Certificate.
- If you have received graduate training in social work, behavioral science, theology, nursing, medicine, or theology you will need to review your prior classes. Depending upon past coursework, additional credits may be needed as program pre-requisites (for instance, in couple therapy or family therapy).
For most students, the Certificate can be completed over a two-year period. For specific admissions information for professional/post-grad students, visit our MDFT website for post-grad admissions.
Admission Requirements
For current MFT students
- Online application and $50 application fee
- Two letters of professional recommendation
- Please include references’ name, title, phone number, and email.
- References should speak to your clinical readiness, clinical awareness, and personal character.
- Only one reference can be from an SPU MFT faculty.
- Current MFT students can opt to use references from their MFT application.
- Résumé
- A current vita or résumé showing your education, relevant work or volunteer experiences, and references.
- Personal statement three to four pages, typed, and double-spaced. It should address:
- Your career goals related to mental health, or patient & family care related to fertility, health, and/or death.
- Personal interest in the Medical Family Therapy program.
- Your professional and personal strengths as they apply to the mental health profession.
- Related volunteer or work experiences.
- Personal and professional life experiences and how they have converged to motivate your application to the MedFT program at this time.
Application deadlines
Autumn Quarter: September 20
Winter Quarter: December 15
International students
In addition to the SPU general and the Medical Family Therapy Certificate program’s admission requirements, international students must also submit:
- An official, confidential affidavit of financial support covering the first year of intended enrollment. Without this document, SPU cannot issue an I-20 immigration form.
- Students holding undergraduate or graduate degrees from colleges, universities and/or seminaries located outside the U.S. are expected to have their transcripts evaluated by a professional credential agency. Such an evaluation is required before an application for admission to the SPFC can be granted and before any graduate credits taken elsewhere can be applied to a SPFC degree.
- If you earned an undergraduate degree in a country other than the United States, or your degree is in progress, an official course-by-course credential evaluation must be submitted from a NACES member-recognized credential service. Acceptable credential services include, but are not limited to, World Education Services (WES) and Foundation for International Services (FIS).
- In addition to the evaluation report, we also require official transcripts and diplomas to be submitted in English. International applicants are responsible for all costs associated with this service.
- English language proficiency: If you do not speak English as your first language, you must also submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum score of 600 on the TOEFL paper, 250 on the TOEFL-CBT, or 100 on the TOEFL-iBT is required. ACE scores will not be accepted.
Questions
Clinical Practicum Supervision and Internship
Completing the MDFT Certificate in the MDFT clinical track requires a four quarters internship (8 graduate credits): MDFT 6930, MDFT 6931, MDFT 6932, and MDFT 6937. They can be taken in any order allowing the intern to start in any quarter. Most internship sites require MDFT Interns to plan for 10-15 hours a week. Some require 20-24 hours per week. All are in outpatient medical clinics. Interns will have a chance to discuss internship placement possibilities prior to placement with the MDFT Program Director. Clinics specialties include family medicine, oncology, women’s health, pediatrics, naturopathic medicine, and other specialty medicine sites. Interns will collaborate with many medical providers, which can include physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, nutritionists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, care coordinators, and other staff. MDFT interns provide on-site psychosocial care or telebehavioral health. Interns will be actively involved in charting, consulting with the medical team, program development, and clinical treatment; and may get the opportunity to have specialty training or provide training and presentations to colleagues.
Some sites require vaccinations and hospital trainings, like electronic medical record, ethics, or patient safety. All sites require a new background check and for the intern to carry liability insurance. Some sites require the intern to already have at least an Associate license in a mental health field (e.g., an LMFT-A). All sites will have a clinical mentor or supervisor assigned to the intern. During the internship year, interns will also be enrolled in the MDFT practicum with supervision course that meets weekly for small group supervision. All supervisors are either AAMFT Approved Supervisors or Candidates and are qualified to supervise for the LMFT license in Washington State.
Chaplain track interns will work with the MDFT Program Director to personalize a Chaplaincy track internship experience (e.g., MDFT 6940). This will involve collaboration with the intern's home theology department or religious organization to personalize an appropriate and meaningful MDFT-related 8 credit experience.
