French student, needs help: Wright Institute vs GGU vs CSPP vs Argosy

[looblue]

Hello,

I am a French student, I plan to move to San Francisco and have been applying to several MFT programs in SF and the Bay Area.

I want to have information about different Universities:
- Golden Gate University
- The Wright Institute
- CSPP (Alliant)
- Argosy

What do you know about these Universities ? Which program would be the best to study MFT ? Do you have some advices ?

It is really hard to find valuable information from France, any information would be very helpful to me.

Thank you very much.

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[Qwerk]

Before you choose a program, you should research two key things:

1. For-profit vs. non-profit. Argosy University is for-profit, while the others are non-profit. For-profit colleges don't tend to have great reputations, so I would steer clear of these.

2. Accreditation. MFT programs are accredited by COAMFTE, while counseling programs are accredited by CACREP. The accreditation status has an effect on your license eligibility, which varies state by state.

There are other factors, but these are important.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

CSPP (Alliant): Sucks. Diploma mill. Avoid them.

Argosy: Sucks. Diploma mill. Avoid them.

Golden Gate University: I can't speak to the quality of the program, but the university has been around a long time and as a university they have a better reputation than CSPP or Argosy. I think they are mostly a commuter school, so no real campus life.

The Wright Institute: I know the institute, but not the MFT program. From my understanding of the Institute, it functions more like a psychoanalytic institute than a regular university, so the focus is on mentorship and not research or other activities you'd find at a university. I don't know the MFT program, but they are known in the area for having pretty decent therapy training.

You'll want to make sure you can get licensed wherever you want to practice, that their graduates find jobs, etc. You should talk to students/former students from the last two places.

 

[looblue]

Thank you very much for the information. It's very helpful!!

I have never heard about COAMFTE and CACREP, but, since I'm planning to work in California I checked that these universities were acreddited by the Californian Board of Behavorial Sciences. Hope it is enough?

I will try to contact students from GGU and The Wright Institute.

Thanks again!!!

 

[Qwerk]

Reputation is big. I haven't researched these specific programs, but hiring managers do tend to know which schools produce the best graduates. Even with an accredited program that you're certain will be useful in a particular state, you should take a long look at what other professionals think of it.