Questions about MFT programs and practicums in California

[psychstudentgrad2024]

Hello everyone! I am starting to apply to Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) programs in California. It's hard to tell which programs are the best because the all seem to offer roughly the same courses and their websites say pretty much the same thing. My uncle is a psychologist and he told me that a big thing to look for is the quality of the practicum that students do - he said that the practicum is actually more important than the grad school because that is where they see real clients and get clinical supervision. I'm wondering if anyone here has heard that as well? Any advice on how to find a program with a good practicum? Thanks in advance!

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[AcronymAllergy]

I don't have any knowledge of CA MFT programs specifically, or MFT programs in general, but RE: practicum quality--I both agree and disagree with your uncle if speaking about mental health training overall (i.e., that practicum is more important than coursework/grad school), although he may have been speaking specifically to MFT programs, in which case he may be right. That said, he and I do agree that the quality of practicum sites is substantially important. If the practicum sites are listed on the programs' websites, that may give you an idea of the types of experiences they offer. Academic and VA medical centers tend to have the most support for training, with community mental health and local hospital systems either being equivalent or with lesser support. Private practices, by and large, are the most variable and have the most potential to offer subpar training, particularly if that's the primary or only type of site available.

Maybe try reaching out to current students to get their thoughts on the available practicum opportunities? And/or reach out directly to the program director to ask? You can try to gather information such as the number of supervisors to trainees at the practicum sites, how much supervision is obtained (and who provides it), and what types of things the trainees are involved in actually doing (e.g., is it primarily or entirely observational vs. are you actually able to provide services under supervision).

 

[LucyLeafy]

Hi!
As someone who recently graduated from an MFT program in California and now practices as an AMFT, I wholeheartedly agree with the emphasis your uncle placed on the importance of the practicum experience. It's often the most pivotal aspect of traing to be a therapist, as that is where we encounter real clients and theoretical knowledge transforms into real practical skills.
When I was in school and started looking for a practicum site, I encountered significant challenges in finding one that provided adequate supervision and client hours. Unfortunately, I heard time and again that this is a common struggle and stressor for graduate students, with many having to delay graduation due to difficulties securing suitable placements. It's also disappointing to learn that many schools offer little assistance in finding and securing a site. However, there are some institutions, like Alliant International University, Antioch, and Sentio University MFT program, that offer guaranteed practicum placements, which saves their students from the headache and stress of finding a site.
In my practicum experience, I worked at two different sites and saw how ill-prepared some practicum students are because of the lack of training and supervision their site provides. One of my sites only let me see 5 clients a week, with 1 hour of supervision a week and 2 hours of training a month. Needless to say, I was not confident working with clients. This also made it stressful when trying to reach my graduation client hour requirements, as I needed 300 client-facing hours. My second site, however, was very different and is a big reason as to why I was able to graduate on time and feel confident with clients. They provided 2 hours of group supervision a week, 2 hours of individual supervision a week, and an hour of clinical skills training every week. They also provided me with 12-15 clients on a weekly basis and helped me have enough couples hours to graduate (some MFT programs require a certain amount of relational hours, and this is also another thing many practicum sites are unable to provide, thus further delaying graduation). It's unfortunate that many practicum sites fall short in providing adequate support and training.
I recommend asking grad programs about the level of support they provide in finding and securing a practicum site. Ask them specifically what kind of support they provide. Giving you a list is not sufficient "support". I also recommend asking to sit in on different practicum sites' clinical skills training so you can see for yourself the quality of training they provide. Hope this helps!

 

[psychstudentgrad2024]

I don't have any knowledge of CA MFT programs specifically, or MFT programs in general, but RE: practicum quality--I both agree and disagree with your uncle if speaking about mental health training overall (i.e., that practicum is more important than coursework/grad school), although he may have been speaking specifically to MFT programs, in which case he may be right. That said, he and I do agree that the quality of practicum sites is substantially important. If the practicum sites are listed on the programs' websites, that may give you an idea of the types of experiences they offer. Academic and VA medical centers tend to have the most support for training, with community mental health and local hospital systems either being equivalent or with lesser support. Private practices, by and large, are the most variable and have the most potential to offer subpar training, particularly if that's the primary or only type of site available.

Maybe try reaching out to current students to get their thoughts on the available practicum opportunities? And/or reach out directly to the program director to ask? You can try to gather information such as the number of supervisors to trainees at the practicum sites, how much supervision is obtained (and who provides it), and what types of things the trainees are involved in actually doing (e.g., is it primarily or entirely observational vs. are you actually able to provide services under supervision).

Thank you for your advice! I want to have my own private practice in the future. In order to prepare for this, do you think it would be important to do my practicum at a private practice? Do you know why private practices have the most variability / potential to offer subpar training?

As you suggest, I am trying to reach out to program directors to ask about this, but I'm not hearing back from many of them, or their responses are pretty vague. It's pretty confusing from the websites. The Pepperdine MFT program website says that it offers "130+ Clinical Practicum Sites" but I can't find the actual list of sites and it's not clear if any of them are guaranteed or if I have to apply for them individually. The Antioch MFT program lists a lot of specializations but it isn't clear where the practicum is. The Sentio MFT program has a guaranteed practicum and I was able to visit a class which was really interesting, but it is a new program that only accepts students who live in California, and I don't think I will after graduation.

If anyone else reading this has suggestions for MFT programs with good practicums, I'd really appreciate your advice!

 

[psychstudentgrad2024]

Hi!
As someone who recently graduated from an MFT program in California and now practices as an AMFT, I wholeheartedly agree with the emphasis your uncle placed on the importance of the practicum experience. It's often the most pivotal aspect of traing to be a therapist, as that is where we encounter real clients and theoretical knowledge transforms into real practical skills.
When I was in school and started looking for a practicum site, I encountered significant challenges in finding one that provided adequate supervision and client hours. Unfortunately, I heard time and again that this is a common struggle and stressor for graduate students, with many having to delay graduation due to difficulties securing suitable placements. It's also disappointing to learn that many schools offer little assistance in finding and securing a site. However, there are some institutions, like Alliant International University, Antioch, and Sentio University MFT program, that offer guaranteed practicum placements, which saves their students from the headache and stress of finding a site.
In my practicum experience, I worked at two different sites and saw how ill-prepared some practicum students are because of the lack of training and supervision their site provides. One of my sites only let me see 5 clients a week, with 1 hour of supervision a week and 2 hours of training a month. Needless to say, I was not confident working with clients. This also made it stressful when trying to reach my graduation client hour requirements, as I needed 300 client-facing hours. My second site, however, was very different and is a big reason as to why I was able to graduate on time and feel confident with clients. They provided 2 hours of group supervision a week, 2 hours of individual supervision a week, and an hour of clinical skills training every week. They also provided me with 12-15 clients on a weekly basis and helped me have enough couples hours to graduate (some MFT programs require a certain amount of relational hours, and this is also another thing many practicum sites are unable to provide, thus further delaying graduation). It's unfortunate that many practicum sites fall short in providing adequate support and training.
I recommend asking grad programs about the level of support they provide in finding and securing a practicum site. Ask them specifically what kind of support they provide. Giving you a list is not sufficient "support". I also recommend asking to sit in on different practicum sites' clinical skills training so you can see for yourself the quality of training they provide. Hope this helps!

Thank you for this advice Lucy!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Thank you for your advice! I want to have my own private practice in the future. In order to prepare for this, do you think it would be important to do my practicum at a private practice? Do you know why private practices have the most variability / potential to offer subpar training?

As you suggest, I am trying to reach out to program directors to ask about this, but I'm not hearing back from many of them, or their responses are pretty vague. It's pretty confusing from the websites. The Pepperdine MFT program website says that it offers "130+ Clinical Practicum Sites" but I can't find the actual list of sites and it's not clear if any of them are guaranteed or if I have to apply for them individually. The Antioch MFT program lists a lot of specializations but it isn't clear where the practicum is. The Sentio MFT program has a guaranteed practicum and I was able to visit a class which was really interesting, but it is a new program that only accepts students who live in California, and I don't think I will after graduation.

If anyone else reading this has suggestions for MFT programs with good practicums, I'd really appreciate your advice!

Broadly, because they often have the least oversight, structure, and resources available. A practicum site at a hospital/medical center will probably have dedicated training staff, a due process/grievance procedure, and (ideally) a budget, such as from the hospital itself, an outside training grant, some other state/federal source, etc. They may also offer, or at least have access to, formal didactics such as grand rounds, and potential to interact with other disciplines. A private practice may or may not have any of that.

 

[R. Matey]

When I was in school and started looking for a practicum site, I encountered significant challenges in finding one that provided adequate supervision and client hours. Unfortunately, I heard time and again that this is a common struggle and stressor for graduate students, with many having to delay graduation due to difficulties securing suitable placements. It's also disappointing to learn that many schools offer little assistance in finding and securing a site. However, there are some institutions, like Alliant International University, Antioch, and Sentio University MFT program, that offer guaranteed practicum placements, which saves their students from the headache and stress of finding a site.

When I was in graduate school to become an LPC at a small private institution, this was not the case. Our program had good relationships with several sites and offered a practicum placement procedure. I wouldn't recommend any program where this isn't in place given that students can easily be exploited by unscrupulous supervisors. This is probably more likely to happen at a private practice.