Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy
NIU's Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy (SMFT) within the M.S. in Applied Human Development and Family Sciences (AHDFS) program is designed to educate and train marriage and family therapists to work with diverse individuals, families and communities. Our program delivers high quality academic and clinic training as well as opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty in research, service and scholarship.
NIU’s program is the only one in an Illinois state-supported university to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) and was one of the first masters’ degree programs in the United States to be accredited by COAMFTE.
The two-year, 54-semester hour program features:
- Committed faculty who foster a supportive learning environment and deliver a challenging curriculum
- Quality supervision by faculty who are AAMFT approved supervisors and experienced LMFTs
- Small cohorts for a low faculty-student ratio and personal attention to your academic goals
- Extensive clinical experience in our Couple and Family Therapy Clinic, a full-service therapy center where faculty carefully guide you as you help families with a variety of issues
COAMFTE Accreditation
The Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy program at Northern Illinois University recently received reaccreditation for the next seven years from the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.
Meet Our Team
- DeAnna Harris-McKoy, Ph.D., LMFT-S
- Lin Shi, Ph.D., L.M.F.T.
Huskie Spotlight
I am finishing my master’s in applied human development and family sciences with a specialization in marriage and family therapy and a certificate in trauma-informed counseling. I chose this course of study because I want to establish a sense of support for families in the community. I have loved my experience at NIU. I have felt that professors and staff care about their students and want them to succeed.
– Jennie Espinoza, human development and family sciences graduate student from Mendota, IL
Since I was 15 years old, I knew I wanted to study psychology. I did not know anything about the subject or its career options, but the whole idea about studying human behavior intrigued me. Eventually, with each passing year I got a closer understanding of the field, and 10 years later, here I am as a therapist, pursuing my second master’s degree in marriage and family therapy at NIU.
– Ruchika Jain, graduate student in the Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy (SMFT) program from India
Contact Us
Family and Consumer Sciences
118 Wirtz Hall
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-1543
facs@niu.edu
Scott Sibley
Area Coordinator
dscottsibley@niu.edu
