Overview of Marriage & Family Counseling Certificate

The Certificate in Marriage and Family Counseling at North Carolina A & T State University was established in 2009 in response to the increasing need for counselors trained to work with families is designed to give students advanced training in the area of marriage and family counseling. Grounded in family theory and principles, the certificate coursework provides an additional opportunity for students to specialize their counseling degree in the clinical, rehabilitation, and school counseling areas.

Marriage and Family Counseling differs from clinical mental health counseling as the focus of treatment is considered the couple or family unit rather than the individual. There is also less emphasis on the internal psychology of an individual and more focus placed on systemic family functioning, family roles, and boundaries.

The current counseling climate today dictates that working with families will be a necessity for just about any counseling professional. The United States Department of Labor predicts that the demand for marriage and family counselors/therapists is expected to grow by 14% from 2008 to 2018. The outlook for this job, as well as all counseling jobs, is expected to grow faster than average with job opportunities exceeding the number of counseling graduates. There is a direct need in the community for skilled individuals to work with children and families.

Learn more about the certificate by visiting the requirements and admission pages. The coordinator of this program is Dr. Patricia Whitfield.