Developed in direct response to a vast need for bilingual and bicultural clinicians.

About the Latinx Family Studies Specialization

Focusing on the Latinx family experiences, with its unique challenges and strengths, the M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy: Latinx Family Studies specialization prepares graduates to pursue licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

This MFT specialization is intended to prepare culturally competent mental health professionals to serve the largest ethnic minority group in California. Students not only study traditional mental health theory and practice that prepare them for the MFT licensing exams, but they also learn from each other’s diverse styles of communication, family messages, immigration history, traditions, cultural practices, and spiritual beliefs.

This program is offered in a “cohort” model, providing a culturally transformational educational experience. Together, faculty and students create a learning community that provides an in-depth education and challenges both the personal and professional development of all participants.

Through partnerships with clinics and community-based organizations throughout Los Angeles and Southern California, students in this marriage and family therapy master’s program receive intensive supervised field experience that can help prepare them to move directly into the workforce as a Marriage and Family Therapy Associate after graduation.

Cohort models, like the one found in the Latinx Family Studies MFT program, provide students the opportunity to grow within the comadre/compadre model. Students attend classes with the same group throughout their entire educational experience. This allows them to connect to the material on a deeper level as discussions also explore students’ cultural experiences, providing an opportunity to share personal experiences and feelings.

—Eugenia Rodriguez, Psy.D., LMFT, core faculty member in the School of Cultural and Family Psychology at Pacific Oaks College and coordinator of the Latinx Family Studies and LGBTQIA+ Family Studies programs.

Why choose Pacific Oaks?

Our Marriage and Family Therapy programs offer multidisciplinary, inclusive curricula based on developmental and family systems theories and evidence-based theory and practice. With years of experience in the field, our faculty help you maintain a commitment to understanding your patients holistically—taking into account life experiences, culture, oppression, and social-political context.

The program also provides you with a robust blend of theory and hands-on practice. By maintaining relationships with clinics and community agencies throughout the greater Los Angeles and San Jose areas, we are able to provide you with extensive choices of locations in diverse communities to fulfill your supervised fieldwork practicum requirement.

Additional Marriage and Family Therapy Specializations

• LGBTQIA+
• African American Studies
• Trauma Studies

Licensure Information

This MFT program satisfies all of the requirements of SB 33 and the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) (Business and Professions Code Sections 4980.36c, d e 4980.39, 4980.40, and 4980.41).

The program prepares graduates to sit for the California MFT exam to earn a Marriage and Family Therapist License awarded by the California Board of Behavioral Science.

A few things that set us apart

• Benefit from flexibility and convenience: Classes occur on nights and weekends to accommodate the working professional.
• Save time with Credit for Learning from Experience: Bachelor’s students can earn up to 24 transfer credit hours that you can apply toward your degree.
• Take advantage of our scholarships and financial aid: Inquire today to learn about scholarships for incoming students along with other financial aid opportunities.
• Have confidence in knowing we are an accredited, nonprofit institution: Accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), Pacific Oaks College is a leading institution in education and human development.