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Marriage and Family Therapy Department Mission Statement

The mission, goals, and objectives of the Master’s in MFT are congruent with those of Iona College and are informed by professional marriage and family therapy educational guidelines and core competencies. The Mission Statement of Iona College reads as follows:

Iona College is a caring academic community, inspired by the legacy of Blessed Edmund Rice and the Christian Brothers, which embodies opportunity, justice, and the liberating power of education. Iona College's purpose is to foster intellectual inquiry, community engagement, and an appreciation for diversity. In the tradition of American Catholic Higher Education, Iona College commits its energies and resources to the development of graduates recognized for their ethics, creativity, and problem solving abilities; their independent and adaptable thinking; their joy in lifelong learning; and their enduring integration of mind, body, and spirit.
(Adopted May 2, 2012)

The mission of the master’s program in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) at Iona College is: to prepare entry level marriage and family therapists through academic training that is clearly systemic and relationally based combined with diverse clinical experiences that enhances clinical practice in diverse community settings. The overall goal is to graduate ethical, competent, beginning MFT’s who will be able to address complex relational dynamics across the family life cycle and who are aware of and committed to cultural diversity in all its manifest forms. Our graduates will be prepared to pass the national licensing examination for Marriage and Family Therapy and coupled with additional supervised clinical experience in the community to become Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists with the other mental health professions serving the diverse needs of a diverse public. Our mission, goal, objectives/expected outcomes are guided by the following professional influences:

  1. Professional Marriage and Family Therapy Standards and Educational Guidelines,
  2. AAMFT Core Competencies,
  3. AAMFT Code of Ethics,
  4. AMFTRB Guidelines,
  5. New York State Mental Health Practitioners Laws, Rules, and Regulations: Marriage and Family Therapy License Requirements.

(Revised, January 2013)