我有時收到一些同學詢問我母校的信件，身為校友，我想介紹一下我們學校，讓想念婚姻家庭諮商的新生可以參考。
我的學校是加州很有好評的一間學校。聖地牙哥的MFT學校很多，但SDSU是公立最便宜師資
又好的學校。
我的訓練非常紮實，學校老師非常關心學生。我做了兩個Counseling Practicums，第三個
Practicum我義務在諮商中心做intake拿實習學分 (這其實是多做的，可以不需)。
我待了兩家機構，各機構分別做一年Traineeship (這也是多做的，其實一年就可以)。
同時我在研三時，用CPT去當Hotline諮商師賺點外快。
我的學校在校外有一間獨立的諮商中心，所有諮商室都有雙面鏡。做Practicum時，督導
會在雙面鏡後觀察，若遇到困難督導會幫忙。這間諮商中心的個案很多，我的實戰經驗
全部由這而來，我畢業後又在這個諮商中心繼續做一年(那時白天還有另份全職工作)，幾
乎所有議題都會遇到: 亞裔諮商，白人諮商，墨西哥人諮商，黑人諮商，同性戀議題，雙
性戀議題，離婚，家暴，伴侶諮商，霸凌，重鬱症，焦慮症，飲食疾患，BPD。
這些個案如果有些很棘手，督導會協助轉介出去。基本上第一個Practicum不會給你太難
的個案。這間諮商所同時有其他LPCC的學生，也有很多Intern和Supervisor出入，在這裡
會認識一堆諮商人，是很好的Networking場所。
SDSU MFT之所以會這麼有名，是因為第一年學校不只教導理論，還硬生生把你撥心掏肺，
讓你正視你的家庭你的環境帶給你怎樣的影響。第一年的課程，我們都坐在圓圈裡，請
想像連續一年的團體諮商，那就是我們的正規課。老師說，好的諮商師要先整理和了解自己的創傷，在有同學和督導支持的時候。
SDSU MFT很重視多元文化，和後現代主義的潮流。這間學校的哲學是"Problems come from the constructed cultural and social oppressions, not from the individuals."在這間學校學不到心理動力，或心理分析學派。注重系統觀和社會建構理論，而敘事治療更是本所一大賣點 (Dr. Gerald Monk是國際有名)。
我們的個案各種膚色都有，同樣的，我們的同學也是各種背景都有:祕魯，俄羅斯，荷蘭
，馬來西亞，越南，日本，韓國，台灣，白人，黑人，一代移民，二代移民，軍人背景，
警察，伊朗人，墨西哥人，英國人。因為多元，剛好加州就是多元環境，所以同學之間探
討的議題，大多數會在個案上看見。只是種族多元不夠，life style多元才是嘖嘖稱奇。
課堂上，同學邀請軍人來講述他們的PTSD和他們在戰爭裡經歷過的痛苦，變性人來討論他們的成長過程，還有Swinger來到教室跟我們說他們的生活方式。
SDSU MFT很難錄取，但是在2015-2017我們系準備要開一個Online Course，門坎會較低。
我真的很喜愛我的母校。我畢業的同學和學長姊，每次聊天都說他們以SDSU MFT為傲，因為他們一些同事在研究所時期得不到如此的關注和訓練。我也同意。
如果你想來加州唸MFT，考慮我們學校吧。
SDSU MFT Website
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Why Marriage and Family Therapy?
For those of you who are interested in studying Marriage and Family Therapy graduate school in California, you probably had done some research about the differences between Psychiatry, Psychology, School Counseling, and Marriage and Family Therapy.
There are more different schools in terms of different forms of therapy, i.e. Drama Therapy, Sand Tray Therapy, Art Therapy, and Play Therapy. However those schools are different in forms of how to conduct therapy. Hence I will be only discussing the bigger umbrella of the fundamental differences between Psychiatry, Psychology, School Counseling/Psychology, and Marriage and Family Therapy.
- Psychiatry: You have to go through a Medical School, become a M.D. in Psychiatry, gain residency training in a hospital then you can be licensed. You study about psychotropic medicine and prescribe medication for mental disorders. You'll need to complete four to five years of pre-med preparation, another four years of medical school, and three to seven years of residency.
- Psychology: Generally speaking, the degree is Psy.D, and you can take the licensing exam as a Clinical Psychologist after you complete your hours. The graduate school usually takes 5-8 years. You need to conduct scientific researches and write your thesis, and defend your thesis in order to receive your degree. In terms of philosophy and theory, they teach theories included, but are not limited to, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, Existential Theory, Sigmund Freud, Ego Psychology, Object Relations, Self Psychology Theory, and Psychodynamics. In general, Clinical Psychologist focus on individuals and treat their mental illness such as Schizophrenia, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, and other stress disorders such as PTSD.
- School Counseling/Psychology: You will graduate with a Master degree. The work population is school aged kids and their families usually suffer from difficulties with learning disorder and other children/adolescence diagnosis that is related to developmental delay. You learn more of psychological testing, individual education plan for the troubled children, and work in a school setting with Principal, Nurses, Teachers, Special Education...etc.
- Marriage Family Therapy: In California there are schools offering Master degree and Doctor degree for this specialty. Whether Master or Doctor, in order to be licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist, you have to complete 3000 hours in order to obtain the eligibility for the licensing exam. Marriage Family Therapy focuses on the systemic viewpoint of the problem, which is socially constructed by the small system (family) and large system (social norms) in a multicultural society. Because this post-modernism theory emphasizes on the social and family dynamics, it takes blame off the "troubled person." You will learn theories such as Structural Family Therapy (Minuchin), Strategic Family Therapy, Bowen Family Therapy, Narrative Therapy (Michael White), Solution-Focused Therapy, Collaborative Therapy (Harlene Anderson), and other schools such as John Gottman and Emotion Focused Therapy (Sue Johnson) to treat couples and families. To sum, Marriage and Family Therapist can treat individuals and also help families to solve their relational problems such as marital discard, dating relationships, parent-child relationships, in addition to Psychotic Disorders, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, and Stress Disorders. Because families include children, you will also learn how to treat children with their diagnoses such as ADHD, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mutism, Child Abuse, and Sexual Abuse. Also Domestic Violence is another filed that you will learn a lot in Marriage and Family Therapy schools.
Currently in California there are many counseling and psychology schools. Therefore, choosing a school of study that resonates with you the most is very important. The least thing you want is to devote yourself in the graduate studying process half way through and learn that you do not like the philosophy of your chosen profession, or you do not like the classes they teach.
Pay extra attention if you are studying counseling because you want to seek an understanding of your own struggles. It is not uncommon people who are studying counseling/psychology and at the same time facing varies problems in their lives, whether they consciously understand the struggles or not. They say therapists who empathize better with clients are those who had been through the same pain, which is true. However, in order to be a professional therapist, I strongly suggest you to seek professional help to find the answer for your own problem, rather than projecting those onto your cases and create co-dependent and unhealthy relationship with your clients. This is why most legitimate counseling schools recommend you to do your own personal therapy for at least 12 sessions before you can graduate from the program.
I personally like Marriage and Family Therapy because it speaks to my view of the problem resulting from home and the culture/society/social norms. You, as a prospective international student, will need to spend time researching which philosophy you like the most, study each potential school's curriculum, the descriptions of their classes, and the credentials of the faculties. If there are certain therapy you really like, i.e. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamics, go find teachers who are masters in the field. I believe after your dedication in searching the right information, you can make a wise decision.
Good luck on your research.
There are more different schools in terms of different forms of therapy, i.e. Drama Therapy, Sand Tray Therapy, Art Therapy, and Play Therapy. However those schools are different in forms of how to conduct therapy. Hence I will be only discussing the bigger umbrella of the fundamental differences between Psychiatry, Psychology, School Counseling/Psychology, and Marriage and Family Therapy.
- Psychiatry: You have to go through a Medical School, become a M.D. in Psychiatry, gain residency training in a hospital then you can be licensed. You study about psychotropic medicine and prescribe medication for mental disorders. You'll need to complete four to five years of pre-med preparation, another four years of medical school, and three to seven years of residency.
- Psychology: Generally speaking, the degree is Psy.D, and you can take the licensing exam as a Clinical Psychologist after you complete your hours. The graduate school usually takes 5-8 years. You need to conduct scientific researches and write your thesis, and defend your thesis in order to receive your degree. In terms of philosophy and theory, they teach theories included, but are not limited to, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, Existential Theory, Sigmund Freud, Ego Psychology, Object Relations, Self Psychology Theory, and Psychodynamics. In general, Clinical Psychologist focus on individuals and treat their mental illness such as Schizophrenia, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, and other stress disorders such as PTSD.
- School Counseling/Psychology: You will graduate with a Master degree. The work population is school aged kids and their families usually suffer from difficulties with learning disorder and other children/adolescence diagnosis that is related to developmental delay. You learn more of psychological testing, individual education plan for the troubled children, and work in a school setting with Principal, Nurses, Teachers, Special Education...etc.
- Marriage Family Therapy: In California there are schools offering Master degree and Doctor degree for this specialty. Whether Master or Doctor, in order to be licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist, you have to complete 3000 hours in order to obtain the eligibility for the licensing exam. Marriage Family Therapy focuses on the systemic viewpoint of the problem, which is socially constructed by the small system (family) and large system (social norms) in a multicultural society. Because this post-modernism theory emphasizes on the social and family dynamics, it takes blame off the "troubled person." You will learn theories such as Structural Family Therapy (Minuchin), Strategic Family Therapy, Bowen Family Therapy, Narrative Therapy (Michael White), Solution-Focused Therapy, Collaborative Therapy (Harlene Anderson), and other schools such as John Gottman and Emotion Focused Therapy (Sue Johnson) to treat couples and families. To sum, Marriage and Family Therapist can treat individuals and also help families to solve their relational problems such as marital discard, dating relationships, parent-child relationships, in addition to Psychotic Disorders, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, and Stress Disorders. Because families include children, you will also learn how to treat children with their diagnoses such as ADHD, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mutism, Child Abuse, and Sexual Abuse. Also Domestic Violence is another filed that you will learn a lot in Marriage and Family Therapy schools.
Currently in California there are many counseling and psychology schools. Therefore, choosing a school of study that resonates with you the most is very important. The least thing you want is to devote yourself in the graduate studying process half way through and learn that you do not like the philosophy of your chosen profession, or you do not like the classes they teach.
Pay extra attention if you are studying counseling because you want to seek an understanding of your own struggles. It is not uncommon people who are studying counseling/psychology and at the same time facing varies problems in their lives, whether they consciously understand the struggles or not. They say therapists who empathize better with clients are those who had been through the same pain, which is true. However, in order to be a professional therapist, I strongly suggest you to seek professional help to find the answer for your own problem, rather than projecting those onto your cases and create co-dependent and unhealthy relationship with your clients. This is why most legitimate counseling schools recommend you to do your own personal therapy for at least 12 sessions before you can graduate from the program.
I personally like Marriage and Family Therapy because it speaks to my view of the problem resulting from home and the culture/society/social norms. You, as a prospective international student, will need to spend time researching which philosophy you like the most, study each potential school's curriculum, the descriptions of their classes, and the credentials of the faculties. If there are certain therapy you really like, i.e. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamics, go find teachers who are masters in the field. I believe after your dedication in searching the right information, you can make a wise decision.
Good luck on your research.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Prologue
My name is Kuan-Lin Ho, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in San Diego, California. In the last five years, I came from Taiwan to the U.S. to study graduate school, used CPT and OPT before and after my graduation commencement, and was sponsored a H1b to work in mental health field.
Throughout my study in the COAMFTE accredited program at San Diego State University and my career to become a professional Marriage and Family Therapist, I encountered many students who are eager to study counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy in the U.S., but do not know where to get the best information regarding schools and programs, and have even more questions about how to accumulate hours to be license eligible in California. At the same time, as a therapist I see there are many first and second generation Taiwanese and Chinese American, including international students, who struggle with difficulties in life and are extremely reluctant to seek professional help. This is why I start this blog.
I start this blog to help you, the prospective international student, who is interested in studying Marriage and Family Therapy especially in California. And because I am in San Diego, I have knowledge about most MFT programs in Southern California. This blog will help you navigate your way to study abroad in the U.S., and guide you through your journey to become a licensed therapist.
I start this blog to also help you, the humble and polite Taiwanese Chinese, to learn what is going on around you when you start to feel stressed, frustrated, and distracted from life, and to teach you how to manage the stress and cope with the difficulties. This blog will help you understand how to recognize things relate to yourself and your surroundings, pay attention to your successful and not too successful stories (although I still consider you are a success through and through), how to make sense of the obstacles you are facing and find solutions to break through.
The information shared in this blog is based on my personal and professional experiences. I hope you find them helpful. Good luck on searching information in this blog.
Talk to you soon.
Throughout my study in the COAMFTE accredited program at San Diego State University and my career to become a professional Marriage and Family Therapist, I encountered many students who are eager to study counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy in the U.S., but do not know where to get the best information regarding schools and programs, and have even more questions about how to accumulate hours to be license eligible in California. At the same time, as a therapist I see there are many first and second generation Taiwanese and Chinese American, including international students, who struggle with difficulties in life and are extremely reluctant to seek professional help. This is why I start this blog.
I start this blog to help you, the prospective international student, who is interested in studying Marriage and Family Therapy especially in California. And because I am in San Diego, I have knowledge about most MFT programs in Southern California. This blog will help you navigate your way to study abroad in the U.S., and guide you through your journey to become a licensed therapist.
I start this blog to also help you, the humble and polite Taiwanese Chinese, to learn what is going on around you when you start to feel stressed, frustrated, and distracted from life, and to teach you how to manage the stress and cope with the difficulties. This blog will help you understand how to recognize things relate to yourself and your surroundings, pay attention to your successful and not too successful stories (although I still consider you are a success through and through), how to make sense of the obstacles you are facing and find solutions to break through.
The information shared in this blog is based on my personal and professional experiences. I hope you find them helpful. Good luck on searching information in this blog.
Talk to you soon.
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