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Studies & Degrees in Couple and Family Therapy

Couple and family therapy is a branch of psychotherapy that treats problems in the context of relationships. Instead of working with one person alone, the therapist works with a couple or with several members of a family. The Spanish federation of family therapy associations (FEATF) describes family therapy as psychotherapy that involves several family members in order to improve communication, resolve conflicts and strengthen relationships. Most training follows a systemic approach, which looks at patterns of interaction and not only at one person's problem. In the United States the field is called marriage and family therapy (MFT).

Students learn how couples and families function and change over the life cycle, the main schools of systemic therapy, interviewing and assessment, ethics, and specific areas such as couple conflict, divorce, trauma and families at social risk. Supervised work with real clients is a central part of every serious programme.

Qualifications and levels

This is a postgraduate subject. Students usually arrive with a degree in psychology, medicine, social work or a related field, and the route depends on the country.

  • United States: marriage and family therapists typically need a master's degree, and every state requires a licence, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Licensure also requires a state-specified number of hours of supervised clinical experience after the degree. The Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy at City University of Seattle has 71 credits, including 12 credits of internship, and its graduates are eligible for the associate licence (LMFTA) in Washington State. Saint Louis University offers a Couple and Family Therapy M.A. and a Ph.D. in Medical Family Therapy within its School of Medicine
  • Spain: training is offered as specialisation after a degree. The Máster en Terapia Familiar Sistémica at Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid lasts one year (60 ECTS credits), is taught in Spanish on campus and includes 148 hours of supervised practice and a course on couple therapy. Comillas lists it among its "másteres propios", the university's own master's programmes, not as an official master's degree. Short courses also exist: the psychology centre Cinteco in Madrid has run a 30-hour course on recent advances in couple therapy

In Spain a specialisation in family therapy does not by itself allow a psychologist to practise in health care. Comillas notes that psychology graduates who want to work in the clinical or health field must take the Máster Universitario en Psicología General Sanitaria, an official master's degree that lasts two years (120 ECTS credits) at Comillas, or specialise through the PIR route for clinical psychologists.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists five schools for couple and family therapy: two in Spain, two in the United States and one in Russia.

  • Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Madrid
  • Cinteco, Madrid
  • Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
  • City University of Seattle, Washington State
  • Rostov State Medical University, Rostov-on-Don

The Spanish programmes are taught in Spanish and the US programmes in English. Because therapy is a regulated activity in many countries, ask each school which professional body or authority recognises its qualification. In the United States, graduating from a programme accredited by COAMFTE, the accreditation commission for marriage and family therapy education, helps with licensure and with moving a licence between states. City University of Seattle advises students who live outside Washington to check with their local licensing board before they enrol, because requirements vary by state.

Careers

Couple and family therapists work in private practice, mental health centres, hospitals, addiction treatment centres, schools and community agencies. In the United States, the BLS counted 76,300 marriage and family therapists in 2025 and projects 86,600 in 2035, a growth of 14 percent, which it describes as much faster than average. These figures apply to the US labour market only.

A qualification from one country does not give an automatic right to practise in another. Anyone who plans to study abroad and work at home should check the recognition rules for foreign degrees and the licensing rules for therapists in their own country first.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a psychology degree to study couple and family therapy?

Not always. Programmes are postgraduate, and each school sets its own entry requirements; many accept graduates in psychology and in related fields. Check the admission requirements of each programme.

How long does the training take?

The Comillas master's programme takes one year (60 ECTS credits). In the United States, a master's degree is followed by a period of supervised clinical work before full licensure.

Is couple therapy the same as family therapy?

They belong to the same field and share the systemic approach. Couple therapy focuses on the relationship between two partners, and family therapy includes children, parents or other relatives. Most programmes teach both.

Can I practise in Spain with a master's in family therapy?

For psychological work in health care, Spanish law requires a psychology degree plus the official Máster en Psicología General Sanitaria, or the clinical psychology specialisation. A family therapy master's is additional training on top of that.