The Family Therapy Training Institute (FTTI) is a post-graduate certificate program designed to accelerate your development as a therapist working with couples, families and individuals through systemic training. FTTI is one of only five post-degree institutes in the country and the only one in Wisconsin. It’s also the only post-degree institute situated within a healthcare system, Advocate Aurora Health.
At FTTI, we emphasize real-world learning and best-practice approaches that are trauma-informed and culturally humble. We are a diverse community of learners, dedicated to strengthening our broader community.
FTTI is a high-quality, affordable and flexible program offering students the opportunity to take courses in the evening and weekend so they can achieve a work-life balance. Most students maintain full- or part-time employment while completing the program. Classes and supervision are aligned with both Wisconsin and Illinois licensure requirements. With full-time and part-time options to complete the program, FTTI works to fit your professional and personal development needs.
This two-year, full-time program is intended for professionals with a master’s degree in clinical mental health or clinical health care who are seeking licensure as a psychotherapist in Wisconsin.
Check out the program handbook and program brochure for an overview of FTTI including course descriptions, and an introduction to our faculty and supervisors.
View Program Handbook [PDF]
View Program Brochure [PDF]
We use a competency-based approach to teach relational or systemic models to facilitate change. Competencies are taken from the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy’s (AAMFT) Core Competencies to ensure a high quality of service provide by marriage and family therapists. Our students focus on learning to assess, conceptualize, plan and intervene to enable positive change in problematic patterns. Students also recognize and use the strengths of individuals, couples and families to meet their goals for long-term growth. We emphasize the promotion of socially just, trauma-sensitive family and community relationships.
As a student at FTTI you will strengthen your therapeutic skills through intensive individual and group supervision in a team-based clinical setting. You will also integrate academic, clinical and life experience into a well-defined personal practice style. All supervisors are AAMFT-approved and practicing marriage and family therapists.
To apply for the program, you must have:
Graduation criteria for this program include:
*A total of 1,000 hours is required for MFT licensure.
The Family Therapy Training Institute is accredited by the Council on Accreditation in Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). Through this rigorous program, we are committed to continually improving the quality of education offered to our students.
COAMFTE provides up-to-date information about the core educational outcomes of all accredited MFT training programs, including FTTI. These student achievement outcomes include rates of graduation, passage of the national exam, and state licensure.
View FTTI Outcomes [PDF]
The program is designed to be affordable for working professionals with less total credits and less cost per credit than a traditional master’s degree program. We offer a competitive cost compared to other intensive post-graduate certificate programs. The current cost per credit is $270. Tuition rates subject to change.
At the onset of each academic year students are required to establish an electronic funds transfer for monthly payments towards the tuition balance for that year.
We offer financial assistance through the following scholarships:
You can apply for these scholarships once you’re admitted into the program.
Additionally, the program is eligible for employer-based tuition reimbursement if you’re employed while completing the program. You also can check with your banking institution for eligibility for low-interest education loans.
FTTI is accepting postgraduate applications for our Fall 2021 cohort. Apply online to get started. Deadline to submit all application materials is July 1.
The application process is designed to collect the information necessary to ensure that we make an appropriate match between the training experience and your professional development needs. Here’s how you can apply:
FTTI is committed to the policy of equal opportunity in all its training activities and admission process. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender/gender orientation, sexual orientation, age, handicap or marital status.
FTTI offers a variety of rich training and classes throughout the year for the purpose of professional development of MFTs. Topics include sexual health, racial trauma and healing, integration of telehealth and clinical practice, solution-focused practice, and families and illness.
