Family Therapy Training Institute
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 three 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.
“The FTTI program influenced and supported me to a degree that I had never in my career experienced. I am eternally grateful.” –Maria Salcido, LMFT graduate Watch Video Testimonials: "Why FTTI?"
Our program
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.
MFT licensure
Marriage and Family Therapy is a profession that leads to licensure in all 50 states; however, each state has its own law and regulations about what is needed to become licensed in that state.
The COAMFTE accredited FTTI post graduate certificate program is intended for professionals with a master’s degree in clinical mental health or clinical health care who are seeking licensure as a marriage and family therapist in Wisconsin and Illinois.
Not every state will accept a post graduate certification, or supervised hours earned in another state. You must review the license requirements for the state in which you intend to practice so that you understand what may and may not be accepted as evidence of education and supervised clinical practice in that state.
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]
Our philosophy
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 provided 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.
Requirements & eligibility
To apply for the program, you must have:
- Completion of an accredited graduate degree program in clinical mental health including:
- Clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, professional counseling, counselor education, clinical mental health counseling, psychology OR completion of an accredited graduate degree program in clinical health care including, for example:
- Nursing, medicine
- Physician assistant
- Graduate education must include:
- Completion of at least three-semester credits in each of the following areas: counseling theory, human development and family studies, psychopathology and research methods
- A minimum of 300 hours of clinical internship
- A minimum 3.0 GPA during graduate school
- Clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, professional counseling, counselor education, clinical mental health counseling, psychology OR completion of an accredited graduate degree program in clinical health care including, for example:
- Desire and maturity to engage in family therapy
- Capacity for self-awareness and self-reflectiveness
- Eligibility for a Marriage and Family Therapy Training License
MFT certificate program graduation criteria
Graduation criteria for this program include:
- 33 course credits in six specified areas of marriage and family therapy studies. In some cases, classes may be transferred from former graduate studies.
- 12 credits of clinical internship that includes 500 clinical hours* – meaning face-to-face, direct contact with clients through an Advocate Aurora Health field placement.
- 100+ hours of individual and group supervision.
- Passage of final competency-based portfolio assessment.
*A total of 1,000 hours is required for MFT licensure.
Accreditation
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 Graduate Achievement Outcomes [PDF]
Tuition cost
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. In addition, the following fees are charged: application fee, background check fee, technology fee and transcript fee.
At the onset of each academic year, students are required to establish an electronic funds transfer for monthly payments. This goes towards the tuition balance for that year.
View current tuition information [PDF]
Financial assistance
We offer financial assistance through the following scholarships:
- Insoo Kim Berg Grant ($5,000): A competitive, merit-based grant to promote the integration of solution-focused practice within health services.
- David Hoffman Scholarship ($5,000): A competitive, needs-based scholarship to expand access to high-quality family systemic mental health services for marginalized families and/or communities.
You can apply for these scholarships once you’re admitted into the program.
Additionally, the program may be eligible for employer-based tuition reimbursement if you’re employed while completing the program.
View 2025-2026 Scholarship Flyer [PDF]
How to apply
FTTI is accepting postgraduate applications for our Fall 2025 cohort. Apply online to get started. The deadline to submit all application materials is May 15th.
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:
- Complete online application
- Submit a curriculum vitae, three letters of professional recommendation and a personal statement to ftti@aah.org.
- Personal statements must be at minimum 1,000 words in length and contain several paragraphs that link together in a logical, well-written style. In the statement, please describe your interest in working with couples and families, and your commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Be sure to include examples of your work with families that demonstrate the above.
- Submit a non-refundable $50 application fee. Credit card processing is available by request. Or mail a check made payable to Aurora Family Service to:
- Aurora Family Service
Attn: Family Therapy Training Institute
1020 N. 12th St., Suite 200
Milwaukee, WI 53233
- Aurora Family Service
- Contact your graduate institution to request an official transcript of graduate studies be sent directly to FTTI at the address listed above.
- After review of the application materials submitted, the FTTI Admissions Committee will contact candidates for an admission interview.
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.
Contact us
For more information about the Family Therapy Training Institute, email FTTI.
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