The Graduate Certificate in Couple and Family Counselling Studies is the only program of its kind in Alberta!

• Gain key mental health-care knowledge and skills for relationships
• Enhance your practice or pursue further education
• Build a foundation in the growing family and couple counselling profession
• Suitable for a range of social- and health-services fields
• Flexible online, part-time study

Note: This program is open to domestic and international applicants. The courses in this program are delivered online, synchronously. Courses are typically scheduled in the evening, Mountain Time (MT).

Benefits of this graduate certificate

• Take courses online, part-time
• Earn a graduate-level credential without commitment to a master’s program
• Deepen your knowledge and skills in this field
• Explore the subject matter from a variety of disciplines

Admission requirements

1. Have a baccalaureate (undergraduate) degree from a recognized degree-granting institution with a major in a health-, counselling-, or social services-related field.

2. Have a minimum admission GPA of 3.0 calculated on the terms containing the last 20 graded university courses (60.0 credit hours).

Additional background (recommended):

• Completion of a 3.0 credit hour undergraduate course in counselling/communication skills

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Courses (12.0 credit hours)

Fall Term | Couple and Family Counselling Studies 5000: Theories and Concepts in Couple and Family Therapy (3.0 credit hours)

Spring Term | Couple and Family Counselling Studies 5100: Practical Applications of Couple and Family Concepts with Ethical Considerations (3.0 credit hours)

Summer Session 1 | Couple and Family Counselling Studies 5200: Working with Couples and Parents (3.0 credit hours)

Summer Session 2 | Couple and Family Counselling Studies 5300: Systemic Stress and the Family: Adaptation and Dysfunction (3.0 credit hours)

Program outcomes

• Demonstrate a solid understanding of systemic theories, contemporary therapy models, and concepts of family dynamics that inform couple and family therapy practices.
• Apply systemic couple and family concepts to enhance existing counselling skills and to expand one’s knowledge of self within a relational context.
• Examine communication and intergenerational patterns that promote couple and parent-child relationships.
• Assess the challenges for family functioning using a life course and ecological-systemic perspective.
• Conduct decision-making based on relevant ethical principles and considerations when working with couples and families.
• Conceptualize addiction and mental health using a couple and family therapy lens.

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