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 Canadian applicants only for Fall 2023

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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