This makes it the only dually accredited marriage and family therapy program in the nation. In July of 1995, the Louisiana Board of Regents approved the development of a doctoral program in marriage and family therapy which has been implemented since the Fall of 1996. In support of continuing excellence in the marriage and family therapy programs at ULM, the University established the Hanna Spyker Endowed Chair in Marriage and Family Therapy. This position is currently being held by the eminent scholar, Dr. Charles Cole. Career Possibilities Recent graduates from the ULM program have found employment in settings such as private practice, program directors at hospitals, directors of services at homes for children, and therapists performing a variety of services with a wide range of problems in mental health agencies.
Graduates are also active in family life education and enrichment in a variety of contexts.
The master's degree program is an intensive, sixty three semester hour program requiring two years of full-time study. The program is dedicated to educating highly qualified master's level clinicians and scholars. An accessible and dedicated faculty who are active in research and publication, and a low student-faculty ratio fosters interactive educational experiences approaching a collegial, mentor relationship. Another important aspect of the program is the admittance of up to15 full-time students per class who develop close relationships in their academic and clinical work together. To a large degree, the requirments for licensure and accreditation in the dually accredited program dictate specific curriculum requirements, however, each class takes on its own character as current theory and research are presented in different forms reflecting the styles and theoretical orientations of the instructors.