CCFT Name Change

For some time now, we have been advocating for a change in Antioch University Seattle’s CCFT Programs’s name. Well, I am happy to announce that it’s finally official–the AUS Academic Counsel and the Faculty Assembly have approved our name change and we are now formally called the Couple and Family Therapy (CFT) Program. Why the change from CCFT to CFT? In essence, we changed it because like any good name it better reflects who we are, that is, a graduate program that trains couple and family therapists.

Does this change in name suggest that we now won’t be training those interested in working with children? Actually, the answer is no, because we will continue to offer the exact same curriculum and emphasis in child therapy that we have always provided. The difference is that our new name better reflects what we are actually providing, that is, clinical training focused on working with children in the context of their family system. What we were concerned about with our previous name is that it suggested that we also offered clinical training in working with children more on a one-on-one basis. While we certainly offer some of that, our concern is that it is not the basic focus of our clinical training. So in essence, we just felt that our new name provides a little more accuracy and truth in the way in which we present ourselves.

And speaking of accuracy, we also thought it was somewhat inconsistent to call ourselves the Couple and Family Therapy (CFT) Program, and yet not require a separate course in couple therapy. While we of course included couple therapy in our required Systems Perspectives and Theory and Practice of Family Therapy I & II courses, we just believed that the curriculum could be strengthened by requiring that the new entering students take Applied Couple Therapy as well. There will be other curriculum changes for the new entering students, but the ones I have discussed here are the ones that are directly involved in our decision to change our name. Best wishes.

Paul David, Ph.D.
Chair of the Couple &
Family Therapy Program
Antioch University Seattle
206-268-4802/pdavid@antioch.edu