Internship training in marriage and family therapy: A survey of doctoral program objectives and implementation

This article presents the results of a survey that examined the implementat ion of the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Educ ation (COAMFTE) internship requirement by accredited doctoral Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) programs. Representatives from each of 10 doctoral MFT programs provided responses to questions regarding program objectives for internship training. Respondents also provided subjective impressions regar ding the effectiveness with which established internship goals are accompli shed, associated benefits and difficulties, and adequacy of the standards. Results suggest that although most programs perceive the internship require ment as beneficial, many express concern regarding the effects of the inter nship requirement on other aspects of training and in relationship to the o verall goals for doctoral MFT education. Conclusions and recommendations ar e offered based on the mixed findings.