minary W orld Class Seminary - Bethel Seminary - Bethel University

Center for Spiritual and Personal FormationSt. Paul • San Diego • Seminary of the East“In Bethel’s M.F.T. program,integration is atthe core of every classand every experience.It will change the wayyou think, the wayyou connect, the wayyou minister, and theway you live.”Dan JassM.F.T. graduate, ’03PC748 (PC248) • Family-Based YouthMinistries. Focuses on a model ofchurch youth ministry that appreciatesthe role of parents and family systemson the spiritual growth and characterdevelopment of adolescents. (Cognatecredit with DC748.) Four hours.PC670 (PC270) • Independent Studyin Pastoral Care. Research and studyby arrangement with the professor.(Permission is required.)Marriage andFamily StudiesCarla M. Dahl Ben K. LimG. Keith Olson Steven J. SandageCourse descriptions apply toall Bethel locations unlessotherwise noted.The primary focus of the coursesin marriage and family studies (St.Paul and San Diego only) is to preparestudents to function in the role ofmarriage and family specialists witha strong biblical and theological understandingof the need for and implicationsof this ministry of the church.This role could be practiced as a specialistin family ministries within achurch setting, in a parish-based counselingpractice or other kinds of parachurchor pastoral counseling agencies,in a secular community mental healthcenter, or in other treatment settingsrequiring family expertise.Objectives:The M.A. program in Marriage andFamily Therapy (M.F.T.) in St. Pauland the M.A. in Marital and FamilyTherapy in San Diego intend to preparemarriage and family specialists whoare able to:1. develop a professional identity asagents of formation and transformationwho respond to God’s callto minister to couples, families,and other systems by intentionallyintegrating biblically grounded,professionally coherent theologicaland theoretical understandings withethical clinical practice;2. provide effective therapeutic responses(both preventive andinterventive) in a broad range ofsettings, as previously described, fora wide variety of presenting issues;3. demonstrate sensitivity and expertisein ministering to individuals, couples,families, and members of othersystems who differ from themselvesin areas such as culture, ethnicity,religious background, worldview,and value system; and4. demonstrate emotional and spiritualmaturity and wholeness, whichenable them to reflect on their owncontinuing formation process in waysthat enhance their personal relationshipsas well as their professionaleffectiveness.The M.A.M.F.T. program is not intendedfor persons who will eventually seekordination. However, the presence ofthe program in the seminary meansthat persons in the Master of Divinitytrack will be able to choose a concentrationin marriage and family studies.Academic preparation in marriageand family studies and therapy isparticularly relevant for seminarians.One’s current ministry is influencedby themes and experiences from one’sfamily of origin and adult relationships,and ministers function within congregationalsystems characterized bydynamics similar to those in families.This program offers students a comprehensive,advanced opportunity tolearn to:1. understand their own family relationshipsin ways that enhanceministry;2. offer effective programming forprevention and enrichment;3. intervene appropriately with troubledcouples and families; and4. understand systemic dynamics incongregations and other organizations.PC500 (PC100) is a prerequisitefor students without an undergraduate/graduatedegree in counseling or arelated discipline:PC500 (PC100) • Principles of Counseling.This course is designed toprovide a foundation of basic skills forpersons who would like to enhancetheir therapy and pastoral care abilities.It combines theoretical understandingand hands-on practice ofessential counseling microskills andcan serve as the prerequisite counselingcourse for persons enrolling in ortransferring to the M.A. in Marital andFamily Therapy. Four hours.MF500 (MF100) • Foundations ofMarital and Family Therapy.MF501 (MF101) • Foundations ofMarriage and Family Studies. Thesecourses examine the historical developmentand theoretical foundations ofmarriage and family studies, as wellas theological issues in the study ofmarriage and family and the practiceof marriage and family therapy. Specialattention is given to family systemstheory. Students are encouraged toexamine their own assumptions aboutfamilies and to develop increasedcongruence between their theologicalconvictions and their theoreticalperspectives. Four hours.MF502 (MF121) • Individual Developmentwithin the Family. Thiscourse explores the development ofindividuals within the family over thelife cycle. Childhood, adolescent, andadult development are examined withattention given to physical, spiritual,intellectual, and social developmentand their implications for the practiceof therapy and pastoral care. St. Paulonly. Four hours.124