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Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT) Overview

Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT) Overview

The Doctorate of Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT) at Chaminade University is an advanced clinical degree program with a focus on service, justice, and peace applications to couple, marriage, and family therapy. The DMFT program embodies a relational/systemic philosophy, follows the practitioner-scholar model, and emphasizes applied skill development for clinical practice, supervision, academia, and administration. The DMFT is a 62-credit program (depending on student's educational background) requiring three years of full-time study for completion.

The program is designed to prepare individuals for leadership roles and careers as private practitioners, agency administrators, clinical supervisors, program developers, evaluators, faculty in higher education institutions, and senior clinicians. The DMFT is a dynamic program committed to the development of the self of the practitioner.

The Chaminade DMFT is built upon the Marianist Educational Values of formation in faith; quality education; family spirit; service, justice, and peace; and adaptation and change. Each of these five core values is incorporated throughout the program to help graduates develop as both practitioners and whole individuals prepared to lead and serve.

Our aim is to prepare practitioners and leaders who think systemically, promote cultural humility and socially just-informed practices and programs, translate knowledge to practice and policy, evaluate and practice evidence-informed couple and family therapy approaches, and actively contribute to the ongoing development of the profession in Hawai‘i. While building these skills, individuals are grounded in the ideals of service, justice, peace, and ethical practice. Special attention is given to the ethical treatment and honoring of Indigenous peoples and groups, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, alongside other diverse populations.

Students admitted to the program should have a strong desire to enhance their cultural awareness and cultural safety as practitioners and be committed to service, justice, health, and peace. Graduates will be trained to systemically intervene and address mental health disparities at both family and community levels. Doctoral graduates will emerge as research-oriented clinicians, clinically oriented researchers, therapist-educators, and clinical supervisors.

The DMFT program has been developed as an online hybrid cohort program to meet the needs of working professionals. It blends synchronous and asynchronous learning with options for in-person residency experiences to ensure positive and enriching development of researcher, clinicians, and leader. This 62-credit program is designed for students to complete in less than three years, moving through ten-week terms while balancing two to four courses at a time, culminating with dissertation work in the final stages of the program.

Curriculum Coherence

The DMFT curriculum is intentionally structured to develop advanced competencies in clinical theory and practice, research methodology, leadership, supervision, and program development. It is aligned with:

  • Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) Standards (Version 12.5, Advanced Curriculum Areas)

  • American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Professional Guidelines

  • HawaiÊ»i State Licensure Standards for Marriage and Family Therapy (DCCA)

  • Hawaii-Approved Marriage and Family Therapy Supervisor Designation Program (HI-AMFT-SD)

  • Chaminade University Mission and Strategic Plan

  • Marianist Educational Values

Courses are designed to scaffold student learning, moving from theoretical foundations and applied clinical practice to advanced competencies in research, teaching, and leadership. Signature assignments are embedded across the curriculum to assess student mastery of program competencies and learning outcomes, ensuring alignment with both professional standards and university goals.

Curriculum coherence is further supported through regular assessment practices, annual student evaluations, two formal qualifying exams (the Formal Case Presentation and the Supervisor, Educator & Leader Portfolio), and the completion of a clinical research dissertation. This multi-level assessment structure ensures that each student demonstrates progressive competence across clinical, supervisory, research, and leadership domains before graduation.

The program integrates indigenous and Hawai‘ian healing frameworks, and systemic advocacy, into its core, ensuring that graduates are prepared to work effectively and ethically across diverse communities and family systems.

Program Structure and Scheduling

The DMFT program is structured as a full-time, cohort-based program designed for completion in three years. Students move together through a prescribed course sequence that ensures cumulative skill development across academic terms.

  • Terms: Four 10-week terms per year:

    • Summer (July start)

    • Fall (October start)

    • Winter (January start)

    • Spring (April start)

  • Course Load: Students typically enroll in 2–4 courses per term during the first two years. During the third year, students focus primarily on dissertation credits.

  • Modality: The program combines:

    • Synchronous online coursework (live classes via Zoom), supplemented with asynchronous coursework via Canvas LMS.

    • Residencies (options for face-to-face intensive gatherings to enhance clinical training and professional development)

  • Clinical Activity Requirement: Students are expected to maintain ongoing clinical activity throughout the program.

  • Qualifying Examinations:

    • Formal Case Presentation (FCP)

    • Supervisor, Educator & Leader Portfolio (SELP)

  • Dissertation: A clinical research dissertation is required for graduation. The dissertation must involve original research with implications for the field of marriage and family therapy and be submitted in a manuscript-ready format suitable for journal submission.

This comprehensive, sequenced structure ensures that students develop doctoral-level competencies in clinical practice, research, teaching, leadership, and supervision by the time they complete the program.

Contact Information

Director, Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy Program
Chaminade University of Honolulu
3140 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816
Phone: (808) 735-7495