Attend an Open House!
You are cordially invited to join us at an online open house. Staff and Admissions Advisors will be present to talk about Sentio University, our philosophy for marriage and family therapy education, Deliberate Practice, and more.
You will have the chance learn about our program and have your questions answered in a Q&A period.
If you would like to contact our Admissions Advisor, you may do so here.
Why Attend a Sentio University Open House?
Choosing a marriage and family therapy program is one of the most important decisions you will make in your career as a mental health professional. Sentio University's open house events give you the opportunity to learn about our Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy program directly from our admissions team, faculty, and staff, ask questions in real time, and get a genuine feel for what makes Sentio different from other MFT programs in California.
Whether you are a recent college graduate exploring careers in mental health, a working professional considering a career change into psychotherapy, or an undergraduate student planning your path toward becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California, our open house is designed to help you make an informed decision about your graduate education.
What You Will Learn at an Open House
During each open house session, our team will walk you through the key features of Sentio's 20 month hybrid MFT program, including how our curriculum is structured, what a typical week looks like for students, and how our training approach differs from traditional graduate programs in marriage and family therapy.
You will hear about Deliberate Practice, the evidence based training methodology at the core of every Sentio course. Deliberate Practice is a structured approach to clinical skill development that emphasizes hands on rehearsal, expert feedback, and continuous improvement. Sentio is the only MFT program in California built entirely on this methodology, and our faculty literally wrote the book on it. The APA published "Essentials of Deliberate Practice" series, authored by Sentio faculty and leadership, is now the standard reference for applying Deliberate Practice across therapeutic modalities. You can explore the full series on our Books by Sentio page.
Open house attendees will also learn about our guaranteed practicum placement at the Sentio Counseling Center, where every student gains over 400 supervised clinical hours that count toward the 3,000 hours required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) for LMFT licensure. Finding a practicum site is one of the most stressful parts of any MFT program, and Sentio is one of the only programs in California that eliminates that uncertainty entirely. Our counseling center is a telehealth training clinic that serves diverse, low income communities across California, giving students meaningful clinical experience with a wide range of client populations from the very beginning of their training.
A Program Designed for California MFT Licensure
Sentio University is approved by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) and the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). Our 60 unit curriculum is specifically designed to fulfill all educational requirements for LMFT licensure in the state of California. You can find more details about the licensure pathway on our Licensure Information page or review the full curriculum in our Academic Catalog.
The program is completed in just 20 months, making it one of the faster paths to beginning your post graduate clinical hours toward licensure as a marriage and family therapist in California. Classes meet weekly online via live Zoom sessions with a maximum of 16 students per cohort, and students attend one intensive in person residency in Los Angeles each semester. This hybrid format is designed for working professionals who need flexibility without sacrificing the quality and depth of clinical training. To see what the student experience actually looks like, visit our Week in the Life page, which includes firsthand accounts from current students.
Small Cohorts, Personalized Mentorship
One of the things prospective students consistently tell us they appreciate most about Sentio is the size of our program. With a maximum of 16 students per cohort and a 4:1 student to faculty ratio, Sentio provides a level of individualized attention and mentorship that larger MFT programs in California simply cannot match. Every student receives detailed, video based feedback on their clinical work from supervisors who have completed Sentio's own Deliberate Practice Supervision Residency. This is not generic supervision based on self report. It is direct observation and coaching grounded in decades of research on how therapists actually develop clinical skill.
AI Training for Mental Health Professionals
Sentio University is the first graduate program in the United States to formally integrate AI training into the mental health curriculum. Our AI Research team has published peer reviewed studies in journals including The Lancet Psychiatry, investigating how people use large language models for mental health support and evaluating the safety of AI in clinical contexts. At our open house, you will hear about how Sentio prepares graduates to use AI tools safely and ethically as part of their clinical practice, an increasingly important skill set as the mental health field evolves.
Scholarships and Tuition
We understand that the cost of graduate education is a major factor in choosing an MFT program. Total tuition for Sentio's program is $67,200, which places us in the mid range of California MFT programs while providing training features, such as guaranteed practicum and a 4:1 faculty ratio, that many higher priced programs lack. Sentio offers two scholarship opportunities: the K. Anders Ericsson Memorial Scholarship (merit based) and the Jeremy Safran Scholarship (need based), with awards ranging from $1,000 to $50,400. Scholarship applications are included in the general program application, so there is no separate process. Visit our Scholarships page for full details, and review the complete cost breakdown on our Tuition and Fees page.
How to Take the Next Step
If you cannot attend an upcoming open house, there are several other ways to learn more about Sentio University. You can request information to be connected with an admissions advisor, review commonly asked questions on our FAQ page, or start your application directly on our Apply Now page. Applications for the Fall 2026 cohort are currently open, and cohorts fill quickly since enrollment is limited to 16 students. You can also contact us at any time to speak with someone on our team. To learn more about the history and mission behind Sentio, visit our About Sentio University page.