Weimar University MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis

Weimar University is one of 71 BBS-approved MFT programs in California. Compare all 71 in our directory. Program data collected April 2026 from publicly available sources including the Weimar University MA in Counseling Psychology and Wellness program page; the Weimar University Academic Bulletin; the Weimar University graduate admissions page; the Weimar University tuition information; the Weimar University accreditation page; and the California Board of Behavioral Sciences approved schools list for LMFT under BPC 4980.36. A standalone MFT program handbook was not publicly accessible at the time of research; the academic bulletin and program page were used as authoritative public sources. Prospective students should verify all details directly with the program before applying.

Schedule and Format Details

Online Format: Per the program page, the MA in Counseling Psychology and Wellness is delivered fully online. Coursework is sequenced across two fall semesters, two spring semesters, and one summer term between Year 1 and Year 2. Specific day and time blocks for synchronous sessions are not publicly listed as a fixed weekly schedule; confirm with program.

Start Term: Fall admission only per the program page.

Clinical Training and Fieldwork

Clinical Hours: Per the program page, students complete 600 total practicum hours, of which a minimum of 280 hours must be direct client contact in a clinical setting counseling individuals, couples, families, or groups. Program-specific relational and supervision hour minimums beyond this are not separately itemized in the public program materials; confirm with program.

Training Clinic: An in-house university-operated training clinic is not publicly listed. Per the program page, the program partners with the Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program and Beautiful Minds Medical for clinical placements; students may also be placed at other approved clinical sites.

Practicum Placement Process: Practicum in Counseling is completed during both semesters of Year 2. Specific program-arranged versus student-found placement procedures are not fully itemized on the public program page; confirm with program.

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement: A program-specific personal psychotherapy requirement is not publicly listed; confirm with program.

Curriculum Structure

Per the program page, the 60-unit curriculum is organized as follows:

Year 1, Semester 1 (12 units): Lifespan Development; Moral Identity and Faith as Counselor; Christian Counseling and Psychotherapy (Basic); Counseling Diverse Populations.

Year 1, Semester 2 (12 units): Advanced Counseling Theory; Assessment; Christian Counseling and Psychotherapy (Advanced); Psychopathology and Diagnostic Processes.

Year 1, Summer (12 units): Addictions Counseling; Career Development; Legal, Ethical, and Professional Issues; Human Sexuality and Sex Therapy.

Year 2, Semester 1 (12 units): Couples and Family Counseling; Crisis and Trauma Counseling; Research and Evaluation; Practicum in Counseling.

Year 2, Semester 2 (12 units): Group Processes; Child and Adolescent Counseling; Clinical Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology; Practicum in Counseling.

Culminating Requirements

Per the program page, the culminating academic requirement is a comprehensive examination administered by the Weimar University Department of Education and Clinical Counseling. The comprehensive examination consists of a written component addressing theory, case study analysis, and treatment planning, and an oral component with a faculty panel assessing integration and critical thinking. In addition, students are required to sit for the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE) administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors as an exit exam prior to graduation; per the program page, passing the NCMHCE is not required in order to graduate. A thesis is not listed as a program requirement.

Application Process

Application Deadline: Fall admission only. Specific application deadline dates are not publicly listed on the program page; confirm with program.

Start Term: Fall.

GPA Requirement: Minimum 3.0 GPA in the final 45 units of the undergraduate degree and in core undergraduate courses.

Prerequisites: A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution is required. No specific prerequisite course list is publicly listed beyond the bachelor's degree requirement; confirm with program.

Application Components: Completed application, official transcripts from all prior institutions, a personal statement addressing faith and interest in counseling, and three letters of recommendation (at a minimum one from a faculty member and one from a work supervisor). TOEFL is required for applicants whose undergraduate degree was earned outside of an English-speaking country.

Interview: An interview with department faculty is required as part of the admissions process.

What This Program Says About Itself

Per the Weimar University MA in Counseling Psychology and Wellness program page, the program is designed to meet California BBS educational requirements for both LMFT and LPCC licensure in a single degree.

Per the program page, Weimar University integrates a Christ-centered approach to counseling throughout the curriculum, including dedicated coursework on Christian counseling and psychotherapy and on moral identity and faith in the counselor's formation.

Per the program page, Weimar University operates within the Seventh-day Adventist tradition with an emphasis on whole-person wellness, including the integration of physical, mental, spiritual, and social dimensions of health.

Per the program page, clinical training partnerships include the Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program and Beautiful Minds Medical, and students complete 600 practicum hours with a minimum of 280 direct client contact hours.

Per the Weimar University accreditation materials, the institution holds WSCUC institutional accreditation, and the MA in Counseling Psychology and Wellness was approved by WSCUC for online delivery in August 2021.

This Program May Be a Good Fit For

Students seeking a fully online MFT pathway in California: The entire program is delivered online, which may suit students in rural or underserved areas, students managing caregiving or work responsibilities, and students who prefer not to relocate.

Students who want dual LMFT and LPCC preparation in one degree: The curriculum is designed to meet California BBS educational requirements for both LMFT and LPCC licensure within the same 60-unit program.

Students drawn to a Christian faith-integrated graduate program: The program integrates Christian perspectives and biblical framework throughout the curriculum, with specific courses in Christian counseling and psychotherapy and in moral identity and faith, and may appeal to students who want their graduate training to be explicitly grounded in a Christian worldview.

Students drawn to the Seventh-day Adventist wellness tradition: Weimar University's whole-person emphasis on physical, mental, spiritual, and social health may resonate with students who value a holistic, lifestyle-oriented framing of mental wellness.

Students who want a structured two-year cohort pace: The program is organized as a fixed two-year sequence with a summer term between Year 1 and Year 2, which provides a predictable and time-bounded path to graduation.

Students who prefer a shorter admissions process: No GRE and no detailed prerequisite course list make the program comparatively accessible from an admissions standpoint. A faculty interview is required.

How This California MFT Directory Is Built and Maintained

This is the only California MFT program directory that accepts no paid placements of any kind. No program can pay to be listed, pay to rank higher, pay to be featured, or pay to remove information, and there are no affiliate links or sponsored entries. Every program on the California Board of Behavioral Sciences approved-program list is included.

Last verified: April 2026. We re-check the BBS approved-program list on a recurring schedule and after any major BBS announcement.

Manually reviewed. Each program's admissions, curriculum, and tuition pages were read by a human at Sentio University. Automated scraping is not used to populate this directory.

How unknown values are handled. Where a school does not publish a value, the field shows "unknown" or "Not listed." We do not impute, estimate, or interpolate missing values, and we do not omit a program because data is missing.

Corrections. Any school, prospective student, current student, or faculty member can request a correction by emailing mabundez@sentio.org. We respond within five business days. Corrections supported by the school's own published materials are made immediately. Requesting a correction, declining to respond to a correction request, or contacting Sentio University for any reason has no effect on whether a program appears or how it is described.

Independence. Sentio University is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and operates its own MFT program, which is listed in this directory on the same terms as every other program.

Maintained by: Mikaela Abundez, Director of Student Services, Sentio University. Contact: mabundez@sentio.org.

How to Choose an MFT Program in California

Meeting the BBS requirements tells you that a curriculum clears a legal bar but says almost nothing about how skilled a clinician you can become. The students who get the most out of these years treat licensure as the floor, and then ask a far more ambitious question: which program will help me reach the very top of what I am capable of as a therapist? The program you choose changes everything. By the time they reach practicum, 2 in 3 students at COAMFTE-accredited MFT programs do not feel prepared to see clients. Training built around real, performable clinical skills, rather than theory alone, is what lets you walk into your first session with genuine confidence and keep growing from there. You get to decide how high to aim, and the right program will rise to meet you.

Look closely at four things. First, Deliberate Practice: the strongest programs let you rehearse specific skills with immediate feedback, the same way world-class musicians and athletes build mastery over time. Second, clinical hours: seek out programs that give you a high volume of direct client contact, because nothing accelerates your development faster than real, supervised repetition. Third, video recording in supervision rather than student self-report, so your supervisors can coach what actually happened in the room. Fourth, routine outcome monitoring, which teaches you to track, honestly and objectively, whether your clients are getting better. A program that does all four is training you to pursue excellence, not just clear a requirement.

Also consider programs that teach you safe and ethical AI-integrated clinical training. And do not let cost quietly lower your sights. There are more scholarships and financial aid options for California MFT students than most applicants ever realize.

The purpose of these years is not simply to pass a board and collect a license. It is to become the best therapist you can be, so struggling therapy clients will trust you with the hardest moments of their lives. Hold your education to that standard. Reach for the ceiling rather than settling for the floor, and choose the program that will help you get there.

Note from the Field:
"Aim higher than the license. A degree gets you in the door, but skill is what earns a client's trust. Pick the program that takes your training as seriously as you do."
Alexandre Vaz, PhD

Making Your Decision: What to Do Before You Apply

Salary data and job market projections are useful inputs to your program search, but they cannot tell you what a school is actually like to attend. Marketing materials, program websites, and admissions presentations are designed to present a program favorably. The most reliable way to cut through that and understand what a program actually delivers in the classroom is to ask to sit in on a live class session, whether in person or online, before you commit. Every program that is confident in the quality of its instruction should not only allow this but actively welcome it. If a program is reluctant to let prospective students observe a class, that reluctance is itself informative. The California MFT job market rewards clinical skill, and the training environment you choose over the next two to three years will shape the kind of therapist you become. Take the time to see it for yourself before you decide.

For a detailed comparison of every California MFT program, see our directory of all 71 BBS-approved MFT programs in California.

To learn more about Weimar University's MFT program, visit their official website at weimar.edu. If you are comparing MFT programs in California, you can explore Sentio University's MFT program to see how our Deliberate Practice training model compares.

Disclaimer: This profile was prepared by Sentio University for informational purposes only. Sentio University is an MFT program in California and a peer institution to the program profiled above. All information was drawn from publicly available sources and the program's own published materials as of April 2026. Sentio University makes no guarantee regarding the accuracy or completeness of this information. Prospective students should contact the program directly to verify all details, including admissions requirements, tuition, accreditation status, and clinical training structure. This profile does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. For a full list of California MFT programs, visit our California MFT Program Directory.

About the Authors

Tony Rousmaniere, PsyD is the President of Sentio University and Executive Director of the Sentio Counseling Center. He is Past President of the psychotherapy division of the American Psychological Association and the author of over 20 books on deliberate practice and psychotherapy training, including The Essentials of Deliberate Practice book series (APA Books). He is a licensed psychologist in California and Washington. Learn more

Alexandre Vaz, PhD is the Chief Academic Officer of Sentio University and cofounder of the Deliberate Practice Institute. He is co-editor of The Essentials of Deliberate Practice book series (APA Books) and the author of over a dozen books on deliberate practice and psychotherapy training. Dr. Vaz is the founder and host of Psychotherapy Expert Talks. He is a licensed clinical psychologist in Portugal. Learn more

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