Western Institute for Social Research MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis
Western Institute for Social Research 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 Western Institute for Social Research (WISR) MFT/LPCC program page; the WISR Official Catalog (revised September 10, 2025); the WISR tuition and fees page; the WISR Center for Child and Family Development 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 posted separately from the catalog; the Official Catalog served as the authoritative public source for curriculum and clinical training details. Prospective students should verify all details directly with the program before applying.
Program Snapshot
University: Western Institute for Social Research (WISR)
Official Degree Name: Master of Science in Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy (designed to meet California BBS educational requirements for both the LMFT and the LPCC license)
Campus Location: 1812 San Pedro Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94707 (near Solano Avenue). See the WISR home page.
Institution Link: Western Institute for Social Research.
Modality: Hybrid and online. Per the WISR Official Catalog, required seminars are held by telephone conference or real-time video conference with faculty and students onsite at WISR, supplemented by web-based collaborative tools. Students in the Bay Area may also participate onsite at the Berkeley location and complete practicum hours at the WISR-affiliated Center for Child and Family Development.
Licensure Track: California LMFT and LPCC. Per the WISR Official Catalog, the MS in Psychology/MFT is designed to meet California BBS educational requirements for the LMFT license, and with additional designated electives the same degree also meets educational requirements for the LPCC license.
Accreditation: Institutional accreditation through the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). Approval to operate in California from the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE). The MFT program is on the California BBS approved schools list for LMFT under BPC 4980.36. COAMFTE accreditation and CACREP accreditation are not publicly listed for this program.
Program Length: 67 semester credit hours. Per the WISR Official Catalog, students typically progress at approximately half-time, with most completing the program in two to three years; some complete in less than 36 months.
Estimated Total Program Tuition (effective 2025-2026): Base monthly tuition is approximately $800 per month, or about $9,600 per year, per the WISR Official Catalog and tuition page. The WISR Official Catalog caps total MFT program tuition at a maximum of $57,600 over a maximum of 72 months of enrollment. Because many students complete the program in less than the maximum time frame, actual total tuition paid is often lower than the maximum; per the catalog, some students complete for approximately half of the maximum total or less. Verify current rates directly with the program.
GRE Requirement: Not required per the WISR Official Catalog and admissions materials.
Religious Orientation: None (secular). Per the WISR Official Catalog, the institution is grounded in social change, community engagement, participatory action-research, and multicultural inclusion rather than a religious tradition.
Entering Class Size: Small. Per the WISR Official Catalog, total enrollment across WISR's programs is approximately 30 students at a given time; program-specific entering cohort size is not publicly itemized. Confirm with program.
Concentrations: The MS in Psychology/MFT is offered as a single degree pathway. With designated electives, students may pursue the LPCC educational qualification in addition to the LMFT qualification using the same degree.
This profile is one of 71. See how every California MFT program compares on tuition, format, accreditation, practicum, and clinical training. No ads, no paid placements.
Compare All 71 →Student Outcomes
Outcomes are shown only as published by the program or its accreditor. Where a value is not published, we say so rather than estimate it.
Graduation rate: Program-reported 50% for the 2020 MFT cohort (a small cohort; WISR notes its fully-online graduation rates will first be available in 2028). DEAC benchmark is 62%. Source: WISR 2022 Annual Outcomes Assessment Report.
Job placement rate: Not published as a rate (WISR reports supervisor, co-worker, and client satisfaction ratings rather than a placement percentage).
Licensure rate: Not published
Licensure exam pass rate: Program-reported 100% on the first exam and 100% on the second exam among MFT graduates reached who chose to sit for the California licensing exams since 2016 (small numbers). Source: WISR 2022 Annual Outcomes Assessment Report.
WISR is institutionally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), approved to operate by the California BPPE, and on the California BBS approved-school list; it is not COAMFTE-accredited. WISR publishes an Annual Outcomes Assessment Report and School Performance Fact Sheets. Its most recent report cites 100% first-exam and 100% second-exam passage among MFT graduates reached who sat for the California exams since 2016, and a 50% completion rate for its small 2020 MFT cohort, noting that graduation rates for its fully-online format will first be available in 2028.
Cost and Regional Pay
Approximate placement of this program’s total cost (about $24,000 to $29,000, tuition estimate, billed monthly) against the directory’s lowest and highest published totals.
Estimated total tuition: WISR bills tuition monthly at about $800 per month (about $9,600 per year) per its Official Catalog and tuition page, and caps total MFT program tuition at $57,600 over a maximum of 72 months. Most students who finish in two to three years of part-time study pay roughly $24,000 to $29,000 in tuition; fees and living expenses are additional.
Regional pay context: In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont area, marriage and family therapists earn a median of about $77,210 per year, with a typical range of roughly $66,940 to $125,140 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). These figures cover all marriage and family therapists in the area at all experience levels, not this program's graduates. For more, see our San Francisco Bay Area LMFT salary guide.
Schedule and Format Details
Hybrid and Online Format: Per the WISR Official Catalog, required seminars are delivered by telephone conference or real-time video conference, with faculty and onsite students at the Berkeley location. Bay Area students have the option to attend onsite. Students and faculty also collaborate asynchronously through online forum posts, which are integrated into each course module. The program also incorporates individual advising sessions and end-of-course oral reviews with the student's faculty advisor.
Pace: Per the WISR Official Catalog, most students progress at approximately half-time enrollment. The program is designed to be accessible to working adults with family commitments. A Practicum Readiness Review must be passed before a student may begin practicum hours.
Clinical Training and Fieldwork
Clinical Hours: Per the WISR Official Catalog, MFT 591 Supervised Practicum in Psychotherapeutic Techniques requires a minimum of 306 hours of supervised practicum. For students pursuing the LMFT license, the practicum must include a minimum of 150 hours of face-to-face direct client counseling. For students pursuing the LPCC license as well, the practicum must include a minimum of 280 hours of face-to-face direct client counseling. Additional supervised hours above the minimums earn additional semester credit.
Training Clinic: Per the WISR Official Catalog, WISR's affiliated Center for Child and Family Development (CCFD) in the Bay Area is available as a practicum option for WISR MFT students and for recent alumni.
Practicum Placement Process: Student-found. Per the WISR Official Catalog, WISR MFT students are responsible for locating and setting up their own practicum placements, with support from faculty, fellow students, and alumni. Before beginning practicum, students must complete MFT 513, MFT 551, MFT 553, MFT 559, MFT 563, and MFT 567, and then participate in a Practicum Readiness Review conducted by two WISR MFT faculty.
Personal Psychotherapy Requirement: A program-specific personal psychotherapy requirement is not publicly listed in the WISR Official Catalog; confirm with program.
Curriculum Structure
Per the WISR Official Catalog, the 67 semester credit hour curriculum includes required coursework covering counseling theory and techniques, marriage and family therapy theory and techniques, human development, psychopathology and diagnostic processes, psychological testing and therapeutic appraisal, cross-cultural counseling, human sexuality, psychopharmacology, research methods, professional ethics and law, case management and advocacy, crisis and trauma counseling, and the supervised practicum. Students pursuing the LPCC qualification complete designated additional electives, which include career development, group counseling, and advanced cross-cultural counseling, in combination with the Master's Thesis.
Practicum Sequence: MFT 591 Supervised Practicum in Psychotherapeutic Techniques, for a minimum of 6 semester credit hours, with one additional semester credit awarded for each additional 51 hours of supervised practicum beyond the 306-hour minimum.
Culminating Requirements
Per the WISR Official Catalog, the culminating academic requirement is the Master's Thesis (MFT 597, 7 semester credit hours), an in-depth action-research inquiry on a topic of significance to the student and to the field, incorporating a literature review and original data collection. The thesis is complemented throughout the program by end-of-course oral reviews with the student's faculty advisor, in which the student discusses what they have learned and the work they have completed in each course. A separate written comprehensive exam beyond the course-level oral reviews and the Master's Thesis is not a general requirement for the MFT degree per the catalog.
Application Process
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions. WISR does not operate on a fixed annual admissions cycle; applicants can begin admissions conversations at any time by contacting the WISR President and faculty. Confirm current start dates with the program.
GPA Requirement: Program-specific GPA minimums beyond accredited bachelor's degree requirements are not publicly listed in the WISR Official Catalog; confirm with program.
Prerequisites: A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution is required. Specific prerequisite coursework beyond the bachelor's degree is not publicly listed in the WISR Official Catalog; confirm with program.
Application Components: Application materials include conversations with the WISR President and faculty, a written application, and submission of transcripts. Applicants are encouraged to attend seminars by video conference and to contact recent alumni during the admissions process.
Interview: Per the WISR Official Catalog, the admissions process includes in-depth conversations with the WISR President; a formal committee interview beyond those admissions conversations is not described separately. Confirm current admissions process with the program.
What This Program Says About Itself
- Per the WISR MFT/LPCC program page, the MS in Psychology is designed to meet California BBS educational requirements for both the LMFT and LPCC licenses within a single degree framework.
- Per the WISR Official Catalog, WISR was founded in 1975 as a nonprofit institution focused on social change, community engagement, participatory action-research, and multicultural inclusion. The MFT program is grounded in this broader institutional mission.
- Per the WISR Official Catalog, required seminars are held by telephone conference and real-time video conference, which supports students who are geographically distant from Berkeley as well as working adults with family commitments.
- Per the WISR Official Catalog, tuition is set at a flat monthly rate with a lifetime maximum cap for the MFT program, an arrangement the catalog describes as being designed to keep graduate study affordable for working adults with modest incomes.
- Per the WISR Center for Child and Family Development page, WISR-affiliated clinical training options are available in the Bay Area for MFT students and recent alumni seeking practicum experience.
This Program May Be a Good Fit For
Working adults seeking a flexible, part-time pace: The program is designed to accommodate students progressing at approximately half-time, with most students completing in two to three years. The flat monthly tuition structure may appeal to working students balancing graduate study with employment and family responsibilities.
Students who value a highly individualized, mentorship-based model: The program emphasizes one-on-one advising with faculty, end-of-course oral reviews, and small seminar cohorts, which can provide a close working relationship with faculty over the course of the degree.
Students interested in action-research and community-engaged scholarship: The culminating Master's Thesis is grounded in participatory action-research methodology, and the institution has a long track record of community-based projects. This may suit students who want their graduate research to have direct community application.
Students committed to multicultural and social-change oriented practice: WISR's core values emphasize multicultural inclusion, social change, and community-based inquiry, which may appeal to students who want those commitments integrated throughout their graduate training.
Bay Area students seeking a local training community: The Berkeley campus and the affiliated Center for Child and Family Development provide a physical hub for seminars, onsite meetings, and practicum options for students in the Bay Area.
Students who want dual LMFT and LPCC preparation in one degree: With designated additional electives and the Master's Thesis, the same MS in Psychology degree is designed to meet educational requirements for both the LMFT and the LPCC license in California.
Students comfortable arranging their own practicum placements: MFT students identify and secure their own practicum sites with faculty support. This may suit students with existing professional networks or a clear clinical interest area.
Related California MFT Programs
If you are weighing WISR, you may also want to compare these nearby and similar programs in our directory:
- The Wright Institute: Nearby Berkeley clinical program
- California Institute of Integral Studies: San Francisco, social-justice and depth orientation
- CSU East Bay: Nearby East Bay public
- Saint Mary's College of California: East Bay private in Moraga
- Meridian University: North Bay, dual LMFT/LPCC
Or compare all 71 California MFT programs side by side.
How This California MFT Directory Is Built
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 BBS approved-program list is included. At Sentio University, we believe in program transparency. Every prospective student should have as much objective information about MFT programs as possible to make the best decision for themselves.
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 Western Institute for Social Research's MFT program, visit their official website at wisr.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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WISR's MFT program accredited?
WISR is institutionally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), approved to operate by the California BPPE, and on the California BBS approved-school list for LMFT educational requirements. It is not COAMFTE-accredited.
How long is the program and how many credits?
The MFT degree is 67 semester credit hours. Most students progress at about half time and finish in two to three years; some complete in under 36 months.
What is the format?
Hybrid and online. Required seminars are held by telephone or real-time video conference with the option to participate onsite at WISR, supplemented by web-based collaborative tools.
Does WISR prepare students for the LPCC as well as the LMFT?
Yes. The MS in Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy is designed to meet California BBS educational requirements for both the LMFT and the LPCC.
What outcomes does WISR publish?
Its Annual Outcomes Assessment Report cites 100% first-exam and 100% second-exam passage among MFT graduates reached who sat for the California exams since 2016, and a 50% completion rate for the small 2020 MFT cohort, with fully-online graduation rates first available in 2028.
What does the program cost?
WISR bills about $800 per month (about $9,600 per year) and caps total MFT tuition at $57,600 over up to 72 months; most students finishing in two to three years pay roughly $24,000 to $29,000.
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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