Newswise — PHILADELPHIA, PA – October 22, 2015 – Jefferson College of Health Professions is now accepting applications for a post-graduate certificate in medical family therapy. This growing field supports families who have been affected by a medical diagnosis or treatment within an interprofessional healthcare environment. The certificate program is a unique collaboration between Jefferson’s Department of Couple and Family Therapy and the Council for Relationships and emphasizes hands-on clinical experience.
“More and more, families are being impacted by life-changing diagnoses and treatments, which can have a huge impact on family dynamics and well-being. Psychosocial interventions are an important part of helping patients and families cope more effectively with chronic illnesses and can reduce the negative impacts of these diseases,” said Kenneth W. Covelman, Ph.D., founding Chair of the Department of Couple and Family Therapy in Thomas Jefferson University’s College of Health Professions and Senior Staff Therapist at Council for Relationships.
The program is designed for practicing clinicians. Dr. Covelman said, “Our goal is to train therapists to meet the specific needs of patients and their families, within a multidisciplinary healthcare team. Opportunities for this type of hands-on training in a cutting-edge medical environment are not readily available and we are very pleased to be able to offer this training to the clinicians in the Philadelphia region.”
The certificate program will include 12 credits, 150 hours of clinical training and can be completed in 12 months. Students will train with clinical practicum partners who are experts in their field. Training sites include the Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Jefferson Medical Oncology and Jefferson Family Medicine. Classes start January 2016.
Applicants will have completed a graduate-level degree, including a basic family therapy course and a minimum of 75 hours of clinical experience working with couples or families. The certificate is a good fit for professionals including licensed social workers, clinical psychologists, family therapists, professional counselors, physicians, nurses or clergy with degrees in pastoral care.
Interested applicants can visit Jefferson.edu/MedicalFamilyTherapy for more information.
About Jefferson — Health is all we do.
Our newly formed organization, Jefferson, encompasses Jefferson Health and Thomas Jefferson University, representing our clinical and academic entities. Together, the people of Jefferson, 19,000 strong, provide the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients, educate the health professionals of tomorrow, and discover new treatments and therapies that will define the future of health care.
Jefferson Health comprises five hospitals, 13 outpatient and urgent care centers, as well as physician practices and everywhere we deliver care throughout the city and suburbs across Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks Counties in Pa., and Camden County in New Jersey. Together, these facilities serve more than 78,000 inpatients, 238,000 emergency patients and 1.7 million outpatient visits annually. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the largest freestanding academic medical center in Philadelphia. Abington Hospital is the largest community teaching hospital in Montgomery or Bucks counties. Other hospitals include Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Center City Philadelphia; Methodist Hospital in South Philadelphia; and Abington-Lansdale Hospital in Hatfield Township.
Thomas Jefferson University enrolls more than 3,900 future physicians, scientists, nurses and healthcare professionals in the Sidney Kimmel Medical College (SKMC); Jefferson Colleges of Biomedical Sciences, Health Professions, Nursing, Pharmacy, Population Health and is home of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.
For more information and a complete listing of Jefferson services and locations, visit www.jefferson.edu.
About the Council for Relationships
Council for Relationships was founded in 1932 and served more than 5,500 people last year. It is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help people understand, respect, and improve the quality of the important relationships in their lives by providing unsurpassed clinical care, clinician education and training, and behavioral health research. More than 70 therapists at 9 offices and community-based locations in the greater Philadelphia area provide counseling to families, couples, and individuals on a sliding fee scale. The Council is committed to providing quality service to all in need, regardless of background and ability to pay.
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