An investigation of the stressors and crises experienced by families and their members and their efforts to cope with them. Special attention is given to prevention, management and enrichment strategies. Implications for practitioners will be drawn from conceptual frameworks and recent research.

Exploration of the parenting process from a lifespans perspective. Current theory and research, with childrearing application, will be emphasized. Emphasis will be on parent education methods and the changing parental role over the lifecycle.

A study of the impact of legislation and public policies on the well-being of the family. Emphasis on the involvement of individuals and families with policies and legal resources as a means for realizing satisfying lifestyles.

Explores the elderly person's changing experience of environment. Physiological, psychological and social changes are related to adjustment within urban and rural community environments, special housing for the elderly, and long-term care environments.

This course provides an overview of military work and family connections. Students will gain familiarity with the challenges unique to military individuals and families and the resources available to address them. Topics to be covered include: theoretical approaches to understanding the impact of military work on individuals and families; demographic profiles of and organizational demands on military service personnel and their families; military service and outcomes for children and adolescents, roles and challenges of military spouses; family policy in the military (including current formal and informal support structures and emerging trends in serving military families).

Students will be trained to use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in family therapy assessment and practice. This will include a basic understanding of the process and procedures for diagnosing individual and family disorders, with the intent that students working with families in the context of a traditional mental health milieu will be able to make appropriate, basic diagnoses. Emphasis on assessing and treating disorders relating to family violence, child abuse, addictions, and substance abuse will be included.

Entry-level course for graduate study of family theory and frameworks. Conceptual frameworks and theoretical approaches are introduced and applied to an array of contemporary family issues.

Individual, family, and societal growth and change through the lifespan are examined using a life course perspective. The life course perspective emphasizes the interplay of human development, agency, linked lives, historical context, and timing of events. These five interlocking concepts will be understood through reading life course research and applying life course principles and concepts to issues in family sciences.

The course is designed to familiarize students with key scholarship on adolescent development and behaviors drawing on different disciplines, including human development and family studies/science, educational sciences, psychology, public health, and sociology, all of which have greatly contributed to the distinct field of research on adolescents over the past few decades.

Study of the contributors to and the recipients of family resources. Emphasis on the methods of assisting families to better allocate family resources through understanding money beliefs and attitudes and practicing financial planning strategies.

Demographic, social, economic, political, and professional issues related to emerging trends in family life education will be examined. Emphasis will be placed on the development, implementation, and evaluation of family life education curriculum materials.

Advanced study of typical family functioning across the family life course from a family process perspective, including examination of how "normal" differs according to family culture, structure, and history.

Exploration and definition of the legal, ethical, and professional issues in the practice of couple and family intervention. Emphasis will be on developing professional skills, attitudes, and identity for couple and family intervention.

A survey of theories and methods used in couple and family therapy. Designed to provide students with a knowledge of the theoretical bases for couple and family therapy, including an introduction to procedures used to assess, diagnose and treat couple and family dysfunctions.

Introduction to key clinical concepts and skills in the practice of couple and family therapy, such as establishing a therapeutic alliance, empathy, identifying the presenting problem, history of the problem, family history, identification of dysfunctional dynamics, identifying treatment goals, and evaluation of treatment outcomes.

The study of research techniques and methodological problems involved in research on the family. Emphasis is placed on research concerning interrelations between the family and its environment, development within the family, and family dynamics.

Field training in a community setting related to family sciences to develop competencies in program planning, delivery, and evaluation. Student will work under the supervision of a faculty and a training site supervisor. May be repeated to a maximum of six credits.

Field training in a community setting related to family sciences to develop competencies in program planning, delivery, and evaluation. Student will work under the supervision of a faculty and a training site supervisor. May be repeated to a maximum of six credits.

This course reviews the history, theories, techniques, and methods of play therapy and its clinical application to treat children, adolescents, adults and families. Instruction will include exercises, role playing, videos, class presentations, and instructor lectures.

An applied financial therapy course that examines the intersection of financial planning/counseling, coaching, and mental health and relationship therapy. Relevant research and applications to be overviewed include money psychology, advanced techniques to establish client rapport, client money behavior change mechanisms, client resistance, couple and family dynamics, and integrating financial therapy tools into practice. Professional certification, ethics, and competencies will also be reviewed.

Residency credit for qualifying exam. Students may register for this course in the semester during which they plan to complete the qualifying examination, complete the defense. The course can only be taken once. This course alone will serve as full-time student status.

Intensive study of advanced family sciences topics. May be repeated under different subtitles to a maximum of six credits.

Residency credit for dissertation research after the qualifying examination. Students may register for this course in the semester following the qualifying examination. A minimum of two semesters are required as well as continuous enrollment (fall and spring) until the dissertation is completed and defended. This course alone will serve as full-time student status and may be repeated up to 10 semesters (maximum) or 5 years; no concurrent coursework is permitted.

May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours.

Orientation to policies, procedures, and possibilities in the family sciences graduate program.

Emphasis is on conducting statistical analyses and reporting results. Topics include selection of statistical approach, techniques for conducting analyses, interpretation of output, and writing the results section of a manuscript based on that output.

Doctoral student research experience in collaboration with major professor in preparation for the qualifying examination.

Intensive independent scholarship or training in family sciences. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 credits.

Independent doctoral student teaching experience, under faculty supervision. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 credits.

Intensive study of skills, issues, or treatment procedures in couple and family therapy. May be repeated to a maximum of 18 credits.

Advanced study of quantitative research methods, including but not limited to complex study designs, model building and structural equation modeling, reliability and validity of measures, statistical power and effect size, mediator and moderator variables, and identifying appropriate statistical techniques for specific types of problems.