Master of Science (M.S.)
A Concentration In
Families with Disabilities
An optional 9-credit concentration within the M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy — for therapists preparing to serve families navigating disability.
Introduction to Disability
MFT 551 — foundational understanding
Disability and Family Therapy
MFT 553 — clinical application
The Church's Role
MFT 555 — disability and the church
An estimated one in four U.S. families includes a member with disabilities, and the population of families navigating disability is one of the most underserved in mental-health care. ACU’s Families with Disabilities concentration adds nine credits to the standard M.S. in MFT — Introduction to Disability and Families (MFT 551), Disability and Family Therapy (MFT 553), and Disability, Counseling, and the Church (MFT 555) — to prepare therapists to serve these families well.
The concentration is a natural fit for MFT students whose ministry, professional background, or sense of vocation draws them toward serving families navigating disability. It pairs with the MFT degree’s broader clinical preparation to produce graduates with both general MFT licensure preparation and a distinctive specialization that fills a real and underserved need.
Understand Disability and Families
Build the foundational understanding of how disability affects families across the lifespan through MFT 551.
Apply Family Therapy to Disability Contexts
Engage disability-specific clinical considerations through MFT 553 Disability and Family Therapy.
Engage Disability in the Church
Study the church's role in disability ministry, counseling, and family support through MFT 555.
Specialize Without Sacrificing General Preparation
Complete the standard MFT licensure preparation while adding meaningful depth in a specific clinical population.
A Biblical Worldview takes families navigating disability seriously — both as image-bearers worthy of careful clinical care and as a population the church has not always served well.
Persons With Disabilities as Image-Bearers
Every person with a disability — and every family member walking with them — carries the dignity of being made in God's image. The concentration treats that conviction as foundational rather than as polite framing, shaping how clinical work, family support, and church engagement are all approached.
Grounds your therapeutic posture in respect for the people and families you'll serve.
The Church's Calling Toward Disability
MFT 555 Disability, Counseling, and the Church takes seriously that the church has both significant resources to offer families navigating disability and a real history of not always serving them well. The course works through what the church can and should do — for therapists who'll often work alongside congregations.
Equips you to partner with churches in disability ministry, not just to refer past them.
Suffering, Care, and Hope
Disability and family work involves real suffering — for the person with the disability, for parents, for siblings, for spouses. A Biblical Worldview takes that suffering seriously without despairing, and trains therapists to stay present with families over the long haul."
Prepares you to do disability-and-family work without burning out or pretending the difficulty isn't real.
The Families with Disabilities concentration distinguishes graduates in a specific and underserved clinical area — opening doors across disability-focused mental health, family services, and Christian ministry settings.
Disability-Specialized MFT Practice
Build a private or agency practice focused on families navigating disability — autism, intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, and the broader family-systems work disability requires.
Disability Services Counseling
Serve in disability-focused agencies, school disability-services offices, or rehabilitation counseling settings.
Church-Based Disability Ministry Leadership
Lead or consult with church disability ministries with both clinical training and the theological framing MFT 555 provides.
Family Therapy in Pediatric or Specialty Healthcare
Work in pediatric hospitals, specialty clinics, or disability-services centers where family-systems work is part of care.
Special Education Family Support
Bring MFT-level family-systems work into special education family-engagement, IEP-team-counselor, and related school-system roles.
The Families with Disabilities concentration distinguishes MFT graduates in an underserved clinical population and adds meaningful theological grounding to the work.
Real Specialization, Not Just an Elective
Nine credits of dedicated disability-and-family-therapy coursework — substantial depth, not a single survey course.
Theology of Disability Included
MFT 555 Disability, Counseling, and the Church brings theological framing to disability work — uncommon at the MFT program level.
Underserved Clinical Population
Families navigating disability are among the most underserved by mental-health care — graduates fill a real need.
Pairs Naturally With Christian Practice Settings
The concentration is especially valuable for therapists planning to practice in Christian counseling centers, faith-based agencies, or in close partnership with churches.
Already drawn to ACU’s M.S. in MFT? Adding the Families with Disabilities concentration takes a few clear steps.
Apply to the M.S. in MFT
Begin with the standard M.S. in MFT application to ACU's School of Graduate Studies.
Start Your ApplicationChoose the Concentration With Your Advisor
Once enrolled, indicate to your faculty advisor that you want the Families with Disabilities concentration so they can sequence MFT 551, 553, and 555 into your plan.
Plan the Concentration Courses for Year Two
The three concentration courses are typically taken in the second year of the MFT program, once the foundational MFT coursework is underway.
The Families with Disabilities concentration adds nine credits of substantive specialization to the M.S. in MFT — preparing you to serve a population the field has often overlooked. Apply or reach out today.