Curriculum Design Overview

The Marriage and Family Track of Palmer's DMin Program consists of five basic components: an Enrichment Weekend, three intensive periods of course work in residence, three Professional Papers, field supervision and support groups.

FIRST YEAR
DM 800: Orientation and Enrichment Weekend (late August) and Support Groups. Following this weekend, students are to develop a support group in their local area in which they are to participate for the duration of the program. Spouses of married students are expected to participate in the support group component. One Unit.

Period 1 (Three weeks in January)
Focus: Theoretical Foundations

DM 810: Theology for Marriage and Family. Two Units.
DM 811: Theories and Models of Marriage and Family. Two Units.
DM 812: Human Sexuality. One Unit.
DM 813: Human Development: Parents and Children. One Unit.

Following Period 1, students write (DM 819) Professional Paper #1, Integration of Theology and Marriage and Family Theory. Two Units.

Period 2 (Three weeks in June)
Focus: Skill Formation

DM 820: Marital and Family Therapy: Multigenerational Approaches. Two Units.
DM 821: Marital and Family Therapy, Part A: Therapeutic Process. One Unit.
DM 822: Marital and Family Therapy, Part B: Premarital Counseling. One Unit.
DM 823: Systemic Aspects of Church Life. One Unit.
DM 824: Family Enrichment: An Experiential Education Model. One Unit.


SECOND YEAR
Between Periods 2 and 3, students work on three assignments:
DM 825: Family Journey. One Unit.
DM 828: Field Supervision of Marriage and Family Therapy. This entails at least 14 hours
of supervision, preferably spaced over a seven-month period. One Unit.
DM 829: Professional Paper #2, Marriage and Family Enrichment. Two Units.

Period 3 (Three weeks the following June)
Focus: Integration of Theory and Skills

DM 830: Church as Context for Marriage and Family Ministry. One Unit.
DM 831: Family Crises and Legal Issues, Part A: Family Crises. One Unit.
DM 832: Family Crises and Legal Issues, Part B: Legal Issues. One Unit
DM 833: Cultural Diversity Issues in Marriage and Family. One Unit.
DM 838: Small Group Supervision of Marriage and Family Therapy. Two Units.

Following Period 3, students write Professional Paper #3 (DM 839), in which they demonstrate their ability to specifically apply the learning from their program in their congregations. Those not serving as pastors have the option of doing a "case study" in Marriage and Family Therapy. Two Units.

The program is designed to permit matriculants to finish during the third year, with the successful completion of Professional Paper #3. Students have a maximum of five years to complete the program.