Post graduate certificate programme in Couple and Family Therapy by TISS

Eligibility

 

Eligibility:

• Professionals who have completed their Masters in psychology from a UGC-recognized University

• Have a minimum of two years experience of working with couple and family concerns

Description

 

CLICK HERE TO APPLY 

 

    IMPORTANT DATES

Last Date for Receiving Applications:	25th November, 2025
Announcement of Selected Candidates Shortlisted for Interview	1st December 2025
Interviews with the candidates	First week of December 2025
Last Date to make fee payment	Second Week of December 2025
Commencement of Course	Second - Third Week of December, 2025

 

Description:

Programme Transaction:

The Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Couple and Family Therapy (PGCCFT), while not an ODL registered programme, PGCCFT has been established in response to the evolving needs of psychologists, psychotherapists, and mental health practitioners who address couple and family relationship issues. This program aims to cultivate contextually relevant knowledge, competencies, and ethical practices within the field of couple and family therapy. The programme is conducted entirely online.

(Kindly note that the programme will only be offered if a minimum of 8-10 students enroll.)

Rationale for the Programme: 

Family and marriage are important institutions in India. Today, families and marriages are undergoing major transitions in a globalized world. This has resulted in tensions between the traditional forms and values that informed the institutions of marriage and family and the modern ones. Today's families and couple relationships are adopting diverse forms and practices. On the one hand, this diversity has allowed for greater acknowledgement of different scripts for family and couple relationships. On the other, it has posed unique challenges, especially in the context of growing urbanization and diminishing support systems. The rising number of divorces and reports of domestic violence are some of the many indications of the conflicts experienced by today's couples and families.  This also coincides with the reality that a greater number of families and couples are willing to access help from formal support services such as criminal justice, legal and health systems, family counselling centers, voluntary organizations, and mental health professionals. Counselling and therapeutic services are important sources of help for many couples and families. 

About Couple and Family Therapy:

Couples and Family Therapies mark a departure from the traditional individualistic therapeutic understanding of mental health and adopt a systemic framework of viewing relationships. Couples and Family therapies emerged simultaneously in the 1950s in a variety of different countries and within a variety of different movements, disciplines, therapeutic, and research traditions. The basic premise of these therapies is that human problems are essentially interpersonal, not intrapersonal, and therefore, their resolution requires an approach to intervention that directly addresses relationships among people. The proposed programme equips its participants with a theoretical understanding of the nature of difficulties faced by couples and families, ways of assessing and conceptualizing the same, and methods of applying this knowledge to intervene. Thus, it offers a judicious mix of perspectives, knowledge, and skills in couple and family therapy.

 

Programme Objectives: 

 

• To gain a contextual understanding of the changing nature of family and couple structures in today's globalizing world and of the nature of relational concerns and difficulties faced by Indian families and couples

• To build a critical understanding of the role played by issues of power, gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religion, etc, in shaping family and couple dynamics in India

• To learn about the history and origins of family and couple therapy and about basic concepts of System's theory

• To compare and contrast major theoretical models in family and couples therapy and critically appraise them
  

• To build assessment skills and develop ways of conceptualizing couple and family concerns
  

• To learn a variety of intervention techniques proposed by major theoretical schools of family and couple therapy models, ways of documenting therapeutic work, and seeking feedback

• To examine ethical and legal frameworks that inform couple and family therapy 

Location: Mumbai

School: School of Human Ecology

Intake: 18-20

 

Eligibility:

• Professionals who have completed their Masters in psychology from a UGC-Recognized University

• Have a minimum of two years-experience of working with couple and family concerns

 

 

                                    

Distribution of Credit Hours:

Programme Structure: 

Sr No	Module Name	Credits
A	Introduction to family systems and family therapy (Taught module covering a range of topics such as Family systems in India, Systems Theory, History of Family Therapy, Major theoretical schools, Working with queer families, Integrative Frameworks and schools, Legal frameworks and family therapy in India)	5 credits (75 Hours)
B	Introduction to Couple systems and Couple therapy  (Taught module covering a range of topics such as Couple systems in India, History of couple therapy, Major theoretical schools, Integrative frameworks and Domestic violence counselling)	3 credits  (45 Hours)
C	Fieldwork   Practitioners will be expected to work with couples and families in their respective practice settings or a setting of their choice. Fieldwork will be carried out alongside the theory classes and other coursework activities.	6 credits  (90 Hours)
D	Supervision   Supervision will serve as a space for the participants to reflect upon the intersections between theory and practice, and between the personal and professional aspects of self.	2 credits  (30 Hours)
E	Case presentations  During the course, participants will present work from their case/field work in the form of structured case presentations to the group.	2 credits  (30 Hours)
F	Practicing skills in couple and family therapy   This module will be dedicated to helping participants enact and practice skills and techniques learnt in the classroom through role plays and other practice exercises.	2 credits  (30 Hours)
	Total Number of Credits	20

 

Duration of the Programme:

15 weeks (Three and a half months) in the odd semester 

Admission Process:

Complete the application form (containing information about your previous work and reasons for applying for this programme) using this link: CLICK HERE TO APPLY

If selected for the interview, you will be required to send in your Resume` along with two recommendation letters from your past faculty and current/ past Clinical Supervisor/ Teacher to aparna.joshi@tiss.ac.in and samruddhi@tiss.edu.

Only completed applications will be considered for admission. Only shortlisted candidates will be intimated for an online interview. Decision regarding selection of candidates rests on the Faculty coordinator and the Institute.

Fee Structure:

 

Fee structure: 

Sr No.	Particulars	Fees to be paid at the start of the programme
1.	Tuition Fee	28000
2.	Examination Fees	1000
3	Supervision charges	4500
4.	IT charges	2000
5	Library charges	1500
6	Other charges (ID card, Convocation and Misc)	2500
7	Development Fund	5000
8	Alumni Fund*	500
9	Caution Deposit (Refundable at the time of exit through ND process)	5000
10	Total Rs.	50000

 

Caution Deposit and Library Deposit will be returned to the student on completion of the programme). Fees are payable at one-go. Fees are non-refundable.

Please note:

Selection of candidates will be as per the GOI Reservation Guidelines. If there are no OBC Candidates, only then will it be filled by General Category candidates. Please note that the programme will be offered only if there are a minimum of 8-10 students.

The program is a self-financed and professional program. There are no scholarships available.

Programme anchored by:

 

Dr. Aparna Joshi,

Assistant Professor, Project Leader iCALL & Sukoon,

School of Human Ecology,

Tata Institute of Social Sciences