Internships for Future Faculty: Meeting the Career Goals of the Next Generation of Educators in Marriage and Family Therapy

A key component of a doctoral education in marriage and family therapy (MFT) is the completion of an internship. Virtually all MFT doctoral internships are focused on advanced clinical practice and often are located in agencies unconnected with an academic setting. This article describes an MFT doctoral internship specifically designed to foster the skills needed as a faculty member. The primary purpose of this “future faculty” internship is to expose doctoral interns to faculty life, including participation in graduate teaching, clinical supervision, research, and faculty service—while still meeting typical clinical requirements. Results of semistructured qualitative interviews with five doctoral interns associated with the site are reported. Guidelines for the development of other doctoral internships designed for future MFT faculty members are discussed.