Available now
Structural Family Therapy and Its Neighbors
3-hour self-study CE course
CE hours
3
Format
Self-study (reading)
Post-test
15 questions, 70% to pass
Price
$9
About this course
This course is for California BBS licensees and registrants: LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, LEP, AMFT, ASW, and APCC. It teaches the core ideas and methods of family systems therapy, with most of its attention on structural family therapy as developed by Salvador Minuchin and his colleagues: subsystems, boundaries, hierarchy, enmeshment and disengagement, family mapping, joining, enactments, reframing, and unbalancing. Shorter sections cover Bowen family systems theory, the Satir model, and strategic therapy in the traditions of Jay Haley and the Mental Research Institute. A composite case follows one stepfamily through twelve sessions, and a final section covers ethics, culture, safety, and California law. Included in the $69 bundle, or $9 on its own.
CE credit is awarded after you complete the reading, pass the post-test at 70% or higher, and complete the evaluation.
Learning objectives
A sample of what you will be able to do after completing this course:
- Contrast linear and circular views of causality and explain homeostasis in family systems.
- Define subsystems, boundaries, and hierarchy in structural family therapy, and distinguish enmeshed, clear, and disengaged boundaries.
- Identify rigid triads and draw a basic structural family map.
- Describe joining, enactments, reframing, boundary making, and unbalancing, and apply them across a course of family therapy.
- Name the eight concepts of Bowen family systems theory and describe the use of the genogram.
- Describe Satir's communication stances and the core ideas of the MRI and Haley strategic models.
- Address consent, confidentiality, secrets, safety screening, California reporting duties, and culture in family therapy.
Who this course is for
Target audience: California BBS licensees and registrants: LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, LEP, AMFT, ASW, and APCC.
Course schedule
Self-study. Self-paced reading with a post-test. No fixed calendar dates. Allow about 3 hours of CE time.
Provider approval period for John Oliver Ycaro, CAMFT CEPA Provider #10072759: June 15, 2026 through June 1, 2027 (renew as required to keep offering CE).
Instructor
John Oliver Ycaro, LPCC (also the course developer and CE provider). Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in California (LPCC #9132). M.A. in Counseling, Palo Alto University. About 10 years of clinical experience in community mental health, the VA, and private practice. Expertise relevant to this course: outpatient clinical work with individuals, couples, and families in community mental health, the VA, and private practice.
Under CAMFT CEPA rules, the named instructor meets instructor qualifications by current related licensure and a related master’s degree (and related practice experience). A current CV is kept in the provider’s CE records.
How it works
- Enroll through the secure Payhip checkout. You get the course right away.
- Read the self-study text at your own pace.
- Take the online post-test (70% to pass; retakes free) and confirm you did the work yourself.
- Complete a short course evaluation (required for CE credit).
- Receive your certificate by email within 1 business day after you pass and complete the evaluation.
Completion records are kept for at least 4 years.
Price
$9
Pay securely on Payhip. CE credit is awarded after you complete the reading, pass the post-test at 70% or higher, and complete the evaluation.
CE information
Course meets the qualifications for 3 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
John Oliver Ycaro is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. John Oliver Ycaro maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.
- CAMFT Provider #: 10072759
- Instructor: John Oliver Ycaro, LPCC
- Format: Self-study (reading), with an online post-test
- CE hours: 3
- Passing score: 70%
- Certificate: Emailed within 1 business day after you pass the post-test and complete the evaluation, as a PDF you can print or save
- Cost: $9
Licensed outside California? Check with your own board to confirm they accept this course.
Provider mailing address: 200 San Mateo Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95030
Policies
Refunds / cancellation
You can get a full refund within 3 days of purchase as long as you haven't started the post-test. After you start the post-test, or after 3 days, we’re not able to offer a refund.
Accommodations
If you need a disability accommodation (for example a screen-reader-friendly file, larger print, or extra time on the post-test), email oliverycaro@losgatosmentalhealthclinic.com. We respond within 5 business days. There is no charge for accommodations.
Grievances
If you have a concern about the course, email oliverycaro@losgatosmentalhealthclinic.com. You will get a written response within 14 days. If it is not resolved, you can contact CAMFT at cepa@camft.org.
Activities not for CE credit
CE credit is awarded after you complete the reading, pass the post-test at 70% or higher, and complete the evaluation.
About the instructor and provider
John Oliver Ycaro, LPCC, is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in California in private practice. He earned his M.A. in Counseling from Palo Alto University in 2017 and has about 10 years of experience in community mental health, the VA, and private practice.
Disclosure: John Oliver Ycaro is the instructor, course developer, and CE provider and earns income from course sales.