Northcentral University

3 Pioneering Dr. James Billings Janine DuBach Dr. Peter D. Bradley Dr. Darren Adamson With the imminent closing of Northcentral University, we are faced with both loss and great potential. While it may feel as if we are losing our identity, it is also true that we are poised for great things to come. Four of us have been privileged to have a front-row seat to amazing changes that transpired in Marriage & Family Therapy education and have been amazed at how far we have come. I (Peter) remember interviewing to become the first full-time Director of Clinical Training at a relatively unknown online university back in 2010. I remember flying out to Phoenix, AZ, and taking a van north to Prescott, which housed their main office, home of the NCU Roadrunner's. The charge we were given by the university's founder, Dr. Donald Hecht, was to find 1000 MFT students. Keep in mind that at this point the typical master's in MFT admitted between 10 – 15 students per year for a two-year lockstep program consisting of 20-30 students. Building a student population of 1000 students would require a paradigmatic shift in thinking. In 2010 there were no accredited MFT degree programs offered online. In fact, COAMFTE had a policy that prohibited this and created a distinct barrier to us reaching our goals. Roadrunner Mascot NCU Prescott Campus When I accepted a position at NCU, I was the third Full-Time position within the Marriage & Family Therapy Program. Dr's Brandon Henline and James Billings were the first and second Full-Time members of this program, respectively, followed shortly thereafter with the invaluable addition of Janine DuBach. 2011 Graduates of NCU Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy In 2011, shortly after Dr. Chuck West joined the team, we presented our clinical training / online supervision model at AAMFT conference in Fort Worth Texas. While it was well- received, there were also many cynics. As the program continued to add students over the next couple of years, we were able to add to our administrative arsenal with the addition of Dr. Darren Adamson. Sometimes I think we must have been a little bit crazy or naïve to think this could be done, but that didn't deter us. With Brandon in AZ, James in CA, Darren in UT, and Chuck and me in TX, we pushed forward, trying to chip away at the barriers. We were involved at INNOVATION IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY EDUCATION

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