The College for Family Studies (FAM) is part of the University of the Nations and offers training in the area of children, youth, family and marriage. We provide continuing education opportunities for (YWAM) missionaries, professionals and lay people through seminars, workshops and short-term courses, potentially leading to AA and BA degrees. These programs are designed to serve those who are currently working within various marriage and family disciplines. Seminars are offered (local and onsite) which address a variety of counseling, legal, ethical, religious, and political-legislative issues, as they relate to the family. These seminars are conducted in cooperation with local churches, social service agencies, educational institutions, and family agencies.
As a College we are closely linked to the network of YWAM Family Ministries international. On their website (under Events) you will find several on-site courses listed.
Explore our online courses
Advanced Family Studies Online
Next school: March 2025
Several language groups available.
Are you ministering to families regularly? Have you done prior training* and want to deepen your knowledge & skills to work effectively with Families, yet you can’t leave your ministry for 3-5 months to do a University of the Nations school?
* If you have completed a YWAM DTS and a Foundations in Family Studies course or an FMS, then you qualify. If you have only completed a YWAM DTS and now have experience working with families and couples, you may also qualify to join. Please ask.
If you have not studied Family Systems or Genograms, you will be able to take two short courses as a prerequisite before starting the program.
TOPICS
- Advanced Genograms
- Advanced Family Systems
- Motivational interviewing coaching skills
- Parenting
- Sexuality & Gender
- Contemporary Family & Marriage issues
- Theology of marriage
- Dysfunction, stress and trauma in families
- Developing culturally appropriate courses
Foundations for Family Studies Online
Are you considering to or starting to work with families, couples and/or children? Have you done a YWAM DTS and want to equip families in your church, ministry or base? This foundational school will get you started with a Biblical understanding of family and tools to strengthen families and marriages. The program is suited for both single and married people with a heart for transforming families and seeking basic tools to get started.
The school typically starts in April and runs for just over a year, finishing the lecture/online phase by the end of May the next year.
TOPICS
- Worldview & Biblical view of family
- Introduction to the Family of Origin model
- Introduction to Genograms
- Marriage relationships
- Parenting
- Basic seminar skills
- Christian family in today’s world
- Basic skills for coaching
- Families in ministry
FAM Advanced Seminar – 2025
This intensive seminar is part of the full Advanced Family Studies. If you’re not part of the full AFS, you can also choose to join 1 or 2 of these weeks. In this content-rich time we dive deeper into two main topics:
Included in this course are hours of extra content to help you prepare for our 10-day intensive in Switzerland. As soon as you have been admitted to the course you will get access to the videos, reading and processing assignments and you can start diving in at your own pace!
Should you want to choose only one of the topics then we can adjust the cost accordingly.
To make most of this seminar it is good to note that it is geared toward those with prior training and/or experience in Family Ministries, as we build on those foundations.