The fast-changing scenario of modern India poses many challenges to be met by the family members as a unit and the professionals working for the promotion of family well-being. The family is the basic unit of the society. The inter-relatedness of the individual, the family and the social context is now being increasingly recognized and emphasized. In response to this recognition, counselling and family therapy has emerged, worldwide, as a new area that adopts a holistic perspective and seeks to improve the psychological well-being of the person by addressing not just him or her individually, but also the significant others in the immediate social milieu. An innovative professional degree programme for training of professionals in the area of counselling and family therapy is thus a need of the hour. This need has been addressed by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in India by developing and launching Master of Science in Counselling and Family Therapy M.Sc.(CFT) and Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Family Therapy (PGDCFT). These programmes of study are modular in nature and have been developed with open learning paradigm and are delivered through the open and distance learning and technology mediated methodology with judicious blending. This paper discusses at length the processes involved in development and quality assurance for these programmes and lays emphasis on how these programmes promote skill-set development for these professional cadres. Rigorous efforts have been made to keep up quality assurance of the said programmes. The paper concludes by highlighting crucial aspects of preparation of course content and course material — print, audio and video, along with a discussion on the built-in provisions for experiential learning emphasizing on skill development.