Marriage and Family Therapist
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Salary Range: $40,000 to $59,999
Average Hourly: $ 24.69
Education: Master's degree
Number of Jobs: 73200
Jobs Added to 2029: 12000
Growth: Much faster than average
Go here to see salary and job data specific to the United Kingdom.
What Marriage and Family Therapists Do
Duties
Marriage and family therapists typically do the following:
- Encourage clients to discuss their emotions and experiences
- Help clients process their reactions and adjust to difficult changes in their life, such as divorce and layoffs
- Guide clients through the process of making decisions about their future
- Help clients develop strategies and skills to change their behavior and to cope with difficult situations
- Refer clients to other resources or services in the community, such as support groups or inpatient treatment facilities
- Complete and maintain confidential files and mandated records
Marriage and family therapists use a variety of techniques and tools to help their clients. Many apply cognitive behavioral therapy, a goal-oriented approach that helps clients understand harmful thoughts, feelings, and beliefs and teaches how to replace them with positive, life-enhancing ones.
Many marriage and family therapists work in private practice. They must market their practice to prospective clients and work with insurance companies and clients to get payment for their services.
Marriage and family therapists work with individuals, couples, and families. They bring a family-centered perspective to treatment, even when treating individuals. They evaluate family roles and development, to understand how clients’ families affect their mental health. They treat the clients’ relationships, not just the clients themselves. They address issues, such as low self-esteem, stress, addiction, and substance abuse.
Marriage and family therapists coordinate patient treatment with other professionals, such as psychologists and social workers.
Work Environment
Marriage and family therapists work in a variety of settings, such as private practice and mental health centers. Most work full time.
Work Environment Details
| Individual and family services | 28% |
| Offices of other health practitioners | 22 |
| Self-employed workers | 15 |
| Outpatient care centers | 11 |
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 6 |
Marriage and family therapists work in a variety of settings, such as mental health centers, substance abuse treatment centers, and hospitals. They also work in private practice and in Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), which are mental health programs that some employers provide to help employees deal with personal problems.
Work Schedules
Marriage and family therapists generally work full time. Some therapists work evenings and weekends to accommodate their clients’ schedules.
Job Outlook
Employment of marriage and family therapists is projected to grow 16 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.
About 8,500 openings for marriage and family therapists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
How to Become a Marriage and Family Therapist
Education
To become a marriage and family therapist, applicants need a master’s degree in psychology, marriage and family therapy, or a related mental health field. A bachelor’s degree in most fields is acceptable to enter one of these master’s degree programs.
Marriage and family therapy programs teach students about how marriages, families, and relationships function and how these relationships can affect mental and emotional disorders.
There are several organizations that accredit counseling programs, including the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP), the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), and the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC).
Training
Candidates gain hands-on experience through postdegree supervised clinical work, sometimes referred to as an internship or residency. In training, they learn to provide family therapy, group therapy, psychotherapy, and other therapeutic interventions, under the supervision of a licensed counselor.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
All states require marriage and family therapists to be licensed. Licensure requires a master’s degree and 2,000 to 4,000 hours of postdegree supervised clinical experience, sometimes referred to as an internship or residency. In addition, therapists must pass a state-recognized exam and complete annual continuing education classes.
Contact and licensing information for marriage and family therapists is available through the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards.
Important Qualities
Compassion. Marriage and family therapists often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations, so they must be compassionate and empathize with their clients.
Interpersonal skills. Marriage and family therapists work with different types of people. They spend most of their time working directly with clients and other professionals and must be able to encourage good relationships.
Listening skills. Marriage and family therapists need to give their full attention to their clients to understand their problems, values, and goals.
Organizational skills. Marriage and family therapists in private practice must keep track of payments and work with insurance companies.
Speaking skills. Marriage and family therapists need to be able to communicate with clients effectively. They must express information in a way that clients can understand easily.