Marriage and Family Therapist

Diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems. Apply psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques in the delivery of services to individuals, couples, and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed nervous and mental disorders.

On the job, you would:

Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner.
Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors.
Develop and implement individualized treatment plans addressing family relationship problems, destructive patterns of behavior, and other personal issues.

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.

Personality

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Characteristics of this Career
		98%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
		98%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
		95%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
		93%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
		92%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
		88%	Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
		83%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
		81%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
		80%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
		80%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
		76%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
		74%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
		73%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
		71%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
		70%	Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
		59%	Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Strengths
		100%	Social - Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
		56%	Artistic - Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Values of the Work Environment
		100%	Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
		83%	Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
		78%	Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
		72%	Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
		67%	Recognition - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.

Aptitude

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Abilities \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		81%	Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
		81%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
		75%	Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
		75%	Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
		75%	Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
		75%	Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
		75%	Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
		75%	Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
		75%	Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
		69%	Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
		66%	Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
		66%	Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
		66%	Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
		56%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
		53%	Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
		53%	Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Skills \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		82%	Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
		71%	Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
		61%	Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
		61%	Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
		61%	Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
		61%	Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
		61%	Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
		61%	Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
		61%	Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
		59%	Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
		57%	Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
		55%	Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
		54%	Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
		54%	Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
		54%	Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
		54%	Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
		52%	Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Job Details

Responsibilities

Develop treatment plans for patients or clients.

Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments.

Counsel clients or patients regarding personal issues.

Counsel clients regarding interpersonal issues.

Teach life skills or strategies to clients or their families.

Maintain client records.

Collect information about clients.

Interview clients to gather information about their backgrounds, needs, or progress.

Evaluate characteristics of individuals to determine needs or eligibility.

Refer clients to community or social service programs.

Confer with clients to discuss treatment plans or progress.

Monitor clients to evaluate treatment progress.

Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or educational programs.

Help clients get needed services or resources.

Collect information about clients.

Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments.

Present social services program information to the public.

Lead classes or community events.

Advise others on social or educational issues.

Supervise workers providing client or patient services.

Counsel clients or patients with substance abuse issues.

Write reports or evaluations.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent
		99%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
		96%	Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
		92%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
		90%	Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
		90%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
		89%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
		87%	Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
		85%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
		84%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
		83%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
		75%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
		69%	Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People - How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
		67%	Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
		66%	Frequency of Conflict Situations - How often are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
		65%	Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable - How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?
		64%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
		56%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
		53%	Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos?
		51%	Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Tasks & Values
		94%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
		94%	Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
		93%	Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
		89%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
		82%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
		80%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
		79%	Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
		77%	Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
		77%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
		76%	Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
		76%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
		72%	Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
		70%	Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
		68%	Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
		65%	Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
		65%	Coaching and Developing Others - Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
		65%	Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
		64%	Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
		63%	Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
		55%	Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
		55%	Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
		53%	Providing Consultation and Advice to Others - Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
		53%	Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

What Marriage and Family Therapists Do

Mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists

Marriage and family therapists encourage clients to discuss their emotions and experiences.

Marriage and family therapists help people manage problems with their family and other relationships.

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 held about 71,200 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of marriage and family therapists were as follows:

Individual and family services	29%
Offices of other health practitioners	28
Outpatient care centers	13
Self-employed workers	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.

Getting Started

Education:

79%

Master's Degree

10%

First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.

How to Become a Marriage and Family Therapist

Master's programs in marriage and family therapy prepare students to provide counseling to couples, individuals, and groups.

Marriage and family therapists typically need a master’s degree and a license to practice.

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. Although a bachelor’s degree in psychology is common, most undergraduate fields are acceptable for entering a master’s degree program.

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.

Job Outlook

Employment of marriage and family therapists is projected to grow 15 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 5,900 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.

Employment

Growth is expected due to the increasing use of integrated care, which is a treatment of multiple problems at one time by a group of specialists. In providing integrated care, marriage and family therapists are working with counselors such as substance abuse, behavior disorder, and mental health counselors to address patients' issues as a team.

Contacts for More Information

For more information about accredited programs, visit

Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education

Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs

Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council

For more information about marriage and family therapists, visit

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards

For general information about counseling and for information about counseling specialties, visit

American Counseling Association

For information about contacting state regulating boards, visit

National Board for Certified Counselors

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Social and Human Service Assistants	Social and human service assistants provide client services in a variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work.	High school diploma or equivalent	$38,520
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Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors	Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors advise people on a range of issues, such as those relating to alcoholism, addictions, or depression.	Bachelor's degree	$49,710
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