Marriage and Family Therapists

Career summary

Marriage and family therapists work with:

• Children
• Adults
• Couples
• Families

They meet with individuals and groups. They help clients identify conflicts and problem behaviors and help them to learn new ways of coping with problems.

In many cases, therapists help people learn new ways of communicating so that they can express their feelings in a healthy manner.

Marriage and family therapists review records and interview clients. They sometimes observe them interacting. Together, the therapist and client develop a plan or strategies for handling a conflict or emotions.

Sometimes therapists consult other therapists, counselors, doctors, or social workers, depending on the situation.

Therapists may refer patients to support services such as medical evaluation and treatment, social services, and employment services. They often refer addicts to support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Therapists work in a private practice. They also provide treatment in a variety of settings including:

• Private and public treatment centers
• Community-based behavioral health agencies

They prepare and maintain written records and case files. They also attend conferences and read journals to keep their skills up to date. Some therapists supervise beginning therapists.

Related careers

This career is part of the Human Services cluster of careers.

Related careers include:

• Addictions Counselors
• Genetic Counselors
• Mental Health Counselors
• Psychologists
• Rehabilitation Counselors
• School Counselors
• School Psychologists
• Social Workers
• University and College Teachers

Job duties

Task list

The following list of tasks is specific to marriage and family therapists.

• Ask questions to help clients identify feelings and behaviors.
• Counsel clients, individually and as couples or families, to assist in overcoming problems related to divorce, child rearing, finances, and other similar issues.
• Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills to handle problems constructively.
• Develop individual treatment plans. Work with clients to develop plans for after treatment and counseling.
• May coordinate counseling efforts with other health professionals, such as doctors, nurses, and social workers.
• Confer with other counselors to analyze individual cases.
• Supervise other counselors, staff, and assistants.
• Collect information about clients through testing, interviewing, discussion, and observation.
• Provide information to clients on obtaining legal and financial assistance.
• Make accurate records and reports about the client's history and progress.
• Provide information about addiction programs to clients and their families, if necessary.
• Attend training sessions in order to increase knowledge and skills.
• Follow up with clients to determine effectiveness of programs.

Common work activities

Marriage and family therapists perform the following tasks. These tasks are common to many careers.

• Establish and maintain relationships
• Assist and care for others
• Document and record information
• Make decisions and solve problems
• Get information needed to do the job
• Organize, plan, and prioritize work
• Resolve conflicts and negotiate with others
• Think creatively
• Communicate with supervisors, peers, or subordinates
• Coach others
• Develop goals and strategies
• Explain the meaning of information to others
• Update and use job-related knowledge
• Provide advice and consultation to others
• Monitor events, materials, and surroundings
• Identify objects, actions, and events
• Perform for or work with the public
• Evaluate information against standards
• Judge the value of objects, services, or people
• Schedule work and activities
• Analyze data or information
• Teach others
• Process information
• Communicate with people outside the organization
• Develop and build teams

Work requirements

Working conditions

In a typical work setting, marriage and family therapists:

Interpersonal relationships

• Have a very high level of social interaction. They talk with patients extensively in person and over the telephone.
• May write letters, memos, and e-mails.
• May be placed in conflict situations in which patients may be upset or angry. On rare occasions deal with patients who might be physically aggressive.
• Occasionally work as part of a team of therapists.
• Are somewhat responsible for the health and safety of others.

Physical work conditions

• Work indoors in offices.
• May work physically near others, such as when sharing an office with patients.

Work performance

• Must be accurate when diagnosing problems and advising patients on how to make changes. Patients seek good input and sound advice.
• Make decisions on a daily basis that strongly impact patients and their families. They rarely consult with a supervisor or coworkers before making decisions.
• Are usually able to set their tasks for the day without consulting with coworkers or a supervisor.
• Must meet strict deadlines on a weekly basis.

Hours/travel

• Generally work full time, 40 hours per week.
• Schedules are typically flexible. Therapists can set appointments according to their wishes. However, they often meet patients in the evenings to accommodate their schedules.

Physical demands

Marriage and family therapists frequently:

• Sit for long periods of time.

It is important for marriage and family therapists to be able to:

• Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
• Understand the speech of another person.
• See details of objects that are less than a few feet away.

It is not as important, but still necessary, for marriage and family therapists to be able to:

• See details of objects that are more than a few feet away.
• Focus on one source of sound and ignore others.
• Use fingers to grasp, move, or assemble very small objects.
• Hear sounds and recognize the difference between them.
• See differences between colors, shades, and brightness.

Skills and abilities

Marriage and family therapists need to:

Communicate

• Listen to others and ask questions.
• Understand spoken information.
• Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
• Read and understand work-related materials.
• Understand written information.
• Write clearly so other people can understand.

Reason and problem solve

• Judge the costs and benefits of a possible action.
• Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
• Analyze ideas and use logic to determine their strengths and weaknesses.
• Recognize the nature of a problem.
• Combine several pieces of information and draw conclusions.
• Use reasoning to discover answers to problems.
• Understand new information or materials by studying and working with them.
• Think of new ideas about a topic.
• Think of original, unusual, or creative ways to solve problems.
• Develop rules that group items in various ways.
• Follow guidelines to arrange objects or actions in a certain order.
• Identify what must be changed to reach goals.
• Concentrate and not be distracted while performing a task.
• Make sense of information that seems without meaning or organization.
• Recognize when important changes happen or are likely to happen in a system.

Manage oneself, people, time, and things

• Check how well one is learning or doing something.
• Manage the time of self and others.
• Motivate, develop, and direct people as they work.

Work with people

• Be aware of others' reactions and understand the possible causes.
• Look for ways to help people.
• Persuade others to approach things differently.
• Solve problems by bringing others together to discuss differences.
• Teach others how to do something.
• Change behavior in relation to others' actions.
• Use several methods to learn or teach new things.

Work with things

• Analyze needs and requirements when designing products.

Perceive and visualize

• Identify a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in distracting material.

Education and training

Educational programs

The programs of study listed below will help you prepare for the occupation or career cluster you are exploring.

Programs of study directly related to this occupation

• Marriage and Family Counseling

Other programs of study to consider

• Addiction Counseling
• Counseling Psychology
• Hypnotherapy and Alternative Treatments
• Mental Health Counseling
• Pastoral Studies and Counseling
• Social Work

Training

To work as a marriage and family therapist, you typically need to:

• have a high school diploma or equivalent;
• have a bachelor's degree or significant course work in psychology, sociology, or social work;
• have a master's degree in marriage and family therapy;
• complete an internship; and
• pass a state licensing exam.

Education after high school

You must have a master's degree in marriage and family therapy to work in this field. Several colleges and universities offer graduate programs in marriage and family therapy or counseling. For your bachelor's degree, you should take courses in social work, psychology, sociology, and statistics. Majoring in one of these fields, especially psychology, is a good idea.

In marriage and family therapy programs, you take courses in therapy techniques, human psychological development, social research methods, and statistics. You also learn how to counsel individuals (both adults and children) and families and how to identify specific behaviors and problems. Master's degree programs take two years to complete.

Work experience

Part-time or volunteer work at a social service agency is good background for this occupation.

On-the-job training

Marriage and family therapist students complete an internship while in school. As an intern, you work with clients and an experienced therapist supervises your work. Internships last from one to two years depending on the degree you are earning. An internship is usually required to become a licensed therapist.

Employers often provide training to new marriage and family therapists. You often work with an experienced therapist for a period of time before receiving your own caseload. You learn agency procedures, forms, and patient management. This type of supervision may last for up to one year.

Helpful high school courses

In high school, take classes that prepare you for college. A college preparatory curriculum may be different from your state's graduation requirements.

You should also consider taking some advanced courses in high school. This includes Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses if they are available in your school. If you do well in these courses, you may receive college credit for them. Advanced courses can also strengthen your college application.

Helpful electives to take in high school that prepare you for this career include:

• Child Development
• Computer Applications
• Ethnic and Gender Studies
• Parenting
• Psychology
• Probability and Statistics
• Sociology

The courses listed above are meant to help you create your high school plan. If you have not already done so, talk to a school counselor or parent about the courses you are considering taking.

You should also check with a teacher or counselor to see if work-based learning opportunities are available in your school and community. These might include field trips, job shadowing, internships, and actual work experience. The goal of these activities is to help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.

Join some groups, try some hobbies, or volunteer with an organization that interests you. By participating in activities you can have fun, make new friends, and learn about yourself. Maybe one of them will help direct you to a future career. Here are examples of activities and groups that may be available in your high school or community.

Things to know

Employers often prefer applicants who have work experience. Internships and volunteer work are good ways to get experience. Some employers hire graduates who completed internships in their agency. Employers also look for people who are dedicated and have excellent communication skills.

Many new marriage and family therapists begin work with an experienced therapist who has an established practice and clientele.

Costs to workers

Workers may wish to join a professional association, which may have annual dues.

Licensing/certification

Marriage and family therapists need to be licensed by the State of Washington.

Therapists must first become licensed as an associate therapist by:

• obtaining a master's degree or doctorate from an approved school in marriage and family therapy or any of the behavioral sciences; and
• completing four-clock hours of HIV/AIDS education.

An associate license may be renewed up to four times while the individual works towards meeting full licensure requirements.

To become a licensed therapist they must complete:

• a minimum of 24 months of supervised post-graduate practice totaling 3,000 hours of experience which must include 1,000 hours of direct client contact, 500 hours diagnosing and treating families and couples, and 200 hours of supervision under the direction of a qualified therapist;
• personal data statements;
• passing a written examination provided by the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards; and
• completion of 36-clock hours of continuing education every two years, of which six hours must be in law and ethics.

For more information, contact:

Washington State Department of Health
Health Systems Quality Assurance
Marriage and Family Therapist Credentialing 
PO Box 47877
Olympia, WA 98504-7877
360.236.4700

Job listings

Listed below are links to job categories from the National Labor Exchange that relate to this career. Once you get a list of jobs, you can view information about individual jobs and find out how to apply. If your job search finds too many openings, or if you wish to search for jobs outside of Washington, you will need to refine your search.

• Marriage and Family Therapists 

To get a listing of current jobs from the WorkSource system, go to the WorkSource website .

Wages

Wages vary by employer and area of the country. The therapist's level of experience also affects wages.

Therapists who work full time usually receive benefits. Typical benefits include sick leave, paid vacation, and health insurance. Some employers also provide a retirement plan.

Employment and outlook

Washington outlook

The table below provides information about the number of workers in this career in various regions. It also provides information about the expected growth rate and future job openings.

National employment

Major employers:

• Child and family service agencies
• State and local government agencies
• Mental health centers

National outlook

Demand for this occupation will be very strong. The new health care laws expand insurance coverage of therapy. Clinics will need to hire more marriage and family therapists. Demand also grows as people become more comfortable seeking professional help for personal and family problems.

Job opportunities are excellent especially in rural and other underserved areas.

Other resources

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy 
112 South Alfred Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.838.9808

American Counseling Association 
6101 Stevenson Avenue, Suite 600
Alexandria, VA 22304
800.347.6647
703.823.0252

National Council on Family Relations 
661 LaSalle Street, Suite 200
Minneapolis, MN 55114
888.781.9331

References

Career cluster

• Human Services

Career path

• Social

O*Net  occupation

• Marriage and Family Therapists (21-1013.00) 

O*Net job zone 

• Job Zone 5 - Extensive preparation needed. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.

DOT occupation

• Counselor, Marriage and Family (045.107-054) 

Holland occupational cluster

• Social/Artistic/Investigative

COPSystem

• Service Professional