Marriage Counseling and Family Therapy

A lot of our visitors end up here while searching for career information about becoming a marriage and family therapist. In their honor, we will start to post more information regarding this subject. To start, we have some information from the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists:

Who do MFTs treat?

• Families facing severe mental illnesses and emotional disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression and anorexia/bulimia
  Substance abusers and their families
  Sexual abuse victims and perpetrators
  Children and families in the foster care system
  Juvenile offenders and others in the criminal justice system
  Couples in crisis
  Young children and their parents
  Where do MFTs work?

Marriage and family therapists work in a variety of settings including:

• Inpatient facilities
  Employee Assistance Programs
  Health Maintenance Organizations
  Community Mental Health Centers
  Business and Consulting Companies
  Schools and Head Start Centers
  Social Service Agencies
  Universities and Research Centers
  Courts and Prisons
  Private Practice

How does one become an MFT?
Two options are available for those interested in becoming a marriage and family therapist. You could choose to complete an accredited* master’s or doctoral program in marriage and family therapy.
Master’s degree programs take 2 to 3 years, providing you with broad areas of theory and practice in marriage and family therapy. These programs will provide you with entry level education requirements for independent clinical practice in the profession. They are designed to prepare you for beginning a career in marriage and family therapy by providing basic didactic and clinical skills, as well as professional development and socialization.
Doctoral degree programs take 3 to 5 years - depending on whether or not you have a master’s degree in MFT - and will prepare you for an academic career, research, advanced clinical practice and supervision. The doctoral curriculum provides you with advanced instruction in marriage and family therapy research, theory construction and supervision.

The second way to become an MFT begins by earning a graduate degree in another mental health field - psychiatry, psychology, clinical social work, psychiatric nursing, etc. After earning a degree you may decide to study MFT in depth at one of the accredited* post-graduate degree clinical training programs that provide clinical education in marriage and family therapy. A program may allow you to receive specialized training in a particular modality or treatment population.

Whichever path you choose you will be trained in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and nervous disorders and in such areas as human growth and development, behavioral patterns, marital and family interaction, sexual dysfunction, parent-child relationships, and the dynamics of family systems. You will also learn to use a variety of therapeutic techniques and processes.

Click here to read more about a career as an MFT on AAMFT.org