Quick Highlights:
- Marriage and family therapy requires a master’s degree and state-specific licensing, often with substantial clinical experience hours.
- MFT programs emphasize developing empathy, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
- The MFT curriculum allows for specialization in areas like couples or family therapy, enhancing job-specific skills.
- Graduates can work in diverse settings such as private practice, hospitals, social services, and corporate wellness.
Table of contents
- Understanding the Degree
- Career Paths in Clinical Settings
- Opportunities in Community and Social Services
- Educational and Research Careers
- Consulting and Corporate Opportunities
- Entrepreneurial Ventures
- Beyond Counseling: Alternative Career Options
- Discover More Information About Becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist
With a marriage and family therapy degree, you can enjoy having a fulfilling career. People who work in this industry are able to spend their time helping couples and families who are having challenging experiences. As a marriage and family therapist (MFT), you get to explore contemporary relationships and family dynamics.
Depending on what marriage and family therapy program you go through, you may be able to specialize in specific fields. You could primarily work as a family therapist, or you could focus on couples therapy. Once you have completed your degree, there are many opportunities for jobs you can do.
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Understanding the Degree
Typically, a marriage and family counseling degree involves going to a master’s degree program at an online or in-person college. Because you have to get licensed after the program to practice as a marriage and family therapist, you should always check your state’s licensing requirements before enrolling at a specific school. Even accredited marriage and family therapy master’s programs aren’t always accepted by every state. You should always check the acceptance status for your program before investing significant amounts of time and money in your education.
The Components of Your Degree
During a master’s in marriage and family therapy, you will be expected to take at least one to two years’ worth of coursework. While each program varies, the following classes are commonly required as a part of your course of study.
- Techniques of Appraisal and Assessment
- Family of Origin
- Psychopharmacology
- Family Systems
- Marriage and Family Counseling
- Multicultural Counseling
- Crisis Intervention Counseling
- Research Methodology
- Advanced Psychopathology
- Substance Abuse and Addiction Disorders
In addition to your basic courses, you will generally be required to take several electives. If your program offers specializations, you can use these electives to get your specialization. With a specialization, you can pursue specific types of counseling jobs.
Before you can work as a family therapist, you need to gain practical experience. The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) lists the specific requirements for each state’s licensing program. Many states require 3,000 hours of board-certified experience, so it’s important to plan ahead for these requirements.
Skills You Will Develop
In addition to taking specific courses on marriage and family therapy, you will also spend your time learning soft skills. As a part of marriage and family therapy graduate programs, you will learn soft skills, like empathy. You must be able to connect to your clients, so empathy and active listening skills are important.
Other than communication skills, you will also develop conflict-resolution abilities. Family dynamics can be challenging, so arguments may occur during therapy. By defusing conflicts, you can create an environment where everyone can talk and work together safely.
Career Paths in Clinical Settings
Once you have received your master’s in marriage and family therapy, you can pursue a career as a MFT in a:
- private practice
- hospital
- mental health center
In these settings, you may be talking to people during their weekly appointments or dealing with patients who are in a crisis.
No matter which clinical setting you choose, you will need to obtain your professional license in order to get hired. While each state varies, you will likely need to complete continuing education classes in order to keep your license.
Opportunities in Community and Social Services
If you don’t want to work in a clinical setting as an MFT, there are also opportunities available in the community or social services. For instance, many social service agencies need to have a family therapist on hand to provide family support. There may be issues with domestic violence or substance abuse, and a social worker cannot provide therapy for these individuals.
Other than social service agencies, you may also find job opportunities in community organizations and nonprofits. Sometimes, MFTs are hired to work in public policy development and advocacy. Lawmakers need to have expert advice on policies that affect families, so they will pay a marriage and family therapist for their advice.
Educational and Research Careers
After marriage and family therapy programs are completed, it’s possible to pursue an academic career in the subject. In this type of role, you can train students on family dynamics and counseling. Other than teaching positions, higher institutions of learning also offer research positions.
As you gain experience in marriage and family therapy, your organization may ask you to help with counseling curricula. Someone has to create education materials and coursework for future generations of counselors, so this can be an exciting career opportunity if you enjoy curriculum design.
Consulting and Corporate Opportunities
Once you have completed your marriage and family counseling degree, there are many job options available. Other than choosing a role as a traditional family therapist, you can also get hired in corporate settings. For instance, a marriage and family counseling degree could be a useful background for someone who designs employee assistance programs. It may also be a good educational experience if you want to work as a wellness coach.
Many marriage and family counselors take on jobs outside of just counseling. The employee wellness industry is currently worth $22.01 billion in the United States. Once hired, you can help improve a corporation’s employee wellness programs and each employee’s work-life balance.
Entrepreneurial Ventures
When you finish marriage and family therapy graduate programs, you don’t have to spend the rest of your life working for someone else. In fact, many people go on to start their own clinics. Once you develop a client base, you can set up a private counseling practice.
It is important to look up your state’s rules about creating a private practice. Sometimes, you have to have a different counseling license if you want to run a clinic or manage other counselors. In addition, you will need to learn:
- the mechanics of running a business
- filing for a business license
- paying your business taxes
Thanks to online counseling, there are many more opportunities for digital entrepreneurship. Instead of having to spend years building a client base, you can immediately add yourself to online counseling communities and start reaching potential clients. Plus, you can use your home office to run your business instead of having to pay for a separate clinic.
Beyond Counseling: Alternative Career Options
A marriage and family counseling degree can lead to many different career opportunities. You don’t have to feel limited to just working in marriage and family therapy. Many counseling skills are applicable in professional settings, so marriage and family therapy programs are useful if you want to try climbing the corporate ladder as well.
- Conflict Resolution: Conflict resolution occurs in many settings. Your community may hire people to mediate after calling police officers or social workers to a location. Meanwhile, nations also require conflict resolution skills. Depending on your interests and backgrounds, you could potentially use your master’s degree in an international setting.
- Coaching: Thanks to the internet, it is easier to become a wellness coach or life coach than ever before. With a background in marriage and family therapy, you can start a career helping other people reach their goals in life.
- Family Law Advocacy: Someone has to help create laws and policies that impact families. By working as a family law advocate, you can help society develop better laws. New legislation can support families, prevent domestic violence, and help individuals heal from trauma.
- Health Educator: A health educator is similar to a teacher, but they tend to work in community settings. As a health educator, you can teach community members about the skills they need to have healthy relationships. You may host communication workshops or offer marriage classes for local residents.
- Self-Help Writer: Self-help books are designed to help people improve their personal and professional lives. After becoming an MFT, some people decide to write books about family and romantic relationships. These books may involve information about having healthy relationships or parenting advice. They could also be about topics related to substance abuse, such as how to support a family member who has an addiction.
As you research marriage and family therapy master’s programs, you can consider how the program helps your future career goals. Certain specializations are better for specific careers than others. You may also want to get additional training for certain careers. For example, you may want to take business management courses before you open a private practice or law classes before you start working as a family law advocate.
Discover More Information About Becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist
With a marriage and family counseling degree, you can obtain a job in many different fields. You need to be licensed as a family therapist to access these diverse career opportunities.
The most important thing is to find a career where you can leverage your skills and passion. If you care deeply about working as a marriage and family therapist, you will have an easier time motivating yourself to complete the coursework. Once you have officially become an MFT, you can enjoy having a rewarding job where you can make a difference in the lives of individuals and families.