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Marriage and Family Therapists

People classed as Marriage and Family Therapists diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems. The skills rated most useful are active listening, social perceptiveness, and speaking. Expect to ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors. The strongest interest signal is Social (6.2 of 7), then Investigative (5.3) and Artistic, which gives it the code SIA. Getting in usually takes graduate school and often five years or more of related experience, a level O*NET calls extensive preparation. If you want helping, teaching or caring for people, keep it on your list. If you need hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, it may feel thin.

What they do

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.

Main tasks

  • Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors.
  • Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner.
  • Develop and implement individualized treatment plans addressing family relationship problems, destructive patterns of behavior, and other personal issues.
  • Maintain case files that include activities, progress notes, evaluations, and recommendations.
  • Counsel clients on concerns, such as unsatisfactory relationships, divorce and separation, child rearing, home management, or financial difficulties.
  • Determine whether clients should be counseled or referred to other specialists in such fields as medicine, psychiatry, or legal aid.

Skills

  • Active Listening
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Speaking
  • Service Orientation
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Judgment and Decision Making

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You get energy from helping other people move forward.
  • You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
  • You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
  • You are comfortable relying on active listening and social perceptiveness.

May not suit you if

  • You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
  • You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 1.5 out of 7 here.
  • You want to be working in the field within the next few years.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SIA takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.

Preparation

Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.

Also called

  • Clinical Therapist
  • Couple and Family Therapist
  • Family Specialist
  • Family Therapist
  • LCMFT (Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist)

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.