Marriage and Family Therapists: Career Profile
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.
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What Tasks Do Marriage and Family Therapists Do?
The core tasks performed by marriage and family therapists include:
- 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.
- 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.
- Collect information about clients, using techniques such as testing, interviewing, discussion, or observation.
- Confer with clients to develop plans for posttreatment activities.
- Confer with other counselors, doctors, and professionals to analyze individual cases and to coordinate counseling services.
What Marriage and Family Therapists Need to Know
Top marriage and family therapists combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- ABA Behavior Therapist (Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Therapist)
- Behavior Intervention Specialist
- Behavior Specialist
- Behavior Support Specialist
- Behavior Technician (Behavior Tech)
- Behavior Therapist
- Behavioral Analyst
- Behavioral Health Clinician
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 237,985 marriage and family therapists working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -3.8% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Marriage and Family Therapists Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $74,325 |
| Hourly median | $35.73 |
| 10th percentile | $53,241 |
| 25th percentile | $63,783 |
| 75th percentile | $84,868 |
| 90th percentile | $95,410 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Marriage and Family Therapists Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | $135,870 |
| New Jersey | $89,030 |
| Utah | $81,170 |
| Virginia | $80,670 |
| Oregon | $79,890 |
| Connecticut | $76,930 |
| Minnesota | $72,370 |
| Colorado | $69,990 |
| Maine | $68,670 |
| Nebraska | $68,550 |
| New Mexico | $67,990 |
| Kansas | $66,620 |
| Maryland | $65,300 |
| New York | $65,020 |
| Missouri | $64,900 |
| Pennsylvania | $64,570 |
| Ohio | $63,880 |
| California | $63,780 |
| Delaware | $63,360 |
| Massachusetts | $62,290 |
| Alaska | $62,220 |
| Iowa | $61,450 |
| Vermont | $61,060 |
| Kentucky | $60,190 |
| Illinois | $60,140 |
| Washington | $59,660 |
| Georgia | $58,830 |
| North Dakota | $58,180 |
| New Hampshire | $57,220 |
| Oklahoma | $56,450 |
| Alabama | $54,280 |
| North Carolina | $53,910 |
| Michigan | $52,890 |
| Arizona | $52,420 |
| Indiana | $51,710 |
| South Carolina | $51,440 |
| Mississippi | $51,260 |
| South Dakota | $51,190 |
| Florida | $50,220 |
| West Virginia | $48,180 |
| Arkansas | $47,090 |
| Texas | $45,690 |
| Tennessee | $45,660 |
| Montana | $37,150 |
| Wisconsin | $34,700 |
Where Marriage and Family Therapists Earn the Most
Compensation for marriage and family therapists shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountains | $77,924 | 4.3% | 2.11 |
| Middle Atlantic | $76,718 | 12.3% | 1.48 |
| Plains States | $70,653 | 7.3% | 2.49 |
| New England | $65,857 | 1.9% | 0.52 |
| Far Western US | $64,481 | 51.9% | 4.02 |
| Great Lakes | $55,114 | 5.8% | 0.49 |
| Southeast | $53,852 | 12.3% | 1.04 |
| Southwest | $52,869 | 4.1% | 0.98 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Haven, CT | CT | $120,280 | 70 |
| Charlottesville, VA | VA | $106,870 | 40 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | NC | $105,530 | |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $95,100 | 320 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | UT | $91,170 | 620 |
| Columbia, MO | MO | $90,480 | 30 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | NJ | $89,030 | 260 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | NJ | $89,030 | 350 |
Top Industries Employing Marriage and Family Therapists
The bulk of marriage and family therapists are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 57,920 | $62,820 |
| Educational Services | 1,570 | $58,160 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 590 | $64,920 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 450 | $71,830 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 230 | $57,820 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tools and Technology
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Teams (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Video conferencing software: Zoom (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The work environment for marriage and family therapists is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
- Frequency of Decision Making
- Time Pressure
Education and Training
Most marriage and family therapists positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (Primary-Short)
- School Psychologists (Primary-Long)
- Neuropsychologists (Supplemental)
- Clinical Neuropsychologists (Supplemental)
- Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors (Primary-Long)
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (Supplemental)
- Mental Health Counselors (Primary-Short)
- Rehabilitation Counselors (Primary-Long)
Where to Study
Aspiring marriage and family therapists commonly pursue programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
4 programs across 1 majors
Public Administration and Social Service Professions
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 21-1013.00 (Marriage and Family Therapists).
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