Career: Marriage and Family Therapists
Anita and Juan, proud parents of four-year-old Carmen, wear frowns as they enter their therapist's office. They've been fighting a lot and speaking harshly to Carmen.
With the therapist's help, they realize they're starved for downtime. They decide to get a babysitter twice a month and to schedule free time for themselves each week. At the next session, the therapist might help the couple explore how they learned to cope with anger as children. They may identify old habits that could be getting in the way of healthy, happy family life.
Marriage and family therapists provide counseling to people in couples and families as well as one-on-one. Even when they work with people one-on-one, they focus on the person's relationship to the larger unit of the couple or family.
Did You Know?
- While many marriage and family therapists have their own practices, many others work for businesses, prisons, and social service agencies.
Are You Ready To...?
- Provide short-term, goal-oriented counseling
- Focus on family and couple relationships
- Help clients with various problems, from teen anorexia to marital conflict
- Refer clients who need medication to psychiatrists
- Diagnose clients (identify their problems, such as depression)
- Keep records
- Give psychological tests
It Helps to Be...
A good listener. That way, you’ll inspire your clients’ trust and they'll open up, sharing their deepest hopes and fears with you.
Make High School Count
- Sign up to be a peer counselor at your school.
- Keep a diary to get to know your own inner thoughts, questions, and struggles at a deeper level.
- Take psychology to learn about human development, emotions, and communication.
- Sign up for classes in family and consumer studies.
- Visit the website of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy to learn more.
Did You Know?
- It's common for people studying psychology to imagine they have each problem they learn about, whether it's paranoia or schizophrenia.
Outlook
Government economists expect jobs for marriage and family therapists to grow much faster than the average for all careers through 2016. In fact, it is among the twenty-five fastest-growing careers.
New thinking about mental health should spur job growth in counseling. Americans are becoming more comfortable with the idea of getting help from mental health professionals.
Compensation
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average salary of marriage and family therapists in 2008 was $46,930.
