Marriage and Family Therapists: Career Overview
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 day-to-day responsibilities of marriage and family therapists span:
- 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.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Top marriage and family therapists combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- 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 about 237,985 marriage and family therapists working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -3.8% over the projection horizon.
Marriage and Family Therapists Pay
| 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 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Marriage and Family Therapists Make in Different U.S. States?
| 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 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Compensation for marriage and family therapists differ across the country. 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 |
Which Industries Hire Marriage and Family Therapists
Most marriage and family therapists work in 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.
Tech Stack
- 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)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of marriage and family therapists tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
- Frequency of Decision Making
- Time Pressure
Getting Started in This Career
Most marriage and family therapists positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in 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
Students preparing for marriage and family therapists often complete programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
4 programs across 1 majors
Public Administration and Social Service Professions
1 programs across 1 majors
References
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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