Median Annual Wage: $48,040
Projected Growth: Much faster than average (22% or higher)
Related Job Titles: Counselor; Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT); Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT); Therapist; Psychotherapist; Clinical Services Director; Clinician; Family Therapist; Clinical Therapist; Advanced Clinical Specialist
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Source: O*NET OnLine information for Marriage and Family Therapists.
More Community and Social Services Careers
- Counsel clients on concerns, such as unsatisfactory relationships, divorce and separation, child rearing, home management, and financial difficulties.
- Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner.
- Maintain case files that include activities, progress notes, evaluations, and recommendations.
- Develop and implement individualized treatment plans addressing family relationship problems, destructive patterns of behavior, and other personal issues.
- Collect information about clients, using techniques such as testing, interviewing, discussion, and 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.
- Determine whether clients should be counseled or referred to other specialists in such fields as medicine, psychiatry, and legal aid.
- Follow up on results of counseling programs and clients' adjustments to determine effectiveness of programs.
- Write evaluations of parents and children for use by courts deciding divorce and custody cases, testifying in court if necessary.
- Provide instructions to clients on how to obtain help with legal, financial, and other personal issues.
- Provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counseling services, issues, and methods.
- Gather information from doctors, schools, social workers, juvenile counselors, law enforcement personnel, and others to make recommendations to courts for resolution of child custody or visitation disputes.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Marriage and Family Therapists.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Marriage and Family Therapists.