Marriage and Family Therapist
Summary
Counsel married couples and entire families on relationship issues.
Salary Range
$37,780 - $63,030
What does a Marriage and Family Therapist do?
Emotions are what make us human, yet they can also tear us apart. Sometimes, we need the support of a professional to keep these emotions in check. As a Marriage and Family Therapist, you focus not just on the feelings of individuals, but more specifically on the feelings and behaviors of the family unit–all the members that make up a specific family.
Whether you’re counseling parents and their children, or a newlywed couple, as a Marriage and Family Therapist it’s your job to help the family find the core cause of their anger and frustrations. Then you show them healthy ways to deal with these unwanted emotions.
Often, couples and families want to work through their anger, depression, or anxiety, but need guidance on how to communicate with each other. You teach them key skills on how to listen and respond without shouting at or blaming the other person.
The majority of your work as a Marriage and Family Therapist focuses on hour-long talk sessions. Often, you counsel couples together instead of individually. Talking with each other under your supervision can guide the pair to the root of their problems without the usual screaming and name-calling. In other cases, such as a child who is angry with their parents, you may counsel each family member individually.
Helping others reconcile is an important part of your job but, more importantly, you help couples decide if staying together is the best option or not. Though it’s never pleasant, divorce can be the right option in some cases. You help couples make these hard decisions so they can move on to a healthy and happy future.
