What a marriage and family therapist really does
You work with the whole system, not just one person: couples and families who each tell a different story, and who all want you on their side.
FieldPeople and community
Preparation (O*NET Job Zone)Extensive preparation needed
What the work involves
What fills a typical week for marriage and family therapists, built from O*NET occupation data.
- Couples and family sessions, often in the evening when families can come, plus some individual sessions
- Asking questions that help each person name what they feel and what they do in the pattern
- Teaching communication and conflict skills and assigning practice between sessions
- Building genograms and family histories at intake
- Writing progress notes and updating treatment plans for the relationship as the client
- Deciding when someone needs a referral, such as psychiatry, individual therapy or legal aid
- Consulting with schools, doctors and other therapists, and getting supervision on tough cases
What the days are like
What people in the job know
- Conflict is in the room nearly every day, because you often see the people who are fighting together. Conflict Situations: 30% every day, 40% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
- People will be upset with you, often because they think you are taking sides. Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People: 21% every day, 28% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
- Asking the right question matters more than giving advice. It is the highest rated task. Task 1, ask questions that help clients identify feelings and behaviors: importance 95, Core (O*NET Tasks)
- You have wide independence, which many therapists use to run a private practice. Freedom to Make Decisions: 79% a lot of freedom; Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals: 69% a lot of freedom (O*NET Work Context)
- It is a sitting, talking job almost all day. Spend Time Sitting: 87% continually or almost continually (O*NET Work Context)
How people get into it
A master's degree in marriage and family therapy or a related counseling field with supervised clinical hours, then supervised post degree practice (often about two years, with hours set by each state) and a licensing exam. O*NET respondents report a master's degree (87%), post master's certificate (10%) or doctoral degree (3%).
The Firstday trial, easy to hard
Three simulated tasks with AI coworkers who message you, react to your work and coach with questions. Nobody scores you.
What the trial can't show: This trial cannot show what it is like to sit in a room with real family tension, to read nonverbal cues between people, or to track change over months of sessions. All clients are fictional and scenarios are kept non graphic. You act as an associate therapist in training, and a licensed supervisor reviews your notes, plans and decisions.
Reading about it is one thing.
Find out how the work feels to you before you spend on a degree, course or job change. Your first trial is free.
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Job details on this page are built from O*NET OnLine, 21-1013.00. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.