Marriage and family therapist vs clinical therapist

The differences between marriage and family therapists and clinical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a clinical therapist has an average salary of $57,864, which is higher than the $57,856 average annual salary of a marriage and family therapist.

The top three skills for a marriage and family therapist include social work, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a clinical therapist are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.

Marriage and family therapist vs clinical therapist overview

	Marriage And Family Therapist	Clinical Therapist
Yearly salary	$57,856	$57,864
Hourly rate	$27.82	$27.82
Growth rate	14%	17%
Number of jobs	114,361	136,898
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Master's Degree, 51%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	-

What does a marriage and family therapist do?

Marriage and family therapists are health professionals who are licensed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders of married couples and families. These therapists are required to treat patients with issues such as child and adolescent behavioral problems, depression and anxiety, and marital conflicts. They must observe the interaction of people within units while evaluating and resolving their issues with relationships. Marriage and family therapists must also guide their clients to go through transitional crises such as divorce or death.

What does a clinical therapist do?

A Clinical Therapist works with patients to help identify, examine, and treat mental health and emotional issues or disorders. They counsel individuals or groups regarding psychological or emotional problems, as well as observe clients to detect indications of abnormal physical or mental behavior.

Marriage and family therapist vs clinical therapist salary

Marriage and family therapists and clinical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Marriage And Family Therapist	Clinical Therapist
Average salary	$57,856	$57,864
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $80,000	Between $42,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Bensalem, PA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	California
Best paying company	Henderson Behavioral Health	CVS Health
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between marriage and family therapist and clinical therapist education

There are a few differences between a marriage and family therapist and a clinical therapist in terms of educational background:

	Marriage And Family Therapist	Clinical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Master's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Marriage and family therapist vs clinical therapist demographics

Here are the differences between marriage and family therapists' and clinical therapists' demographics:

	Marriage And Family Therapist	Clinical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	6%	12%

Differences between marriage and family therapist and clinical therapist duties and responsibilities

Marriage and family therapist example responsibilities.

Conduct play therapy with elementary age students to help manage anxiety, divorce, ADHD, etc.
Develop effective treatment plans and implement evidence-base strategies to assist patients in alleviating psychological symptoms and achieving goals.
Train in EMDR, DBT, work with divorce issues, PTSD, deployment/reunification, anxiety, and depression issues.
Counsele patients experiencing common mental health problems including emotional and physical abuse, family issues, relationship problems and parenting problems.
Attend weekly DBT team meetings and supervision including mindfulness activities and focus on DBT principles.
Administer outcome measures to track baseline symptoms, such as the YOQ, CBCL, UCLA PTSD assessment tools.

Clinical therapist example responsibilities.

Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
Provide direct treatment services such as individual/group therapy and intervene in crisis situations when patients exhibit acute psychiatric symptoms.
Direct patients to designate residential or supportive living options, community base placement/ treatment or other resources as necessary.
Provide training for federal and public organizations regarding the psychological aspects of veterans having experience combat or military sexual trauma.
Work closely with a license orthotist/prosthetist to obtain orthotics for children who require them.

Marriage and family therapist vs clinical therapist skills

Common marriage and family therapist skills

Social Work, 36%
Patients, 9%
Crisis Intervention, 6%
Substance Abuse, 5%
Mental Illness, 4%
Mental Health, 3%

Common clinical therapist skills

Social Work, 26%
Patients, 12%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Mental Health, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Community Resources, 3%

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Marriage And Family Therapist
Marriage And Family Therapist vs Clinical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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