Marriage and family therapist vs primary therapist

The differences between marriage and family therapists and primary therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a marriage and family therapist and a primary therapist. Additionally, a primary therapist has an average salary of $59,826, 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 primary therapist are patients, social work, and group therapy sessions.

Marriage and family therapist vs primary therapist overview

	Marriage And Family Therapist	Primary Therapist
Yearly salary	$57,856	$59,826
Hourly rate	$27.82	$28.76
Growth rate	14%	9%
Number of jobs	114,361	85,127
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Master's Degree, 49%
Average age	41	45
Years of experience	4	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 primary therapist do?

Primary therapists are the main point of contact for patients concerning wellness and overall mental health. Those who choose this career path will be expected to supervise and manage efficient treatment according to plan, and to manage between six and eight patients at a time, keeping in constant communication with these patients and various specialists.

Marriage and family therapist vs primary therapist salary

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

	Marriage And Family Therapist	Primary Therapist
Average salary	$57,856	$59,826
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $80,000	Between $43,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	Bensalem, PA	Thousand Oaks, CA
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	California
Best paying company	Henderson Behavioral Health	Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between marriage and family therapist and primary therapist education

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

	Marriage And Family Therapist	Primary Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Master's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Marriage and family therapist vs primary therapist demographics

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

	Marriage And Family Therapist	Primary Therapist
Average age	41	45
Gender ratio	Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7%	Male, 27.1% Female, 72.9%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	15%

Differences between marriage and family therapist and primary 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.

Primary therapist example responsibilities.

Case managing, intakes, group and individual session, treatment plans, OASAS standards
Provide clinical therapy for severely emotionally disturb adolescents and their families to aid in the rehabilitation process.
Perform crisis intervention, including management of difficult or resistant patients, utilizing clinically appropriate accept techniques and methods.
Assist in development of extend hour IOP and PHP program.
experience, IOP, individual sessions, assessments, case management.
Assist in developing and assessing progress on individual rehabilitation plans.

Marriage and family therapist vs primary 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 primary therapist skills

Patients, 17%
Social Work, 14%
Group Therapy Sessions, 8%
Eating Disorders, 7%
Patient Care, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 5%

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Marriage And Family Therapist
Marriage And Family Therapist vs Primary Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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