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The differences between marriage and family therapists and therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a marriage and family therapist has an average salary of $57,856, which is higher than the $55,943 average annual salary of a therapist.
The top three skills for a marriage and family therapist include social work, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a therapist are social work, patients, and group therapy sessions.
| Marriage And Family Therapist | Therapist | |
| Yearly salary | $57,856 | $55,943 |
| Hourly rate | $27.82 | $26.90 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 114,361 | 159,770 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
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.
A therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients. Some of their duties include diagnosing patient's problems, performing counseling services, monitoring medication progress, customizing therapy activities for pain management, and consulting other health professionals as needed. Therapists must have extensive knowledge with the medical industry to detect patients' conditions easily and provide effective medications.
Marriage and family therapists and therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Marriage And Family Therapist | Therapist | |
| Average salary | $57,856 | $55,943 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $80,000 | Between $39,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bensalem, PA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | California |
| Best paying company | Henderson Behavioral Health | Childhelp |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a marriage and family therapist and a therapist in terms of educational background:
| Marriage And Family Therapist | Therapist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between marriage and family therapists' and therapists' demographics:
| Marriage And Family Therapist | Therapist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7% | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% |
| 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, 11.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 12% |