An LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, while an LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. An LMFT is a certified healthcare professional who is trained to help families and couples identify and treat personal and interpersonal issues. This includes problems like depression, anxiety, parent-child conflicts, spousal conflicts, drug and alcohol abuse, as well as others. LMFTs apply psychotherapeutic techniques to counsel and offer solutions to clients.

An LMSW is a Licensed Master Social Worker, while an LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. An LMSW works professionally to coordinate services and forms of therapy for individuals, groups, families, and communities as a whole. They may also provide specific types of therapy, such as psychotherapy, under the supervision of a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist.

What is a marriage and family therapist and how to become one

Q: What are the pros and cons of being a marriage and family therapist?

The pros and cons of being a marriage and family therapist relate to helping people, the chance to specialize, and the emotional toll. Here are the top pros and cons of being a marriage and family therapist:

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

A marriage and family therapist is an individual who works with individuals, couples, and families to help them navigate their relationships and improve their mental health. They assess the dynamics within a family or relationship and provide therapy to help resolve conflicts, improve communication, and promote emotional wellbeing. This type of therapist may use a variety of techniques, such as talk therapy, art therapy, or play therapy, to help clients overcome their challenges.

What general advice would you give to a marriage and family therapist?

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

Dr., Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Vanguard University

Opportunities come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are still out there. Whether you are seeking to land a job in education or the non-profit sector, you will need to familiarize yourself and get used to all things digital, for the sake of communicating effectively. The younger your student or service partner's mindset, the more digitally savvy you will need to be, especially in the classroom and in the non-profit world.

ScoreMarriage And Family TherapistUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $57,856

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.8

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.48%

Asian 4.57%

Black or African American 6.97%

Hispanic or Latino 13.94%

Unknown 5.53%

White 68.51%

Gender

female 75.68%

male 24.32%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

9.8

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a marriage and family therapist?

Pros

Ability to help improve people's lives and relationships
Potential for high job satisfaction
Opportunity to specialize in a particular area (e.g., couples therapy, child and adolescent therapy)
Potential for good income and job stability
Positive impact on families and communities

Cons

High level of emotional intensity and stress
Possible exposure to trauma or difficult family situations
Potential for ethical dilemmas or legal issues
Difficulty establishing a stable client base in private practice
Limited insurance reimbursement for services

Key steps to become a marriage and family therapist

Explore marriage and family therapist education requirements

Most common marriage and family therapist degrees

Bachelor's

56.7 %

Master's

36.7 %

Associate

3.6 %

Start to develop specific marriage and family therapist skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	36.39%
Patients	9.37%
Crisis Intervention	6.16%
Substance Abuse	4.65%
Mental Illness	3.87%

Research marriage and family therapist duties and 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.

Prepare your marriage and family therapist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your marriage and family therapist resume.

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Choose from 10+ customizable marriage and family therapist resume templates

Build a professional marriage and family therapist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your marriage and family therapist resume.

Apply for marriage and family therapist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a marriage and family therapist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average marriage and family therapist salary

The average marriage and family therapist salary in the United States is $57,856 per year or $28 per hour. Marriage and family therapist salaries range between $41,000 and $80,000 per year.

Average marriage and family therapist salary

$57,856 Yearly

$27.82 hourly

How do marriage and family therapists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Marriage and family therapist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2022

Cons

Getting approval and watching families go through their proceed with difficulties

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022

Pros

Making a difference in someone's life. Seeing positive changes.

Cons

Late hours after 9 pm or before 9 am

What is a marriage and family therapist and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a marriage and family therapist?

What are the pros and cons of being a marriage and family therapist?

Marriage and family therapist career paths

Key steps to become a marriage and family therapist

Explore marriage and family therapist education requirements

Most common marriage and family therapist degrees

Start to develop specific marriage and family therapist skills

Research marriage and family therapist duties and responsibilities

Prepare your marriage and family therapist resume

Choose from 10+ customizable marriage and family therapist resume templates

Apply for marriage and family therapist jobs

How did you land your first marriage and family therapist job

Average marriage and family therapist salary

How do marriage and family therapists rate their job?

Marriage and family therapist reviews

Marriage and family therapist FAQs

LMFT vs LCSW

LMSW vs LCSW

What are the pros and cons of being a marriage and family therapist?

Search for marriage and family therapist jobs

Marriage and family therapist jobs by state