Who Are Marriage and Family Therapists?
- Marriage and family therapist (MFTs) work with individuals, couples and families using family systems theories and intervention procedures. As clinicians they play multiple roles in providing effective health and mental health care for a wide range of problems, from treating patients with psychotic disorders to teaching individuals, couples and families how to communicate.
- Marital and family therapies have been proven to be particularly effective in the treatment of adult schizophrenia, adult alcoholism and drug abuse, depression in women, adult hypertension, elderly dementia, adult obesity, children’s conduct disorders, adolescent drug use, anorexia in young adult women, chronic physical illness in adults and children, and marital distress and conflict.
- Marriage and family therapy is a distinct discipline with graduate and undergraduate programs granting degrees in marriage and family therapy. Historically, however, marriage and family therapists have come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds including psychology, psychiatry, social work, nursing, pastoral counseling and education.
Marriage and family therapy is one of the nation’s fastest growing health care professions.
- The federal government has designated MFT as a core mental health profession-along with psychiatry, psychology, social work and psychiatric nursing. States also support the profession by licensing or certifying MFTs. Currently 48 states regulate MFTs.
- Marriage and family therapists work in all areas of mental and physical health care, often providing interdisciplinary connections for more comprehensive treatment. MFTs practice in hospitals, clinics, agencies, schools, private practice and colleges and universities. They serve as clinicians, supervisors, administrators, consultants and teachers in the fields of health care, corrections, education, adoption and social service.