What Does a Marriage and Family Therapist Do?
Marriage counselors help families and couples deal with issues and conflicts that are affecting their relationships, mental health, and well-being. While no two clients will have the same needs, there are some common issues you can expect to help solve as a family therapist.
As a marriage counselor or family therapist, you may see clients who are:
- Suffering through depression.
- Affected by substance abuse of a partner or family member.
- Affected by the psychological disorders of a partner or family member.
- Going through marital stress or family conflict caused by grief, emotional pain, fear, anger, guilt, or separating lifestyles.
You will help your clients by:
- Being an impartial listener.
- Observing how family members and couples interact with one another.
- Highlighting problematic relational and behavioral patterns.
- Evaluating and finding effective and pragmatic resolutions to problems.
- Helping replace dysfunctional behaviors with healthier alternatives.
LMFT Licensure Requirements
To pursue a career as an LMFT, first you will need to have earned a bachelor’s degree. Students of all educational backgrounds are able to apply. You will then need to:
- Earn your master’s in clinical psychology.
- Fulfill a certain amount of fieldwork hours as required by your state’s licensing board.
- Pursue licensure as a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Licensing requirements vary by state. You can learn more about LMFT requirements by state by visiting your state’s licensing board.
Did You Know?
Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology has been preparing students for lives of purpose, service, and leadership since 1971. Our online master’s in clinical psychology program is an extension of that mission—as such, our curriculum features the latest in multicultural counseling, trauma in diverse populations, substance abuse counseling, and more.
Take the First Step
Earn your master’s in clinical psychology online at Pepperdine—learn more about application requirements.
If you are interested in joining us on campus, we also offer a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, as well as a breadth of traditional on-campus psychology master’s programs across multiple campus locations. Explore on-campus psychology master’s programs.
