Mental Health Careers--Marriage and Family Therapist
From Psychology degree to a career with a Master's degree as a Marriage & Family Therapist
Once you earn your Psychology degree you may decide to become a Marriage and Family Therapist. A Marriage and Family Therapist works with individuals to help them deal with problems (e.g., individual depression or anxiety) and rebuild relationships. For example, a Marriage and Family Therapists might work with a couple because they're trying to avoid divorce. In addition, families sometimes require help dealing with stressful life events, such as a death in the family or drug use by a family member. Marriage and Family Therapists typically have a Master's degree, but some move on and earn a degree as a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) or PsyD (Doctor of Psychology).
How long will it take you to earn a degree in Marriage and Family therapy? The good news is that it usually requires 2 years of graduate school to complete a master's thesis (research or other type of writing project). The bad news is that during your time in graduate school you typically must pay tuition, and there are limited opportunities for any other types of financial support (e.g., being paid to be a Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant). Still, in the end a Master's degree tends to offer greater job opportunities and greater salary than a Bachelor’s degree, and also allows you to be licensed by a state to do certain activities (e.g., testing, therapy).
Salary Information
The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the average yearly income for a Marriage and Family Counselor at $53,520.
Click here to read more about Marriage and Family Therapists.
Click here to read more about what a Master's Degree in Psychology offers.
Click here to read about important steps for Mental Health Careers with a Graduate Degree.
Other links on explorecareersinpsychology.org
Click here to return to homepage of explorecareersinpsychology.org
Click here to return to the Careers by Category page.
Click here to return to the Mental Health Careers page.
Click on the links below to read about other Mental Health careers that only require a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology:
Mental Health Careers--Mental Health Technician
Mental Health Careers--Social Work Assistant
Mental Health Careers-Foster Care Case Manager
Click on the links below to read about other Mental Health careers that require a Master's Degree:
Mental Health Careers--Master's in Clinical/Counseling Psychology
Mental Health Careers--Genetic Counselor
Mental Health Careers--Licensed Professional Counselor
Mental Health Careers--Art Therapy
Mental Health Careers--Master of Social Work
Mental Health Careers--Pastoral Counseling
Mental Health Careers--School Counseling
Mental Health Careers--Substance Abuse Counselor
Mental Health Careers--Master's in Forensic Psychology
Mental Health Careers--Applied Behavior Analyst
Click on the links below to read about other Mental Health careers that require a Doctoral or Professional Degree:
Mental Health Careers--Doctoral Degree in Psychology
Mental Health Careers--Psychiatrist