Marriage & Family Therapist

Diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems. Apply psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques in the delivery of services to individuals, couples, and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed nervous and mental disorders.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Clinical Therapist; Couple and Family Therapist; Family Specialist; Family Therapist; LCMFT (Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist); LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist); Marriage and Family Counselor; Multisystemic Therapist; Play Therapist; Therapist

Tasks

• Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors.
• Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner.
• Develop and implement individualized treatment plans addressing family relationship problems, destructive patterns of behavior, and other personal issues.
• Maintain case files that include activities, progress notes, evaluations, and recommendations.
• Counsel clients on concerns, such as unsatisfactory relationships, divorce and separation, child rearing, home management, or financial difficulties.
• Determine whether clients should be counseled or referred to other specialists in such fields as medicine, psychiatry, or legal aid.
• Supervise other counselors, social service staff, and assistants.
• Confer with other counselors, doctors, and professionals to analyze individual cases and to coordinate counseling services.
• Diagnose mental and emotional disorders in clients.
• Confer with clients to develop plans for posttreatment activities.
• Collect information about clients, using techniques such as testing, interviewing, discussion, or observation.
• Gather information from doctors, schools, social workers, juvenile counselors, law enforcement personnel, and others to make recommendations to courts for resolution of child custody or visitation disputes.
• Provide family counseling and treatment services to inmates participating in substance abuse programs.
• Provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counseling services, issues, and methods.
• Follow up on results of counseling programs and clients' adjustments to determine effectiveness of programs.

Knowledge

• Therapy and Counseling
• Psychology
• Sociology and Anthropology
• Customer and Personal Service
• English Language
• Education and Training
• Administrative

Skills

• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Reading Comprehension
• Writing
• Critical Thinking
• Active Learning
• Monitoring
• Learning Strategies

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Problem Sensitivity
• Written Comprehension
• Written Expression
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Speech Clarity
• Speech Recognition
• Fluency of Ideas
• Information Ordering
• Category Flexibility
• Originality
• Selective Attention
• Flexibility of Closure
• Near Vision
• Memorization
• Speed of Closure