Community and Social Service · Holland code SIA
Marriage and Family Therapists
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.
Also called: Family Therapist, LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist), Marriage and Family Counselor, Therapist, Clinical Therapist, Couple and Family Therapist, Family Specialist, LCMFT (Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist).
O*NET 21-1013.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $66,940
- Middle half earn $50,070 to $93,840. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +13% · Much faster than average
- 77,800 jobs in 2024, projected 87,700. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Marriage and family therapists".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- 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.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening4.8 / 5
- Speaking4.3 / 5
- Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
- Writing3.9 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.9 / 5
- Active Learning3.9 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Therapy and Counseling4.9 / 5
- Psychology4.8 / 5
- Sociology and Anthropology4.1 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service3.9 / 5
- English Language3.9 / 5
- Education and Training3.5 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic8
- Investigative72
- Artistic43
- Social87
- Enterprising13
- Conventional32
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- psychologist · DE Psychologe/Psychologin · FR psychologue
- clinical psychologist · DE Klinischer Psychologe/Klinische Psychologin · FR psychologue clinicien/psychologue clinicienne
- psychotherapist · DE Psychotherapeut/Psychotherapeutin · FR psychothérapeute
- social counsellor · DE Sozialberater/Sozialberaterin · FR assistant de service social/assistante de service social
- drug and alcohol addiction counsellor · DE Sucht- und Drogenberater/Sucht- und Drogenberaterin · FR addictologue
- marriage counsellor · DE Ehe- und Familienberater/Ehe- und Familienberaterin · FR conseiller conjugal/conseillère conjugale
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Social workers (2461)139,800 employed
- Probation officers (2462)11,900 employed
- Youth work professionals (2464)10,200 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.37. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (21-1013).
Related careers
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