Get Your LMFT License Online | Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Degree Programs Online

After earning your Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, you might spend your career as a couple’s therapist. But you’ll also be equipped with the information and skills needed to treat depression, PTSD, and other serious mental illnesses.

What Degree(s) Do You Need to Become a Marriage and Family Therapist?

Marriage and family therapists do more than just offer advice to couples going through difficult times. MFTs, or marriage and family therapists, are highly-trained mental health professionals who are on par with other types of clinical therapists and certified clinical social workers (LCSWs). To address a wide range of family issues and mental health disorders, they deal with individuals, couples, parents and children, siblings, and entire families. They can help with everything from clinical depression to drug addiction.

You probably have questions about marriage and family therapist degree programs, and we’re here to answer them with this guide!

What kind of education and degree do you need to work as a marriage and family therapist?
What are the differences between MFT and MSW programs?
What will you learn in marriage and family therapy degree programs?
What are the best options for getting your marriage family therapy degree?
Is it possible to study marriage and family therapy online?
How long does a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling take to complete?
How much does a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling cost?
What can a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy get you?
With a master’s degree, how much do marriage and family therapists earn?
What are the prospects for marriage and family therapists in the future?

What kind of education and degree do you need to work as a marriage and family therapist?

Marriage and family therapy can be practiced by clinical psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and licensed mental health counselors. As a result, a career in marriage family therapy can be pursued with a variety of degrees. A Master of Social Work (MSW) or a graduate degree in psychology will help you get the state licensing you need to work as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).

The best degree to get is a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology for aspiring marriage family therapists (MFT).

What are the differences between MFT and MSW programs?

Both LMFTs and LMSWs are licensed to perform clinical therapy and must follow strict licensing guidelines. After two years of study, students in both areas get master’s degrees. However, because their views and therapeutic techniques in their clinics differ, the training they receive can be very diverse.

The most major distinction between marriage and family therapist degree programs and master of social work degree programs is that MFT master’s degree programs have a more specialized curriculum, whilst MSW programs have a more wide curriculum.

Marriage and family therapists can work in marriage and family therapy, but they can also work in clinical therapy or advocacy, policy, and social services. Clinical social work therapists’ master’s degree programs demonstrate how varied a social worker’s professional obligations might be. Individuals, couples, and families are the focus of marriage and family therapist degree programs, which are narrowly focused on building clinical skills and providing MFTs with all of the training they need to treat them.

What will you learn in marriage and family therapy degree programs?

Marriage and family therapy theories
Child and adolescent psychology
Psychopathology
Techniques for clinical counseling
Developmental science
Family systems
Human sexuality
Psychological theory
Trauma treatment techniques
Substance abuse and addiction
Laws and ethics of counseling
Research methods and data analysis

Most MFT students must also complete a number of practicum courses and one or more internships in therapeutic settings, where they will receive instruction from professional therapists. Aspiring marriage and family therapists can use these to gain experience working with real clients in a clinical setting. In-person or virtual training may be available in your state, depending on Covid-19 rules and regulations.

What are the best options for getting your marriage family therapy degree?

Getting your degree online from a go at your own pace university like Rhombus University is a great way to get your MFT degree. It’s more cost effective, you can adhere to the schedule you choose, and it’s something you can do from the comfort of your own home!

Is it possible to study marriage and family therapy online?

Yes, there are online marriage and family therapist degree programs that can help working professionals and parents pursue their goals. The knowledge you’ll obtain from a remote learning program will be the same as you’d get from an on-campus program.

Visit Rhombus University’s Online Christian Psychology Degree page for more information here.

How long does a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling take to complete?

The majority of traditional marriage and family therapist degree programs require two years of full-time study. A graduate psychology degree, on the other hand, takes at least three years to complete. Obtaining a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy is thus one of the more expedient educational paths for aspiring clinical therapists.

With an accelerated online program, however, you can complete the LMFT degree in as little time as you’d like.

How much does a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling cost?

The answer to this question varies depending on which school you attend and whether you study on-campus or online, in-state or out-of-state. Non-resident students pay greater tuition at many colleges and universities, and online students may have to pay technological costs that make studying remotely more expensive. Part-time students may pay more in the long run than full-time students. A $40,000 to $60,000 expenditure is likely to be required to become a marriage and family therapist. Degree programs in marriage and family therapy, such as the one offered at Syracuse University, can cost upwards of $80,000.

An online LMFT program like Rhombus University’s, however, starts at $15,000 and is the most competitively priced program out there.

What can a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy get you?

Typically, marriage and family therapists work with clients who are dealing with difficult family relationships or transitions involving relatives or a spouse. They can, however, help customers who are suffering from severe mental illnesses. Marriage and family therapy has been shown to be useful in treating a wide range of mental and emotional illnesses in studies. As a result, clinicians who have completed on-campus and online marital and family therapist graduate programs can be found in the following fields:

Hospitals
Schools
Institutions for mental health
Offices of doctors
Centers for substance abuse therapy
Organizations that are not for profit
Agencies of the state government
Some create their own private clinics and provide both marriage counseling and psychotherapy to clients who are dealing with bereavement, despair, anxiety, disruptive children, PTSD, and drug misuse.

With a master’s degree, how much do marriage and family therapists earn?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, LMFTs earn around $50,000 per year on average. The average marriage and family therapist pay, according to ZipRecruiter, is $74,000 per year. The amount of money you can make with an MFT degree is likely to be determined less by your degree and more by the setting in which you work. According to the BLS, LMFTs that work in state government agencies earn the highest, while marriage and family therapists in individual and family services earn the least.

With the ever-changing online telehealth landscape, you’re able to increase the potential of what you’ll make and it’s easier now than ever to see clients virtually to increase your yearly earnings.

What are the prospects for marriage and family therapists in the future?

Marriage and family therapist degree holders who practice as clinical therapists have a bright future. MFT job possibilities are expected to expand by 22% between now and 2028, which is more than three times faster than the pace of growth for other US occupations. More people are seeking the advice of marriage and family therapists as a result of rising awareness of the importance of mental health and changes in healthcare policy that have made therapy more accessible.

More importantly, the majority of persons who seek out the services of an MFT are satisfied with the care they receive and are able to effectively complete treatment. The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy claims that “Almost 90% of clients say their emotional health has improved, and almost two-thirds say their general physical health has improved. The majority of clients say their work performance has improved, and more than three-quarters of those who receive marital/couples or family therapy say their relationship has improved. When a kid is identified as a patient, parents indicate that their child’s conduct improved in 73.7 percent of instances, their ability to get along with other children improved greatly, and their academic achievement improved dramatically.”

When you start your work as a marriage and family therapist, you may notice a lot of client turnover, but that’s a positive thing in this field. Don’t worry about it: there will always be someone new knocking on your door.

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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Programs