Marriage and Family Therapists


Human Services > Marriage and Family Therapists >
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Marriage and Family Therapists

Marriage and Family Therapists - At a Glance

Marriage and family therapists help individuals, couples, and families deal with emotional problems.

Quick Facts:  Marriage and Family Therapists
WagesEarn $48,868 per year
EmploymentSmall occupation
10 Year GrowthAverage growth
Annual OpeningsFew

Preparation 

Preparation

The Preparation section describes the education, training, and experience you need to prepare for work in an occupation. This section covers the types of formal and informal training programs you should take. In addition, this topic covers the amount of experience you need to enter an occupation.

For more information see the Preparation topic.

A marriage and family therapist typically needs to:

  • have a high school diploma or equivalent
  • have a bachelor's degree or significant course work in psychology, sociology, or social work
  • have a master's degree in marriage and family therapy
  • complete an internship
  • pass a state licensing exam

Working Conditions 

Working Conditions

The Working Conditions section describes an occupation's characteristics. This section covers the conditions and settings that workers in an occupation are exposed to. This list also shows characteristics that a worker needs to do well in the occupation.

For more information see the Working Conditions topic.

In a typical work setting, marriage and family therapists:

  • Have a very high level of social interaction. They talk with patients extensively in person and over the telephone.
  • Work indoors in offices.
  • Must be accurate when diagnosing problems and advising patients on how to make changes. Patients seek good input and sound advice.
  • Generally work full time, 40 hours per week.

Wages 

Wages

The Wage section tells you how much money most workers in an occupation earn at the state level. Annual wage data appear for most occupations. The annual wage is based on working full time, 12 months of the year.

The wage graph provides two types of information about wages - the median wage and the wage range.

The median wage is represented by the vertical line inside the shaded bar. Half of all workers in the occupation earn an amount below the median wage and half of workers earn an amount above the median wage. Move your cursor over the bar to see the median wage value.

The wage range is represented by the shaded bar, a range that half of all workers in the occupation earn. 25% earn less than the low amount and 25% earn more than the high amount. Move your cursor over the bar to see the wage range values.

If the graph does not display a median wage it is because it is representing several occupations. In this case, the median wage range displays in the wage statement.

For more information see the Wages topic.

In Illinois, marriage and family therapists earn a median wage of $48,868 per year.

$0 $50 $100 $150 $200
Illinois

$ amounts are in thousands of dollars.

Employment and Outlook 

Employment and Outlook

The Employment and Outlook section gives you information about the size of an occupation, whether it is growing or declining in size, and how many job openings there may be each year.

There are five size categories for occupations in CIS: very small, small, medium, large, and very large. Similarly, five categories are used for the number of job openings: very few, few, moderate, high, and very high.

Five categories are also used for growth: declining, more slowly than average, average, faster than average, and much faster than average. The growth rate tells you how rapidly an occupation is expected to grow in comparison to all other occupations. This information is an estimate. No one can predict exactly how many jobs will be available. The rate of growth of an occupation is determined by several factors. A few major factors are the state of the economy, competition, technological advances, and environmental rules.

For more information see the Employment and Outlook topic.

In Illinois, 2,070 marriage and family therapists work in this small occupation.

LocationEmployment10 Year GrowthAnnual Openings
Illinois2,070
Small
7.1%
Average
212
Few
Source: Illinois Career Information System (CIS) brought to you by Illinois Department of Employment Security.