Contact
ADDRESS: 283 EML Hall, NDSU Fargo ND 58105
TELEPHONE: (701) 231-8268 Dr.Jim Deal, Head
COUPLE & FAMILY THERAPY
OVERVIEW:
Marriage and Family Therapists work in a variety of mental health settings providing assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide range of psychological interpersonal, social adjustment, or similar problems. They may provide therapy for individuals, couples, families, groups, or other combinations of people.
REQUIRED COURSES:
No specific undergraduate courses or majors are currently required, but as the graduate school admissions have become more selective, preference is given to students with CDFS and other mental-health related majors, minors, or course work. Courses in Systems Theory, Human Development (child, adolescent, life-span, etc.), Statistics, and similar areas would give an applicant a further edge
SPECIAL CONCERNS:
A masters degree is required in most states as a minimum requirement for practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist. Licensure is also required in most states, particularly for private practice. Many states also require licensure or active pursuit of licensure as a requirement for employment in agencies and other settings. It would be important to know the licensure requirements for the state(s) in which you are most likely to work after graduation and to tailor your program to meet those needs. A degree from an Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education accredited masters program will usually meet the requirements for licensure in most states, and will make it easier for an applicant to get additional education either in a doctoral program or in a post-degree training program. (American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists has a website listing COAMFTE accredited programs.) www.aamft.org
HOW TO PREPARE FOR AN MFT GRADUATE PROGRAM:
Good grades in undergraduate programs are essential. Particular attention is paid to grades in related courses, but the overall GPA and individual course grades are also considered. Many graduate programs also require GRE (Graduate Records Exam) scores. A few have additional requirements. If you are considering a master's or doctoral degree in MFT contact a few schools early for admissions information. This will give you a chance to meet or prepare for many of the requirements during your undergraduate studies. Demonstrated ability to write at the level necessary for successful completion of a thesis is required. Learn the APA format for scholarly papers and practice this format when papers are assigned in your undergraduate program. Your application will also be enhanced if you participate as a volunteer assistant in on-going research. Participation in publishing scholarly articles (with any degree of involvement in the process) would be an additional bonus. Successful candidates are helped a great deal if they are able to show previous experience working with people. This need not be direct experience as a therapist or counselor, but should show the ability of the candidate to work with a variety of people in a number of settings and under varying degrees of stress or crisis. Some ideas might include paid or volunteer experience on telephone crisis lines, hospice centers, hospital settings (e.g., candy striper), receptionist at a mental health facility, nurses aid, or university-credited field experience in a related field.
CAREER OPTIONS:MFT'S can be found in most mental health treatment settings. These might include such places as: private practice; state, county, or city mental health facilities; church-sponsored social services agencies; in-home treatment teams; psychiatric hospitals; addiction treatment centers; adult or juvenile court and corrections systems; employee assistance programs within private corporations; university counseling centers; and others, limited mostly by the interests and imagination of the practitioners.
SALARY POSSIBILITIES:
- Salary ranges are very wide.
- Some graduates chose to work for church-based or other non-profit programs that pay relatively little, but provide most of the benefits with a "feeling of service" type of reward system.
- For competitive agency employment, the usual starting salaries are in the mid $20,000's.
- With experience (and some agencies count program-required internships or licensure as experience), salaries can be in the upper $20 to mid-$30,000 range.
- Private practitioners usually charge between $60 and $100 or more an hour depending on the area where they practice.
- Upper limits in these settings depend on the number of hours worked and the type of reimbursement arranged (i.e., insurance, private pay, sliding fee scale, etc.).
- A survey of therapists from rural and urban settings across the country showed that Marriage and Family Therapists in private practice currently charge from $60 - $125/hour (average $84.23). Seeing 23 clients a week at $84.23 is over $100,000 a year.
- Changes in fees or hours will adjust total income.
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