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21-1013.00 - 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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
33,700
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
38,700
Estimate
Change in Employment
+5,000
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+14.8%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors.
  • Counsel clients on concerns, such as unsatisfactory relationships, divorce and separation, child rearing, home management, or financial difficulties.
  • Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner.
  • Maintain case files that include activities, progress notes, evaluations, and recommendations.
  • Collect information about clients, using techniques such as testing, interviewing, discussion, or observation.
  • Determine whether clients should be counseled or referred to other specialists in such fields as medicine, psychiatry, or legal aid.
  • Confer with clients to develop plans for posttreatment activities.
  • Provide instructions to clients on how to obtain help with legal, financial, and other personal issues.
  • Provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counseling services, issues, and methods.
  • Develop and implement individualized treatment plans addressing family relationship problems, destructive patterns of behavior, and other personal issues.
  • Confer with other counselors, doctors, and professionals to analyze individual cases and to coordinate counseling services.
Supplemental
  • Follow up on results of counseling programs and clients' adjustments to determine effectiveness of programs.
  • 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.
  • Supervise other counselors, social service staff, and assistants.
  • Provide family counseling and treatment services to inmates participating in substance abuse programs.
  • Write evaluations of parents and children for use by courts deciding divorce and custody cases, testifying in court if necessary.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Therapy and Counseling
  • 100%
    Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
 Psychology
  • 99%
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 80%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Sociology and Anthropology
  • 78%
    Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
 English Language
  • 73%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Clerical
  • 68%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Law and Government
  • 66%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 Philosophy and Theology
  • 63%
    Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
 Education and Training
  • 59%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 58%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 52%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Computer printers
  • Computer laser printers
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Personal computers
  • Personal digital assistants PDA
 Toys
  • Doll houses
  • Dolls
  • Hand puppets
  • Toy block sets
 Personal communication devices
  • Multi-line telephone systems
 Duplicating machines
  • Photocopying equipment
 Phone and video conference equipment and hardware and controllers
  • Videoconferencing equipment
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Industry specific software
  • Advantage Software Psych Advantage
  • American Medical Billing Software PMA
  • Anasazi Software Client Data System
  • Beaver Creek Software The THERAPIST
  • Blueberry Harbor Software Clinical Record Keeper
  • Care Paths eRecord
  • Casamba SmartClinic
  • Cornucopia Software Practice MAGIC
  • DocuTrac QuicDoc
  • eMDs Medisoft
  • EZ2Bill Confidant
  • EZClaim Healthcare Software EZClaim Advanced Medical Billing
  • Mdansby The PsychReport
  • Netsmart Technologies Helper
  • PM/2 Clinical Planner
  • PracticePRO Software Systems QuickPractice
  • Saner Software ShrinkRapt
  • SumTime Software SumTime
  • Synergistic Office Solutions SOS Case Manager
  • TheraManager
 Development software
  • Hypertext preprocessor PHP
 Finance accounting and enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Intuit QuickBooksHOT
 Data management and query software
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
 Information exchange software
  • Microsoft OutlookHOT
 Network applications software
  • Web browser software
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
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Germanna Community College
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J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
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Laurel Ridge Community College
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New River Community College
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Rappahannock Community College
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Virginia Western Community College
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