Marriage and Family Therapists
Also called: ABA Behavior Therapist (Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Therapist), Child and Adolescent Therapist, Child and Family Counselor, Child and Family Therapist, Clinical Therapist, Couple and Family Therapist, Couples Therapist, Family Counselor
Diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems.
What marriage and family therapists do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Diagnose mental and emotional disorders in clients.
- Confer with clients to develop plans for posttreatment activities.
- Collect information about clients, using techniques such as testing, interviewing, discussion, or observation.
- 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.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Marriage and Family Therapists salary
The median annual wage for marriage and family therapists is $66,940 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $44,650 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $123,730. The mean annual wage is $76,960.
The mean hourly wage of $37.00 is 5.1× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Marriage and Family Therapists (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $66,940 → in 3 years $74,200 → in 5 years $79,500 → in 10 years $94,400 (10-year range $81,200–$109,600). The model assumes pay growth of +3.5% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Marriage and Family Therapists
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Marriage and Family Therapists? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Marriage and Family Therapists
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Marriage and Family Therapists
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 5 — extensive preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become marriage and family therapists
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as marriage and family therapists
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.