什么是婚姻家庭治疗师？

Couples and families face unique problems, which is why they often seek out help from marriage and family therapists. These professionals are trained to deal specifically with interpersonal issues that arise in individuals, couples, families, and groups.

Are interested in a career in this field? Get a better idea of what marriage and family professionals do, where they work and how much they earn in this overview of this fascinating profession.

What They Do

Marriage and family therapists assess, diagnose and treat mental illness and psychological distress within the context of the marriage and family systems. The professionals provide counseling services in several different areas including premarital counseling, relationship counseling, child counseling and separation and divorce counseling.

婚姻和家庭治疗师可能定期执行的一些典型任务包括：

• 精神障碍的诊断与治疗
• 实施psychotherapywith individuals, couples, and families
• 制定治疗计划
• 帮助客户发展新的人际沟通技巧
• Collecting information about clients throughself-report inventories, interviews, observations, discussions and formal assessments.

除了提供客户服务外，该领域的许多专业人员还花时间推销他们的服务，特别是如果他们从事私人业务的话。完成文书工作和与保险公司打交道也占用了治疗师相当一部分的时间。当与客户合作时，治疗师需要保持准确的病例进度说明, keep a record of evaluations, and note any recommendations for further treatment.

So what makes marriage and family therapists different from other kinds of therapists? While they offer psychotherapy and attend to mental health issues, they focus more on how family dynamics impact psychological health. On a daily basis, they might deal with numerous different client issues such asself-esteem, self-harm, depression, anxiety, grief, anger, and relationship problems.

他们工作的地方

家庭治疗师在一系列就业领域工作，包括门诊护理中心、个人和家庭服务、地方和州政府以及其他医疗机构的办公室。其他常见的工作环境包括私人诊所、住院精神卫生机构、学校、大学和诊所。万博手机客户端

他们挣多少钱

截至2014年5月，婚姻和家庭治疗师的平均年薪为48040美元。根据Occupational Outlook Handbook，该行业收入最高的行业包括：

• 州政府-67380美元（年工资中位数）
• 地方政府——55260美元
• 其他卫生专业人员办公室——54240美元
• Outpatient care centers - $49,520
• 个人和家庭服务——45600美元

培训和教育要求

The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) suggests that the minimum training to become a marriage and family therapist includes a master's degree plus two years of supervised clinical experience. After completing these educational requirements, therapists must also pass state licensing exams.

In addition to the basic training and educational requirements, it is important for professionals to have the characteristics that will allow them to succeed in the job.

• 人际交往技巧：Compassion and empathy are vital. Marriage and family therapists should be good at listening to their clients.
• Problem-solving abilities:婚姻和家庭治疗师需要能够处理复杂的问题，并提出有效的解决办法。
• 建立信任的能力：治疗师需要帮助他们的客户感到能够信任和分享他们内心的想法和感受。
• 组织技能：They also need to be able to keep track of case notes and other paperwork and manage billing and insurance claims, which is why organizational abilities are essential.
• Communication skills:Marriage and family therapists also collaborate with others including family members and healthcare professionals, so strong communication skills are a must.

使用不同技术的舒适性也会有所帮助。婚姻和家庭治疗师经常使用一系列技术工具，包括视频会议、会计软件、多线电话系统、电子表格软件、电子邮件和医疗软件。

工作前景

截至2012年，美国约有37800名婚姻和家庭治疗师。这个Occupational Outlook Handbooksuggests that the projected job growth for the profession will grow at a rate faster than the average through the year 2020. They project an estimated 29 percent growth between the years 2012 and 2022.