Family Therapy Provider Training and Jobs
Schools and Degrees
Those who wish to become a family therapy provider should earn a master’s degree program, which prepares students in wide areas of practice and theory related to family therapy. A person who desires to become a family therapy provider should also earn a graduate degree in subjects as psychiatry, clinical social work and psychology and then specialize in family therapy by completing a post graduate degree program on clinical training.
Training and Education
You'll generally want a master's degree for this career path. Of current family therapy providers, 73% graduated from college with degrees. Some 18% of workers attened college but did not go on to get a bachelor's degree. A high school education was sufficient for 9% of employees.
Job Overview
Family therapy providers help families and couples solve emotional problems and try to prevent families and individuals from getting into a crisis situation. They address problems like troubled marriages and divorce, bulimia, depression, financial and emotional issues and grief. They usually deal with sensitive and emotionally stressful situations.
Job Requirements
Those who earn a graduate degree and then wish to become a family therapist need to have supervised clinical experience in order to qualify for certification or licensure. Apart from a degree, most states require family therapists to have advanced training and to have worked under the guidance of an expert. They need to have had training in diagnosis and management of psychological disorders in areas such as marital relations, behavioral patterns and family relationships.
Many family therapy providers can become members of The American Association of Marriage and Therapy. To become a member, the family therapy provider is required to attain some pre-defined eligibility criteria.
Family therapists need to be trained in a number of curative methods and techniques. They need to be patient listeners and be empathetic. Simultaneously, they must be careful not to get too emotionally attached with the personal problems of their patients. They need to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and must be observant and analytical by nature.
Nature of Work
Family therapy providers address family problems and help solve those problems. When necessary, they refer their clients to the right psychiatric resources, use psychotherapy and educate them on interpersonal relations. Family therapy providers make use of the family perspective to realize individual and group issues. They understand the problem and try and find solutions for it.
Family therapy providers can work in many different places like in schools, prisons, courts, medical facilities and in employee aid programs. They need to adapt themselves according to the places where they work.
Area Job Conditions
Finding family therapy providers is easiest in Ocean City (New Jersey), Camden (New Jersey), and Santa Rosa (California), and by comparison more challenging in Kansas City (Missouri), Denver (Colorado), and Chicago (Illinois).
The pay is best in Honolulu (Hawaii), Durham (North Carolina), and Bridgeport (Connecticut) and worst in Tampa (Florida), Jacksonville (Florida), and Nashville (Tennessee).
Part-Time and Self Employment
Family therapy providers working part-time accounted for 15% of those employed in 2008. Self-employed workers represent an estimated 6% of the total.
Career Videos
Family Therapy Providers by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)
In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.
Alabama
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | $46,000 | 60 | -31% |
Alaska
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage | $71,000 | 50 | +76% |
Arizona
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | $46,000 | 50 | -84% |
California
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | $64,000 | 90 | +100% |
| Los Angeles | $50,000 | 1,900 | +164% |
| Oakland | $55,000 | 610 | +245% |
| Oxnard | $52,000 | 160 | +210% |
| Redding | $50,000 | 50 | +430% |
| Riverside | $53,000 | 310 | +45% |
| Salinas | $54,000 | 130 | +380% |
| San Diego | $57,000 | 510 | +120% |
| San Francisco | $53,000 | 450 | +156% |
| Santa Ana | $50,000 | 610 | +136% |
| Santa Barbara | $52,000 | 140 | +392% |
| Santa Rosa | $56,000 | 100 | +238% |
| Vallejo | $59,000 | 40 | +101% |
Colorado
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder | $43,000 | 30 | +16% |
| Denver | $33,000 | 120 | -46% |
Connecticut
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford | $48,000 | 110 | +9% |
| New Haven | $57,000 | 30 | -36% |
| Norwich | $55,000 | 40 | +96% |
Delaware
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington | $55,000 | 190 | +235% |
District of Columbia
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $55,000 | 390 | -10% |
Florida
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Coral | $45,000 | 40 | +21% |
| Fort Lauderdale | $40,000 | 430 | +249% |
| Jacksonville | $39,000 | 140 | +32% |
| Miami | $44,000 | 340 | +96% |
| Tampa | $36,000 | 320 | +58% |
| West Palm Beach | $43,000 | 120 | +32% |
Georgia
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | $51,000 | 160 | -61% |
Hawaii
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | $77,000 | 40 | -48% |
Illinois
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $40,000 | 50 | -93% |
Indiana
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington | $36,000 | 50 | +349% |
| Evansville | 40 | +37% | |
| Indianapolis | $67,000 | 140 | -12% |
| South Bend | $46,000 | 60 | +178% |
| Terre Haute | $39,000 | 60 | +452% |
Iowa
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | $45,000 | 80 | +39% |
Kentucky
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | $34,000 | 70 | -35% |
Louisiana
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | $33,000 | 30 | +144% |
Maryland
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | $46,000 | 1,210 | +420% |
Massachusetts
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | $48,000 | 300 | -3% |
Michigan
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | $37,000 | 70 | -41% |
| Grand Rapids | $33,000 | 30 | -55% |
| Warren | $48,000 | 60 | -69% |
Minnesota
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis | $52,000 | 770 | +143% |
Missouri
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Louis | $38,000 | 90 | -62% |
Nebraska
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha | $36,000 | 120 | +45% |
New Hampshire
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | $46,000 | 40 | +378% |
New Jersey
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City | $64,000 | 150 | +513% |
| Edison | $61,000 | 1,400 | +668% |
| Newark | $62,000 | 1,190 | +571% |
| Trenton | $67,000 | 500 | +1176% |
New York
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | $30,000 | 100 | +26% |
| New York | $50,000 | 1,640 | +77% |
| Syracuse | $39,000 | 30 | -45% |
North Carolina
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | $66,000 | 40 | -17% |
North Dakota
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fargo | $52,000 | 60 | +194% |
Ohio
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | $50,000 | 80 | -56% |
| Toledo | $41,000 | 90 | +76% |
| Youngstown | $47,000 | 40 | +2% |
Oklahoma
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City | $40,000 | 70 | -31% |
| Tulsa | $33,000 | 60 | -21% |
Oregon
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eugene | $92,000 | 60 | +153% |
| Portland | $55,000 | 380 | +109% |
| Salem | $55,000 | 40 | +59% |
Pennsylvania
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown | $55,000 | 220 | +263% |
| Lancaster | $64,000 | 80 | +97% |
| Philadelphia | $48,000 | 360 | +6% |
| Pittsburgh | $45,000 | 160 | -21% |
| York | $44,000 | 30 | 0% |
South Dakota
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid City | $39,000 | 50 | +394% |
Tennessee
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville | $34,000 | 80 | +37% |
| Memphis | $35,000 | 180 | +65% |
| Nashville | $29,000 | 220 | +68% |
Texas
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | $51,000 | 60 | -57% |
| Fort Worth | $44,000 | 60 | -61% |
| Houston | $53,000 | 200 | -57% |
Virginia
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lynchburg | $37,000 | 70 | +330% |
| Richmond | $35,000 | 250 | +130% |
| Roanoke | $47,000 | 80 | +203% |
| Virginia Beach | $41,000 | 250 | +86% |
Washington
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $41,000 | 160 | -36% |
| Spokane | $37,000 | 100 | +184% |
| Tacoma | $45,000 | 140 | +205% |
West Virginia
| City and Area | Median Salary | Employees | Job Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington | $39,000 | 30 | +59% |
| Wheeling | $36,000 | 30 | +190% |