How to Become a Family Therapist: From Student to Licensed LMFT
Family therapists will see a 16% job growth by 2030. This growth rate is substantially faster than other occupations, making it a perfect time to think over a career as a family therapist.
The national average salary stands at $68,730 (as of May 2023). Top professionals earn up to $92,120 in states with the highest pay rates. This career definitely provides financial security and meaningful work. The path to becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist needs specific educational goals. You must complete your bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The requirements include about 300 clinical hours of direct client contact and strict state licensing requirements. Your graduate program must have accreditation from The Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). The experience from student to licensed LMFT takes up to 10 years of dedicated study and practice.
Ready to start this rewarding professional path? This piece guides you through each step. You’ll learn everything from picking the right undergraduate program to getting your license in marriage and family therapy. Let’s begin your path to becoming a qualified family therapist who helps change people’s lives.
Step 1: Start with a Relevant Bachelor’s Degree
A career as a marriage and family therapist starts with a bachelor’s degree. This first step builds the foundation you need for graduate studies and clinical training.
What to study at the undergraduate level
Graduate programs welcome students from different academic backgrounds, though certain majors provide better preparation. Here are some popular choices:
- Psychology or counseling
- Sociology
- Human services
- Family studies or family science
- Communications
Students typically need 120-126 credit hours to complete these programs in four to five years. The coursework includes interpersonal communication, introduction to psychology, human behavior, prevention and crisis intervention, and case management.
You can still pursue a master’s in marriage and family therapy with an unrelated bachelor’s degree like nursing or history. Most programs focus on building transferable skills rather than specific subject knowledge.
Skills that help in family therapy
Your undergraduate years give you time to develop personal qualities that make you a better family therapist:
Active listening skills form the core of therapy—you must focus on clients, understand their perspective, and ask the right questions without cutting them off. Social perceptiveness helps you read people’s reactions and understand their responses.
Patience is a great way to get through tough sessions with clients who show slow progress or discuss the same issues repeatedly. Boundary setting helps you maintain work-life balance and prevents burnout in this demanding field.
Collaboration abilities help you work with social workers, insurance companies, and psychiatrists effectively. Strong client relationships grow from compassion, while good organizational skills help manage therapy’s paperwork requirements.
These qualities and your academic background create a strong foundation for the graduate education that follows in your path toward becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Step 2: Earn a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy
A master’s degree in marriage and family therapy is a vital next step after your bachelor’s degree to become a licensed professional in this field.
Choosing the right graduate program
The right graduate program depends on several key factors. Students usually choose between a Master of Science (MS) or Master of Arts (MA) degree. The MA program focuses more on advanced statistics and research. The MS degree puts greater emphasis on behavioral science and counseling.
Here’s what you need to review in each program:
- Curriculum that lines up with your career goals (like adolescent therapy or substance abuse)
- Field learning components (internships from 300-500 hours)
- Program format (on-campus, online, or hybrid)
- Cost and financial aid options
- Faculty expertise and their specialized areas
Understanding COAMFTE accreditation
The Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) stands as the leading accrediting agency for MFT programs. This accreditation ensures your education meets high-quality standards.
Programs with COAMFTE accreditation give you:
- A simpler path to licensure in many states
- Better preparation for licensing exams
- Credit transfer options between accredited programs
- More job opportunities (some employers, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, require COAMFTE-accredited degrees)
Programs need a detailed two-year review process to get COAMFTE accreditation.
Marriage and family therapist education requirements
Most master’s programs need a bachelor’s degree with a GPA between 2.7-3.0. You’ll need to submit:
- Official undergraduate transcripts
- Resume or CV
- Letters of recommendation
- Personal statement
- Complete an interview (this helps you see if the program fits your goals)
Your studies will cover psychopathology, family therapy, cultural competency, human sexuality, and trauma-informed care. You’ll also complete 300-500 practicum hours working with clients under supervision.
The master’s program gives you specialized knowledge and clinical experience needed for licensure. This prepares you for your next significant step: supervised clinical practice.
Step 3: Complete Clinical Experience and Supervision
Clinical experience bridges academic knowledge and professional practice as you work toward becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist. The hands-on training happens in two distinct phases.
Internship and practicum expectations
Your master’s program requires you to complete a practicum or internship as part of your marriage and family therapist education requirements. Most programs need 300 direct client contact hours during this phase. Students in COAMFTE-accredited programs must complete 100 of these hours in relational therapy with couples and families.
You will meet with an on-site supervisor and faculty supervisor weekly. The faculty supervisor must have AAMFT approval. Clinical placements happen at community mental health centers, private agencies, or residential facilities.
This original clinical experience helps students apply their theoretical knowledge while getting structured guidance from experienced professionals.
Post-master’s supervised hours explained
The path to LMFT certification continues after graduation with an intensive supervised experience period. State requirements vary but typically include:
- Between 2,000-3,000 total hours of supervised clinical experience
- About 1,500-2,200 hours of direct client contact
- Most states require at least 1,000-1,500 hours with couples and families
- Supervision ratios range from 1 hour of supervision per 10 client hours (at first) to 1 hour per 20 client hours (later in training)
A qualified supervisor provides oversight, guidance, and evaluation during this period. States usually need supervisors to be licensed mental health professionals with specific credentials.
Most jurisdictions provide associate or provisional licenses during this time. These licenses let you practice legally while completing the requirements. Post-master’s supervision takes 1-2 years before you qualify for full licensure.
Step 4: Get Licensed and Launch Your Career
Getting your license is the final step to becoming a marriage and family therapist. You can start the licensure process after completing your supervised clinical hours.
LMFT certification and exam process
The Marriage and Family Therapy National Examination, developed by the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB), is required by all but one state. California stands alone with its own state-specific exam. The national exam costs $370 and runs during set testing windows at Prometric centers across the United States.
To qualify for the exam, you must:
- Complete your graduate degree
- Register with your state licensing board
- Receive an approval code from your state board
- Submit an application to the Professional Testing Corporation (PTC)
Your licensing board will receive your scores about 20 business days after the testing period ends. If you don’t pass, you’ll need to get another approval code from your state before trying again.
State-specific license in marriage and family therapy
While states generally follow similar patterns, each has its own requirements. Most states ask for:
- Master’s degree (from COAMFTE-accredited or equivalent program)
- Completion of required supervised clinical hours
- Passing the national examination
- Background checks
- Additional state-specific courses (ethics, laws and rules)
You can get provisional licenses in many states that let you practice under supervision while finishing other requirements. Therapists who move between states can transfer their licenses through endorsement processes when their original state’s requirements match or exceed the new state’s standards.
Where family therapists can work
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists can build careers in settings of all types:
- Private practices
- Mental health centers
- Substance abuse treatment facilities
- Hospitals and healthcare organizations
- Schools and universities
- Employment assistance programs
- Community agencies
- Courts and correctional facilities
- VA centers
- Research institutions
The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a 16% growth in marriage and family therapy positions from 2023 to 2033. This makes it an excellent time to join the field.
Get Started
A licensed marriage and family therapist’s role needs dedication and persistence. This career experience helps you build specialized skills that qualify you to help families through their toughest moments.
The path from student to LMFT takes a big investment—approximately 10 years of education, clinical training, and supervised practice. The rewards make it worth the effort. Job growth projections show a 16% increase through 2033, and top-paying states offer competitive salaries up to $92,120.
Beyond financial stability, this career gives you something more valuable. Each day brings chances to change people’s lives. You help couples rebuild trust and parents connect with their children. Families heal from trauma through your guidance. These life-changing moments show the real value of your work.
Your bachelor’s degree creates a foundation for graduate studies. This prepares you for supervised clinical practice that leads to licensure. Active listening, compassion, boundary-setting, and collaboration skills benefit both your clients and career growth.
Family therapy ranks among the most challenging yet rewarding mental health specialties today. The requirements might look overwhelming at first, but this piece shows a clear path to achieve your goal through steady effort. Your future clients need the unique view and healing presence that only you can offer.
FAQs
Q1. What educational path should I take to become a marriage and family therapist? To become a marriage and family therapist, you’ll need to earn a bachelor’s degree, followed by a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from a COAMFTE-accredited program. While a psychology or communications undergraduate degree can be helpful, most graduate programs accept students from various majors.
Q2. How long does it take to complete the clinical experience requirements for LMFT certification? The clinical experience requirements vary by state but typically involve 2,000-3,000 total hours of supervised clinical experience. This post-master’s supervised practice usually takes about 1-2 years to complete before qualifying for full licensure.
Q3. What is the job outlook for licensed marriage and family therapists? The job outlook for licensed marriage and family therapists is very positive. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 16% growth in marriage and family therapy positions from 2023 to 2033, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.
Q4. How does the salary of a licensed marriage and family therapist compare to other counseling professions? Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) generally earn competitive salaries in the mental health field. The national average salary is $68,730, with top earners making up to $92,120 in the highest-paying states. LMFTs often have the potential to earn more than some other counseling professions, especially when working in private practice.
Q5. What types of settings can licensed marriage and family therapists work in? Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists have diverse employment opportunities. They can work in private practices, mental health centers, substance abuse treatment facilities, hospitals, schools, universities, community agencies, courts, correctional facilities, VA centers, and research institutions.