Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Things You’ll Need:
- Bachelor's degree
- Master's degree
How to Become a Family Therapist
Step1
Go to college. If you are in college now or considering college and becoming a family therapist is your goal, a psychology or social work major makes the most sense. But if you have completed psychology with another major, don't despair. You can learn psychology in graduate school.
Step2
Go to graduate school. Your major is much more important at this stage. You cannot go wrong if you major in clinical or counseling psychology. Some schools even offer a specialty in family therapy or marriage and family therapy.
Step3
Take as many family therapy classes as possible. Make sure you are comfortable practicing this type of therapy, because it is not for everyone. A family therapist must be comfortable in volatile situations.
Step4
Read the classics by Murray Bowen, Salvador Minuchin and Charles Fishman. Do some research into attending one of the family therapy institutes in your area for additional training and the ability to watch family therapy being done. Find someone along the way that can be your mentor and provide you with guidance as you begin to work toward your licensure.
Step5
Get experience. Do an internship at a facility with at least one family therapist who has agreed to supervise you. Make sure this person is a licensed family therapist. After you graduate, plan on doing two additional years of full-time work before you can sit for your licensure exam.
Step6
Get licensed. After you have completed your two years of post-degree supervised clinical experience you can take your national licensing exam. The exam is conducted by regulatory boards of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
Novice 
