How to Become a Couple's Therapist
To become a couples therapist, you must have an extensive education as well as experience in the field. Couples therapists are most often known as licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs), although psychologists, social workers and mental health counselors may also provide couples therapy services. All states require a license to practice couples therapy, with the exception of West Virginia, which allows licensed professional counselors to practice marriage counseling without an additional license.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Find and complete an educational program that will allow you to practice couples therapy. These are master's-level programs and most are offered at campus locations, although there are some programs offered online. If time is an issue, try to find a weekend program within commuting distance. Alternatively, you can go through a doctoral psychology program focused on counseling.
-
2
Check the licensing requirements for your state to find out how much experience you need in order to apply for a license. For example, Florida requires two years of supervised experience before one can become a licensed marriage and family therapist.
-
-
3
Send inquiry letters along with your résumé to local couple's therapy centers in your town. To obtain the necessary experience, you will perform counseling services in the office of a couples therapist with a senior level of experience.
-
4
Sit for your licensing exam. One such exam is the national exam created by the Examination Advisory Committee of the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB), although different states may use different exams.
-
5
Apply for your license after you have completed your education, experience and exam. Pay any applicable fees and provide all information requested. After you have your license you may start your own couple's therapy practice.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you already hold certain licenses (psychologist, mental health counselor, social worker, nurse practitioner---it varies from state to state) you may be able to bypass the education or experience requirements and simply pass an exam to obtain your couples therapy license.
