Becoming a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in Montana
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The purpose of a marriage family therapist is to help individuals, couples and families form better relationships. The family therapist uses a variety of tools and techniques to help their clients overcome the harmful thoughts and feelings that they may be having and to replace them with ones that are more positive.
Montana has certain requirements that must be met in order to become licensed as a marriage family therapist in the state. Below is an outline of the requirements that need to be met before becoming licensed.
Educational Requirements for Marriage Family Therapists in Montana
In order to become a licensed therapist in Montana a person must attend and graduate from a master’s degree or doctoral degree program in marriage and family therapy. The program that they attend must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. If the program is not in marriage and family therapy the applicant must have a graduate degree from an allied field from an educational institution that is recognized by the state. The graduate level work that has been completed must be determined by the board to be the equivalent of a master’s degree or doctorate degree in marriage and family counseling or marriage and family therapy.
It is a good idea to make sure that the master’s degree or doctoral degree program that you are planning on attending is accredited before you apply for the program.
Learn more about Montana MFT degrees.
Additional Requirements for Marriage Family Therapists in Montana
In addition to the above educational requirements a person must have 3200 hours of supervised experience in the field of marriage and family therapy. Of the 3000 required hours 1000 of the hours must be in face to face client contact in a practice for marriage and family therapy. Up to 500 of the required experience hours can be accumulated while the applicant is achieving their educational credentials. It is important to make sure that the supervisor that is chosen and the place where the experience is being obtained have been approved by the state licensing board before beginning.
The state of Montana will accept test scores from the examination given by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Applicants are exempt from taking this examination if they have been certified, registered, or licensed under the laws of another state or territory within the United States that has passed an examination that is similar to the exam that is required by the state of Montana.
Once a person is licensed in the state of Montana they are required to obtain twenty clock hours each year of continuing education.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Career Outlook In Montana
There is a positive outlook for jobs within the marriage and family therapy field for the next few years. The overall increase in the number of mental health care counselors is expected to be 37 percent through 2020. The increase in the number of positions for marriage family therapists is expected to be 41 percent. This is a much faster rate of growth than the overall average for all occupations.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have any information about the number of people that are employed as a marriage family therapist in the state of Montana. There is also no information about the average median wage for individuals working in this field. However, the national average wage for those working as mental health counselors was $38,150 as of 2010. Marriage and family therapists tend to earn a bit more and the average wage for those working in this field is $45,720.
Research Additional Psychology Professional Licenses Granted by Montana:
- Montana Psychologist Licensing
- Montana Counselor Licensing
- Montana Social Work Licensing
- Learn More About The Career of an LMFT
Schools with MFT Degree Programs Accepting Students from Montana
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