Becoming a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in Arkansas
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A marriage family therapist may work in a private practice or a mental health center, as well as some other settings. The purpose of a marriage family therapist is to help people manage and overcome emotional and mental disorders and problems that they may have in their relationships with their family. The marriage family therapist will listen to their clients and ask them questions to help them to fully understand their problems in order to develop strategies to help improve their lives.
In the state of Arkansas there are several requirements that must be met in order to become a licensed marriage family therapist in the state. This includes both educational and experience requirements. These requirements have been outlined below.
Requirements for Licensure in Marriage Family Therapy in Arkansas
A person that is applying for a license in marriage family therapy in the state of Arkansas is required to have a master’s degree or doctoral degree. The graduate degree program that is completed must include the core curriculum as outlined by the AAMFT. A person must include a list of courses that they have taken to meet these course requirements must be provided along with your application.
The master’s or doctoral degree program must consist of sixty graduate hours that are found to be acceptable by the board. Additional required courses must be related to counselling and related to the degree that has been approved by the applicant’s university program.
Applicants for licensure must include a statement for professional intent with their application. This must state the methods, theories, and techniques that you anticipate using in the profession as well as the population that you wish to serve.
Three letters of recommendation are required for licensing consideration. Two of these letters should be from people that can attest to your professional training. The third recommendation letter should be from a non-academic reference.
A person must pass the marriage and family therapy examination in order to become licensed in Arkansas. This examination takes place three times each year. The schedule for the examination is set by the Professional Examination Services.
Learn more about Arkansas MFT degrees.
Experience Requirements for Licensure
A person must provide documentation to show that they have at least three years of supervised professional experience. This experience should come after completing the graduate degree program. Both supervised practicums and internships that have completed to satisfy part of the master’s degree program may not be included.
In some cases advanced preparation courses in areas of counselling can contribute to the minimum number of years required for the professional experience criterion required to get your license. Thirty credit hours of courses related to counselling can be substituted for one of the years of supervised experience. A maximum of two years credit can be applied through courses that have been approved.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Career Outlook In Arkansas
The national average wage for those working as mental health counselors was $60,130 as of May 2022. The national average wage for individuals that specialized in marriage family therapy was $63,300 as of May 2022. In the state of Arkansas the average yearly wage was $42,620.
Overall, the expected job growth for marriage family therapist is expected to be 14% from 2021 through 2031. The expected rate of growth for mental health counselor positions in general is 22%. This rate of growth is higher than the rate of growth for all jobs. The main reasons for this projected growth are the increase in the population combined with the fact that many insurance companies are expected to begin paying for these services as part of their coverage.
Research Additional Psychology Professional Licenses Granted by Arkansas:
- Arkansas Psychologist Licensing
- Arkansas Counselor Licensing
- Arkansas Social Work Licensing
- Learn More About The Career of an LMFT
2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics job market trends and salary figures for marriage and family therapists and substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors are based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2023.
Schools with MFT Degree Programs Accepting Students from Arkansas
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