Becoming a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in Delaware

As a marriage family therapist a person has the responsibility of helping individuals, couples, and families through any relationship problems that they may have. The family therapist will help guide their clients through the process of dealing with emotional and mental disorders that may be affecting their relationships. Many marriage family therapists use cognitive behavioral therapy to help their clients understand the harmful feelings and thoughts they may be having and turn them into more productive ones.

There are several steps a person must take in order to become licensed to practice marriage family therapy in the state of Delaware. These steps have been outlined below.

Educational Requirements for Marriage Family Therapists in Delaware

There are certain educational requirements for licensure in the state of Delaware as a marriage family therapist. A person must have a graduate degree from a program that has been approved by the state.

All license candidates must complete at least 45 didactic contact hours or four quarter hours or three semester hours in the following courses:

• Marriage family therapy models and theories
• Diagnosis and treatment of emotional and mental disorder
• Psychopathology
• Culture, gender, and ethnic diversity in marriage family therapy
• Sexual issues in marriage family therapy
• Family therapy theory and techniques
• Marriage and couple therapy theory and techniques
• Professional, ethical, and legal issues in marriage family therapy
• Research
• Clinical experience in marriage family therapy

Each of the courses above is required for licensure. If the student does not complete these courses during their graduate degree program they will need to complete them in another setting before applying for licensure.

Learn more about Delaware MFT degrees.

Post Graduate Experience Requirements for Family Therapy License in Delaware

After completing a master’s degree or doctoral program in marriage family therapy an individual will be required to complete at least 3200 hours of post graduate counseling experience in a period of at least two years but no more than four years. Of these 3200 hours at least half of the hours must be under direct supervision from a professional that has been accepted by the board. Supervisors may be:

• A licensed marriage family therapist in Delaware
• An AAMFT approved supervisor
• An AAMFT approved supervisor candidate that has been accepted by the board
• A licensed marriage family therapist from a different state that has held their license for at least five years in that state and has passed the AMFTRB examination.

Any hours that are completed under the supervision of a person that does not fit into one of the categories above will not count towards the 1600 hours, but may count towards the additional hours needed to complete the experience portion of the licensing requirement. The experience hours must be broken down into the following categories:

• Couple and family therapy: 500 hours
• Individual therapy: 500 hours
• Combination of individual or couple or family therapy in addition to the above requirements: 500 hours
• Face to face clinical supervision: 100 hours, this must be with a supervisor that has been approved.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Career Outlook In Delaware

The average yearly pay for those working as a mental health counselor was $56,230 in 2022. The national average yearly pay for those working as marriage family therapists was $63,300. In the state of Delaware the average yearly pay for marriage family therapists was $54,590 as of May 2022.

The state of Delaware had 210 licensed marriage family therapists as of May of 2022. The job growth in the field of marriage family therapy is expected to be quite good. The expected growth from 2021 through 2031 is 14%. This is a much higher rate of growth than the average for all jobs.

Research Additional Psychology Professional Licenses Granted by Delaware:

• Delaware Psychologist Licensing
• Delaware Counselor Licensing
• Delaware 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 Delaware