Becoming a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in Mississippi

Marriage family therapists provide mental health services to individuals, families, and couples who are having difficulties within their relationships. The family therapist will help the couple or family overcome these issues by increasing the communication between the members of the family. There are several techniques that are utilized by marriage family therapist to help rebuild relationships that may be damaged because of mental illness, low self-esteem issues, or drug abuse problems.

In the state of Mississippi there are certain requirements that an individual must meet before they are able to apply for their license as a marriage family therapist in the state. Below is an outline of the educational and experience requirements for licensure in Mississippi.

Educational Requirements for Marriage Family Therapists in Mississippi

There are certain educational requirements for becoming a licensed family therapist in Mississippi. The person that is seeking licensure must obtain a master’s degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy. The degree must come from a college or university program that has been approved by COAMFTE. The master’s degree or doctoral degree may also come from a program that has candidacy status from COAMFTE.

The applicant must also complete a clinical practicum in marriage and family therapy. The practicum must last for no less than twelve consecutive months. During the practicum the individual must have face to face clinical practice with couples and families that allow the applicant to apply their classroom learning to the field work that is necessary in actual marriage and family therapy situations that occur.

The practicum must include a minimum of 500 face to face clinical contact hours and of these 500 hours at least 200 of the hours must be relational contact hours with either couples or families. Supervision must be for at least one hour for every six hours of clinical client contact. This practicum experience has to be supervised by a person that has been approved by the AAMFT.

Read more about Mississippi MFT degrees.

Additional Requirements for Marriage Family Therapists in Mississippi

In addition to the above educational requirements the applicant must also have post graduate experience. A person seeking to become a licensed marriage family therapist in the state of Mississippi must have an approved supervision plan and complete two years of documented clinical experience after completion of their qualifying graduate degree. The post graduate experience has to include at least 1000 hours of client contact that is face to face.

The applicant must also complete 200 hours of marriage and family therapy supervision. At least 50 of these hours must be individual supervision. Individual supervision refers to having less than two supervisees or associates within the clinical setting during the supervised hour which consists of 50 minutes.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Career Outlook In Mississippi

Those that are studying to be marriage counselors and family therapists will be happy to know that the number of jobs available is expected to increase greatly in the next few years. The reason for this expected growth is the growing population as well and the fact that insurance companies are expected to begin covering the cost of therapy for their clients.

As of May 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there are about 80 marriage and family therapists working in Mississippi. These professionals have an average salary of $38,770, but the highest-earning MFTs in Mississippi make upwards of $44,870. Most of the positions in this field are with individual and family service agencies and in the offices of healthcare practitioners. Outpatient clinics are another large employer of people in the field of marriage and family therapy.

Research Additional Psychology Professional Licenses Granted by Mississippi:

• Mississippi Psychologist Licensing
• Mississippi Counselor Licensing
• Mississippi 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 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 Mississippi