Becoming a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in New Jersey

Marriage family therapists held about 62,080 jobs in 2022. There are a variety of settings that these professionals may work in including hospitals, colleges, government offices, mental health centers, drug treatment facilities, as well as in private practices. Individual and family service positions make up the highest percentage of jobs in the field.

In order to become licensed as a marriage family therapist in the state of New Jersey there are educational, experience, and examination requirements that must be met. These requirements for licensure are outlined below.

Educational Requirements for Marriage Family Therapists in New Jersey

Any person that wishes to become licensed as a marriage family therapist in the state of New Jersey must have at least a master’s degree in marriage or pastoral counseling, social work, family life education, sociology of the family, psychology, or another area of study that is related to one of these where the transcripts indicate that an appropriate course of study has been completed.

For those that do not have a master’s degree in marriage family therapy the following course requirements must be met before applying for a license:

• One graduate course in theoretical foundations of marriage family therapy
• Four graduate courses in assessment and treatment within marriage family therapy
• Two graduate courses in family studies and human development
• One graduate course in professional studies and ethics
• One graduate course in research
• One graduate course in supervised clinical practice

All of the courses and requirements listed above are minimum requirements that must be met. One additional course in a related field of study that is equal to three semester hours of graduate course work must also be completed in order to fulfill the education requirement for licensing in the state of Indiana.

Learn more about New Jersey MFT degrees.

Experience Requirements for Family Therapy License in New Jersey

In order to be considered for licensure in the state of New Jersey a person is required to complete three years of experience. This is full time counseling experience with at least two years in marriage counseling. These two years in marriage counseling experience must be supervised by an individual that holds a degree in marriage family therapy or an equivalent subsection and has at least five years of experience. This experience must come after the individual has completed their master’s or doctoral degree.

Examination Requirements for Licensure

Examinations are conducted at least once a year by the board. The examination will be written and if deemed appropriate by the board at the time oral as well. Questions on the written examination will include theory and applied knowledge that the board has determined to be important in practicing as a marriage family therapist.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Career Outlook In New Jersey

In the state of New Jersey in May of 2022 there were 4,220 licensed marriage family therapists. This makes the state the second highest when it comes to marriage family therapist employment. The number of marriage family therapists is expected to increase by 14% from 2021 through 2031. This job growth is higher than the average job growth rate for all careers nationally.

The national average salary for those working in the profession of marriage family therapists was $63,300. In the state of New Jersey the average salary for marriage family therapists was much higher at $83,590. New Jersey has the highest average salary for those working in this field with many earning in the top ten percent.

Research Additional Psychology Professional Licenses Granted by New Jersey:

• New Jersey Psychologist Licensing
• New Jersey Counselor Licensing
• New Jersey 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 New Jersey