British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy
The psychological reference that is most usually utilized Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) is an abbreviation (or Marriage and Family Therapist). Marriage and family therapists (MFTs) are mental health professionals who have had extensive training in psychotherapy and family systems at the graduate level. They are licensed in the state of California.
What is a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) and how does one become one? Marriage and family therapists, according to the federal government, are essential mental health specialists. In the field of mental health, MFTs work with other professionals such as psychiatrists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, and psychologists.
It stands for Marriage and Family Therapist, formerly known as Marriage, Family, and Child Counselor (MFT/MFCC) in some states. Specifically for California, it is a master’s level license that is not recognized across the rest of the United States. In order to produce for MFTs what the LCSW is for social workers, there is a new national counterpart to this license being developed.
As Joanne Ketch, LPC, LMFT, a Katy-based addiction specialist and mental health counselor explained, ″while a mental health counselor or licensed professional counselor can provide couple and family counseling, an LMFT has received specific training in the patterns and dynamics that inform issues around family functioning.″