Hello theomegawolf-ga,
To answer your monetary questions first, as a ?just out of school? MFT
you?re not likely to make a lot. Depending on the setting and
location, you will probably earn around $45,000. This is after you?ve
gotten your master?s degree and your license. One of the
qualifications for the license is 3000 supervised hours. While you?re
getting those hours you will get paid very little. After five years
your earnings will probably increase to the mid $50K range. Again, it
all depends on the setting and location.
There are a few therapists who do very well in private practice but
most struggle to make a living. It?s extremely difficult to build a
practice and you have to remember that you have to do a lot of market
to bring in new business. It?s very difficult to build up a steady and
reliable stream of clients. Most clients will come word of mouth
referrals or based on whatever marketing activities you engage in.
I?ve included some links to help you get a feel for what?s involved in
building a practice.
One more note about private practice. It?s a very lonely job and many
people who are extroverts end up feeling isolated and lonely. Be sure
to talk to people who are in private practice. Try to interview people
who are happy and successful as well as practitioners who are
struggling or ambivalent.
I?ve found a few links to give you information about MFT salaries in
California. There is very little hard hard data available and nothing
for MFTs in private practice. You will have to get this information
from networking with people who are already working in the field.
As I was researching your question I wondered why you?re considering
the MFT instead of some of the other mental health professions,
especially MSW or LCSW. I?ve included some information on these
options since the research seems to indicate that the occupational
outlook is better for these positions than for the MFT.
I live in California and I know quite a lot about the mental health
field. I recommend that you do some extensive research before making
your decision about what kind of degree you want to get. I?ve included
some links for professional organizations as well. I suggest that you
explore what they have to offer.
I?m sorry that I have to caution you about the major investment of
time and money you?re contemplating. Be sure to make sure you
understand the profession and how the job market for it works as well
as review your own personality and motivations. I?ve met many people
who got into the field and could not make a go of it in private
practice and ended up in low paying jobs in social service agencies
with enormous case loads.
I wish you well for your career change.
~ czh ~
=================================================
SALARY ? MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPISTS, CALIFORNIA
=================================================
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layouthtmls/CA/swzl_compresult_state_CA_HC07000040.html
California Social Worker (MSW) Salaries
Click to view salary reports for cities in California or nearby states
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_compresult.asp?narrowcode=CS02&jobcode=HC07000040&metrocode=98&metro=Los%20Angeles&state=California&geo=Los%20Angeles,%20California&jobtitle=Social%20Worker%20(MSW)&narrowdesc=Non-Profit%20and%20Social%20Services
The median expected salary for a typical Social Worker (MSW) in Los
Angeles, California is $53,349.
Social Worker (MSW) 25th%ile Median 75th%ile
Los Angeles, California $49,109 $53,494 $57,320
-------------------------------------------------
http://naswca.org/
National Association of Social Workers ? California
http://naswca.org/jobsbullsocal.htm
NASW JOBS BULLETIN
Southern California jobs listed below.
***** This is a collection of about 15-20 job postings, many of them
LCSW/MSW/MFT. Many jobs treat these degrees/licenses as
interchangeable. Several of the job postings include salary so this
may be worth a look just to get an idea of what the current job market
looks like.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.jobaps.com/sbr/sup/B04-13132M-01.asp?RecruitNum3=01
LICENSED MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPIST / PRE-LICENSED MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPIST
San Bernardino County Human Resources
SALARY
LMFT: $45,323 to $57,845 approx annual salary (R XG)
Pre-licensed MFT: $39,146 to $50,003 approx annual salary (R XE)
Plus health insurance and retirement plans
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.camft.org/Classifieds/emp_opp.htm
http://www.camft.org/scriptcontent/index.cfm?displaypage=../Classifieds/emp_opp.htm
Classified Employment Opportunities
***** These are state wide job postings but some are from Southern
California. A few show the salary. They?ll help you get an idea of
what is available in the current job market.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.latimes.com/classified/jobs/counselor/la-counselor-050805,0,4810788.htmlstory?coll=la-class-employ-counselor
Marriage, family therapist
Employment Outlook
Average growth is projected through 2010 for mental health counselors.
Both economic and personal factors impact a therapist's ability to
build a practice. As with other businesses, creating a business plan,
a marketing plan, and developing a specialized niche will enhance a
therapist's ability to build a private practice.
Earnings
Charges per session can range from approximately $65 to $125 or more
per hour. Therapists work an average of 15 to 20 hours per week. If
working in a private practice, an MFT intern is generally paid on a
50-50-split basis. Many MFTs have supplementary sources of income,
such as a part-time clinical affiliation.
=========================================================
OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK AND PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION FOR MFT
=========================================================
http://www.futurehealth.ucsf.edu
Center for the Health Professions
http://www.futurehealth.ucsf.edu/CWI/mntlbeh.htm
http://www.futurehealth.ucsf.edu/pdf_files/MH-report.pdf
The Mental Health Workforce: Who?s Meeting California?s Needs? (2003)
This report is a comprehensive examination of California?s mental and
behavioral health workforce. This publication presents information
about the current and projected supply and demand for mental health
professionals, detailed profiles of key mental professions, a mental
health workforce ecology, and recommendations regarding workforce
planning, care delivery, regulation, education, and future study.
The report profiled the psychiatry, psychology, marriage and family
therapy, licensed clinical social work, psychiatric nursing and
significant clinical support professions in California. Included in
the report were occupational profiles and estimates of the current
workforce, a demand forecast of workforce need through 2010, a profile
of the ecology of mental and behavioral health care work in
California, and recommendations for needed data collection and further
study.
***** You can download the entire 116-page report or only select
portions of it. This is an outstanding paper that will give you a
comprehensive review of the state of the mental health industry and
the specialized healthcare providers in the field.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.jobjournal.com/article_full_text.asp?artid=1354
http://www.jobjournal.com/article_printer.asp?artid=1354
February 13, 2005
Positive Outlook for Mental Health Careers
These days, California is abuzz about mental health. Many hopeful
discussions have been sparked by last November's passage of
Proposition 63, which put a 1 percent tax on incomes of $1 million or
more. Each of California's 58 counties stands to get a sizable portion
of those funds to help the mentally ill.
What does that mean for jobseekers? Ultimately, it will mean new
mental-health jobs. Lots of jobs, especially when you look at the
projected revenues in coming years: $750 million in '05-'06 and $800
million in '07-'08. Since providing mental health services is very
labor intensive, much of this money will go to new staff.
But as of yet, no county has received funding nor has any county begun
to hire additional staff. Stephen Mayberg, director of the State
Department of Mental Health, has stressed that money will be
distributed gradually, with funds held until each county is ready.
Anyone in this field would be wise to get involved in their local
county's dialog to get a handle on what employment opportunities might
arise.
***** Be sure to read the rest of the article to see where the likely
opportunities will emerge.
-------------------------------------------------
http://gsep.pepperdine.edu/currentstudents/MalibuMFTHdbkFall2003a.pdf
Pepperdine University, Graduate School of Education and Psychology
MFT Day Program Handbook
***** This is a very detailed 27-page document that spells out what it
takes to get your degree and license as a marriage and family
therapist in California. The section on getting your 3000 supervised
hours is excellent. The last page on MFTs in California: Demographics
is very informative. Key information includes, ?Has an annual average
income before taxes of $52,000,? and ?Has a usual and customary fee of
approximately $87 per hour (in reality, however, only collects $73 per
hour.)?
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.ced.csulb.edu/graduate/documents/mft_app.pdf
CSU, Long Beach, Department of Educational Psychology, Administration & Counseling
MS in Counseling, Option in Marriage & Family Therapy
***** This is a 15-page document that describes the education and
licensing process at a State university.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.sandiego.edu/soe/acadprog/mft/mftprof.php
Marital & Family Therapy
Current requirements for licensing include
1.
A Master's or Doctorate with a specialization in Marital and Family
Therapy. The MFT degree from USD meets the current educational
requirements for California licensure.
2.
3000 hours of supervised experience. The supervisor must be a licensed
MFT, a licensed psychologist, a licensed clinical social worker, or a
psychiatrist. At the present time, 750 direct client contact and
supervision hours can be completed by a candidate before the graduate
degree is completed. The 500 hours of client contact needed for
graduation from the USD program and the supervision received at
practicum placements count toward this requirement. Pre-graduate
degree hours must be done in an agency setting. Post-degree hours can
be done with a supervisor in a private practice setting if desired.
3.
When the graduate degree and the supervised experience hours are
completed, the candidate for licensing must pass a written and oral
examination given by the BBS and pay appropriate fees.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.bbs.ca.gov
http://www.bbs.ca.gov/lic-req.htm
Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)
This is the state organization that regulates the practice of Marriage
& Family Therapy in California. The BBS oversees the licensing of
MFT's in California. The program has been designed to meet
requirements set forth by the BBS so that you can become licensed in
California.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.camft.org
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
This organization provides services and advocacy for MFT's in
California. It is strongly recommended that you join CAMFT as soon as
possible since they are a valuable professional resource, particularly
in understanding and navigating through BBS requirements.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.latimes.com/classified/jobs/counselor/2004/la-counselor-021304,0,6084598.htmlstory?coll=la-jobs-counselor-2004
Licensed clinical social workers
Question: I am completing my bachelor's degree in psychology and am
thinking of becoming a therapist. I have been told that becoming a
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) would be a better option than
becoming a Marriage Family Therapist (MFT). What would I need to do to
become a LCSW?
? Sara
Response: I agree that becoming a clinical social worker will likely
give you more options than you will have as a marriage, family
therapist. There are generally more job opportunities and a broader
range of jobs for social workers.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.relationshipcoachinginstitute.com/coaching-and-mft.htm
Professional Coaching and the Marriage and Family Therapist
The MFT profession seems to have been carried along with these trends
and swung back toward the medical model of the "expert doctor" healing
the "suffering patient." According to a 1997 survey conducted by the
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists:
-- MFTs treat individuals for depression more than they work with
relationship issues
-- More than 50% of MFTs are on managed care panels
-- 70% of MFTs bill insurance for their services (which means they
must provide a clinical diagnosis)
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/Students/CareerLibrary/Links/header.cfm?FIELD=7&OCCUP=true#Marriage_and_Family_Therapist
Education & Social Work Career Exploration Links ? Occupational
==========================
PRIVATE PRACTICE AS AN MFT
==========================
http://www.beawealthytherapist.com/
Practice Building Coaching Programs
You can have the psychotherapy practice you want?great clients,
fabulous work and the income you want! It is simply about eliminating
some old beliefs, learning some different skills and implementing a
successful plan.
I'd like to help. I am Casey Truffo and I am known as the Therapist's
Business Coach.
My company is called Be a Wealthy Therapist! because I believe we owe
it to ourselves, our family and our clients to be happy and be
wealthy. And you get to decide what wealthy means to you. For some it
may be a small practice of 5 clients you enjoy. For some it will be a
full caseload with a long waiting list. You get to decide.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.pohly.com/books/howtobuild.html
How to Build a Thriving Fee-for-Service Practice: Integrating the
Healing Side with the Business Side of Psychotherapy
Twenty years ago, a therapist could hang up a shingle, make some
networking calls, and begin to create a steady stream of referrals.
Since then, private practice has changed dramatically. Now therapists
everywhere are struggling just to keep their practices going.
The need has never been greater for sound business tools for building
and marketing a therapy practice.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.buildingyouridealpractice.com/aboutus.html
BuildingYourIdealPractice.com!
We are a membership organization committed to providing you the best
cutting-edge information and support to help you build your ideal
private practice and fill it with the clients you want to work with.
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.kyca.org/tip_sheets/counselors_for_private%20pactice.htm
Tips for Counselors for Setting Up a Private Practice
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0471426237/103-1300990-5022207?v=glance
Getting Started in Private Practice : The Complete Guide to Building
Your Mental Health Practice (Getting Started)
by Chris E. Stout, Laurie Cope Grand
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.privatepracticesuccess.com/
Business Coaching for Therapists, Coaches and Healing Professionals.
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