Frequently Asked Questions about Marriage and Family Therapy:

What is Marriage and Family Therapy?

Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) are specialists in relationships, not only one's relationship with others but one's relationship with oneself. ^top

How does one become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist?

Marriage and Family Therapists are psychotherapists and healing arts practitioners licensed by the State of California. Requirements for licensure include a related doctoral or two-year master's degree, passage of a comprehensive written and oral examination and at least 3,000 hours of supervised experience. This long and extensive road is completed by far fewer than start out on it. ^top

Why did you become an LMFT?

I have always known I wanted to be a therapist. I have been practicing hypnotherapy longer than I have been licensed as an MFT. I decided to become licensed because of the incredible training and experience I received along the ten year licensing process. I wanted to be part of a group that is bound by a code of ethics and monitored by the State of California because I think it's in the best interest of my clients. I also wanted the option of billing my services to insurance, making it financially more feasible for my clients to use my services. ^top

How does psychotherapy help people heal?

I believe that all human behavior is meaningful. There is a sense and purpose to what we are doing even though it may distress us and we cannot understand what is happening. Sometimes events from the past were experienced as too painful and we felt we could not cope unless we denied them. Yet the issues and the emotional difficulties remain, and if not addressed, can re-emerge as problems. It is the sense that a problem or a particular pattern of behavior is going on in your life, which you cannot understand or control, that often motivates someone to seek out a psychotherapist. ^top

Through the setting of a regular time and space where the therapist and the client can meet, it becomes possible to create a separate and safer environment from the ordinary world outside. In the therapy, the client can then talk about and express what is meaningful and significant in their life. An important part of this process is the relationship with the therapist. As the client comes to trust the therapist, not only do they find they can talk about and express their feelings, but they also come to experience a 'good' relationship that is both accepting and containing. ^top

What is healing in this process is that what was denied and yet still troubles the person, is expressed, and can then be worked through and understood. But perhaps what is more important is that the process of therapy takes place over time, and allows new meanings and new possibilities to emerge. ^top

Why do people come to psychotherapy?

People come into psychotherapy for many reasons. Listed below are some of the issues people bring to therapy.

• Relationship Problems
  This may be at work, with friends, in the family, in a marriage or with a partner, and can involve feeling you are not able to connect with those around you, or feeling anxious you'll be rejected.
• An Emotional Crises
  Counselling can be helpful at a time of emotional crisis such as the sudden loss of a job, a bereavement or simply feeling unable to cope.
• Identity and Difference
  Doubts about your identity and issues arising out of dealing with 'difference' which may be to do with race, class, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and disability.
• Personal Growth
  Wanting to develop your potential, finding out about yourself and discovering a more creative and fulfilling way to live your life.
• Specific Issues
  This can cover a wide range of presenting problems such as eating disorders, depression, difficulty sleeping, panic or anxiety attacks, physical, sexual or emotional abuse, sexual concerns, grief, feeling out of control and emotionally related health problems.
• General Themes
  Here the issues and problems will usually be less specific, but may include a sense of loneliness, or a lack of purpose, or feeling dissatisfied with life even though outwardly things are going well.

People usually come into therapy for a specific reason, but often find that other issues arise as the therapy progresses. ^top

What areas are MFTs trained to work in?

MFTs are trained to assess, diagnose and treat the following areas:

• Individual Counseling and Psychotherapy with Adults, Adolescents and Children
  MFTs traditionally provide both short and long-term help with a wide variety of issues and concerns, including depression, anxiety, trauma, life adjustment problems, personality disorders and more.
• Marital and Couple Therapy
  MFTs work with couples along the entire spectrum of their relationship, including: Pre-marital, marital, domestic partnerships, separation, divorce, and business partnerships.
• Family Therapy
  MFTs provide support and therapy for family problems that may require the attention and involvement of multiple generations to resolve.
• Group Therapy
  Where appropriate, many MFTs use a group setting for individuals, couples, and occasionally even families to provide support, insight, and modeling for problem resolution.
• Life Coaching
  Many MFT'S offer coaching as part of their practice. The goals of coaching, while often similar to those of therapy, focus on defining, motivating and assisting individuals to mobilize their personal and professional resources for work and life-related goals.
• Critical Incident Debriefing
  Some MFT'S are specially trained to respond quickly to people in communities where severe trauma has occurred, such as a natural disaster, airplane or train accidents, school or work shootings, or other forms of violence. Often a team of therapists is sent to counsel survivors of tragedy and those who have witnessed devastating events. ^top