About Marriage and Family Therapy
FAQ | General Questions | MFT
* Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) originated about 50 years ago when health care clinicians began to seek more effective and comprehensive ways to treat disorders such as schizophrenia, anorexia, and alcoholism.
* MFT is one of the five core mental health disciplines (along with psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, psychology, and social work) recognized by the National Institutes of Mental Health. (42 U.S.C. 242a)
* MFT is recognized by the U.S. Public Health Service's Health Resources Services Administration as a core mental health profession (along with psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurse specialists, and counselors). (42 CFR Part 5)
* Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) work with organizations, groups, families, couples, and individuals.
* MFTs view relational systems as frequent sources of stress and symptom formation.
* MFTs frequently treat anxiety, depression, substance abuse, adjustment disorders, marriage and family conflict, and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents.
* MFTs look at the client's relationships within systems (friends, family, school, work, and culture) as a way of understanding the development of problems.
* MFTs focus on the power of relationships within systems as an instrument of change and healing.
* MFTs pioneered brief, solution-focused, family-centered treatment, which seeks to pinpoint problems and complete therapy as soon as specific, concrete, measurable, and attainable therapeutic goals are met.
* MFTs recognize that while disorders have relational consequences, sometimes treatment must also include medical consultation, psychiatric consultation, medication, psychological testing, and individual psychotherapy, and make appropriate referrals for such treatment when it is indicated.
* MFTs come from a wide variety of backgrounds, such as medicine, psychology, psychiatry, nursing, counseling, and social work.
* MFTs in Virginia became a licensed profession in 1995.
* Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about MFT are answered in our MFT FAQ.
* You can find some general questions about MFT at AAMFT's FAQ's About MFT web page.