I'm not very well-versed on the MFT stuff, but I'll give it my best shot..
Specifically, my quesiton is: in order to be a licensed marriage and family therapist, must you attend a master's or PhD program in marriage and family therapy--or can you get a master's or PhD in counseling or clinical psych and then get licensed in marriage and family therapy? Meaning, is there only one route to being a licensed marriage and family therapist?
In looking at the school links from the AAMFT website, it listed both MA and PhD programs, so it would appear that there are two levels of MFT education. Most MSW and MA Counseling programs offer at least a few electives in MFT, and some offer post-masters certificate programs. Therefore there are a lot of routes to doing marriage and family therapy which do not involve getting a MFT degree or license. I'll let someone more familiar with PhD/PsyD programs answer what MFT training may be available at that level.
Also, I'm confused on what happens after you complete a MA in marriage and family therapy. It sounds like you have to be supervised for two years and then take a licensing exam. Is that true--that's what I garnered from reading programs' web sites. If that's the case, how does the supervision work? In what kind of settings would you be working during the supervision time?
That's almost exactly the procedure for getting a LCSW/LPC/LMHC, so it makes sense.
Supervision is provided by a licensed clinician (state regulations will tell you who qualifies to provide supervision) over a period of probably no less than two and no more than four years. It is roughly one hour per week for the length of the supervision, and there may be some flexibility in that. As an example, the MSW I'm supervising for her LCSW missed this week due to a funeral, so we'll meet for two hours next week to compensate. We could also do a four-hour block once a month, but I would never recommend that. Supervisors can be found through an employer, or within the community (ie, private practitioner). Licensing boards are starting to keep lists of qualified and willing supervisors. Some may charge, some may not. Supervision may be permitted to be done in a group setting, but usually that can only be a percentage of total supervision. A good supervisor should be knowledgeable about the field in which the supervisee is practicing. Again, social work example, but I supervise folks who are in mental health settings. I would not supervise someone who does school social work because I am not familiar with that system. The relationship is essentially that of mentor/teacher to learner.
Also, I read on the site about the average salaries, but what have people seen/heard in terms of average starting salaries? Are they in the 30's?
that's location-dependent
Is a career as a licensed marriage and family therapist one of the more lucrative areas to practice in with a master's? Are LMFTs the only master's people who can practice independently? I was under the impression that in most states, people with master's can't practice independently in private practice settings--that they must be supervised by PhDs.
LCSWs and LPC/LMHCs are able to practice independently as long as they have gone through the designated licensing hoops. I have a private practice, and I have no supervisor. My clinical decisions are my own. I consult with other therapists in my practice (all LCSWs and LPCs) when I need to, but I have no affiliation with any psychologists. I also do a lot of care coordination with my patients' psychiatrists, because that's good care, but technically that's not a requirement. As far as being lucrative, if LMFT is similar to the other masters-level licenses, then it can be. One has to pay their dues first, getting experience and building a reputation and networking system... but it can be done.
And it IS nice to take a vacation day whenever the hell you want.
