LMFT Vs. MSW

[spirit guy]

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Hello.
I know this topic has been brushed on before, but the emphasis has been on MSW from what I have found at the forum.
So, I would like this to be focused on LMFT over MSW if possible.
I plan to pursue a masters in psych with emphasis in MFT.
Antioch University Seattle.
Accredited with AAMFT and Coamfte.
Degree leads to license in the state of WA.
With accreditation one can use 500 client hours and 100 supervision hours towards license hours after grad in order to take state exam.
I realize the accreditations are important, as to why I have chosen this program.

I know MSW is more "flexible," but I do not wish to write policies and work with the community. I want to mainly work with clients and their emotional issues, hence my plan of study.

My questions are:
What are the success rates of people who have come out of LMFT programs?
Can you as a family therapist also work with mainly individuals and with couples?
I plan to work with eating disorder clients, so is there a need for LMFT practitioners?
The salary seems to be varied, so I wont ask that question.
Also, being a male in the field. Will this hinder me?

Thank you for your input, as it is greatly appreciated.
🙂

PS. I RESPECT ALL WORKERS IN THE FIELD AND AM GLAD TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO CARE FOR OTHERS. YOU ALL HAVE MY RESPECT AND ADMIRATION.

 

[progter]

I'm not a believer that the program must be COAMFT or AAMFT accredited. It really depends on where you are going to practice. Some states do not recognize the national accreditation such as New York. California does not require it either.

You need to research where you plan to work and what the requirements to work there are. You may find that programs that strive for national accreditation will actually hinder you, instead of help you.

The reason for this is because many states established their criteria for MFTs long before a national organization was formed and frankly do not care. Some states (new york for instance) do not agree w/ the national accreditation and have their own requirements.

A school only providing you 500 hours is a huge red flag to me. That really isn't much (unless the state you live in only requires 1500 supervised hours then the 500 is not bad). Many states require 3000 hours, some require 3200. Be warned, if you get licensed in a state that only requires 1500 (such as NY) and you attempt to move to a state that requires more... you will run into a huge red flag and must go back and complete more hours.

My fiance is an MFT and has had plenty of opportunities. So have the other students of hers that were on top of things. Some students fail to land their own internships because of a variety of issues, but all of them due to their own faults. Any of her colleagues that wanted to finish their 3000 hours and find employment have found it.

My fiance works both as a therapist w/ families and individuals and many couples.

Can't answer your eating disorder question.

Being a male won't hinder you, although, there aren't many in the field.

 

[pingouin]

I know MSW is more "flexible," but I do not wish to write policies and work with the community. I want to mainly work with clients and their emotional issues, hence my plan of study.

where oh where oh where does this misconception come from and why do so many people have it?

so frustrating.

not to say some social workers don't do this- because they do- but they are such a small minority that this stereotype is just flat-out hysterical to me.

 

[spirit guy]

Progter,
I found out today that the program offers way more hours than just 500 hours.
Thank you for the advice on the accreditation issue.
though I dont see myself moving to NY or Cali.
Thank you for your advice overall 🙂
Pingouin,
I was a social work Ba student for a little while and all the other students told me this. Thank you for setting me straight on the stereotype and helping me learn the truth. 🙂

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Hello.

I plan to pursue a masters in psych with emphasis in MFT.

My questions are:

What are the success rates of people who have come out of LMFT programs?
Can you as a family therapist also work with mainly individuals and with couples?
I plan to work with eating disorder clients, so is there a need for LMFT practitioners?

Also, being a male in the field. Will this hinder me?

1. Generally MFT programs offer a MS in Marriage and Family Therapy and result in being license eligible as a licensed marriage and family therapist. A masters in psychology (if it is license eligible) can learn marriage and family therapy skills, though the licensure is as a licensed professional counselor (LPC) or similar. This is an important differential because certain states recognize different licensures. I don't know all of the nuances, but check with the state(s) where you want to practice and make sure whatever program you choose meets their standards.

2. The success rates for licensure, employment, etc will have to be addressed by each individual program. I'd also ask about the attrition rate (how many students / percentage of students drop out before completing the program).

3. Marriage and family therapy can be a misnomer, as often they work with individuals and couples. The split from clinical and counseling was more of a philosophical difference. Check with each individual program to find out how much training you will get in other areas, as this may impact your decision. You'll also want to ask about what orientation(s) they teach, as this can impact your approach to ED treatment.

4. I'd call/ask eating disorder treatment centers who they tend to hire and what orientations those people use in practice. I'd also contact the local/state association for MFT and ask them if people are doing work in that area.

If you want to work with eating disorders, i'd strongly encourage you to line up mentorship from someone already in the field. EDs can be some of the most complex cases to treat and the peripheral knowledge you'll need about nutrition, medical complications, etc...will require some guidance. You'll need to be a solid generalist before you can specialize effectively.

 

[progter]

t4c brought up a huge point that I missed on and that is to check and see what orientation they are teaching. Personally, I think its in new trainees best interests to learn C&B but everyone has their preference.

You really need to check and see how the program is placing students in internships. Do you have to find your own? Do they provide a training facility for students? etc.

I wasn't suggesting that you might live in NY or CA but if you ever plan on living in ANY state other than WA you should be prepared for the chance that they will not accept your schooling just based on it being AAMFT accredited. In my honest opinion I think the state of NY has their MFT licensing requirements right and within the next 5 years every other state will be moving more towards their way of doing things, except California will more than likely never reduce the amount of hours under supervision needed down to 1500 like NY has.

 

[booksbuysell]

I understand beign a psy specialized in family issues allows you to practice when it comes to couples. Family is considered to be a group, and also is a couple. But this also depends on the epistemology taken into account. Hope it helps.

 

[spirit guy]

You really need to check and see how the program is placing students in internships. Do you have to find your own? Do they provide a training facility for students? etc.

Progter, Yes, the university does offer placement for internships, though students can also find their own if they so choose.


Thank you everyone for being so helpful. 🙂

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I understand beign a psy specialized in family issues allows you to practice when it comes to couples. Family is considered to be a group, and also is a couple. But this also depends on the epistemology taken into account. Hope it helps.

The degree doesn't necessarily dictate the patient population; the training within the particular graduate program, practica, and internship sites will dictate that. A clinician in graduate training should have exposure to individual, couples, group, and family...though I have found that most students gain experience in one or two areas, and then have to pursue more thorough training if they want to expand to another area. I don't think the expectation is that they come out ready to tackle everything, but that they have a good foundation of learning to build on during their internship/pre-licensure hours. I'm 6 years in (most of which were 60+ hr weeks) and I am STILL learning new things every day, and I STILL have areas where I do not feel comfortable practicing.

It is helpful to have preferences going into graduate school (family v. individual, etc), though things can change. It is most important to be grounded in theory and to continue learning throughout your career. Clinicians can run into problems when they try to be everything for every population. Start with one area and learn it well, and then move on to other areas.