What is the difference between a therapy and a counseling degree?
If you’re considering a career in mental health, you may be wondering whether a master’s degree in counseling or marriage and family therapy is the right path for you. While counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists can provide similar types of mental health care, their education, clinical training, areas of focus, and licensure can differ.
Understanding the differences between counseling and marriage and family therapy can help you choose a graduate program that aligns with the kind of therapist you want to become. Read on below to learn more.
Family Therapy
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Counseling vs. Marriage & Family Therapy
Counseling and marriage and family therapy are both paths to careers in mental health, but they approach clinical care from different perspectives. The right degree for you depends in part on the clients you want to serve, the kinds of clinical questions you want to explore, and the professional role you hope to build.
Counseling
Counseling programs prepare students to provide mental health services to individuals, groups, couples, and families, depending on the program and the counselor’s area of practice. Counseling education often emphasizes individual development, mental health, wellness, and helping clients address specific challenges or concerns.
Counselors may work in settings such as community mental health centers, schools, hospitals, treatment programs, private practices, and nonprofit organizations. Educational and licensure requirements vary depending on the type of counseling and the state in which you plan to practice.
Marriage & Family Therapy
Marriage and family therapy takes a relational and systemic approach to mental health care. Rather than looking only at an individual’s symptoms or concerns, MFTs consider how relationships, family dynamics, and larger systems can influence a person’s well-being.
MFTs work with individuals, couples, and families and may practice in community mental health centers, private practices, hospitals, schools, nonprofit organizations, and other behavioral health settings. A master’s degree and supervised clinical experience are typically part of the pathway to Marriage & Family Therapist licensure.
At Friends University, the Master of Science in Family Therapy combines theoretical knowledge with hands-on clinical training. Students develop the interpersonal, clinical, theoretical, and sociocultural skills needed to work with clients across a variety of relational and mental health concerns. Advanced students collectively provide more than 10,000 hours of relational services each year to individuals, couples, and families.
Learn more about the different kinds of jobs and career paths you can take with a Master of Science in Family Therapy from Friends University.
Which Career is Right for You?
If you’re drawn to understanding how relationships and family systems shape mental health—and you want to work with individuals, couples, and families—a Master of Science in Family Therapy may be a strong fit.
Explore the jobs and career paths available to graduates with a Master of Science in Family Therapy from Friends University.