Kentucky
Association
for Marriage
and Family
Therapy

KAMFT

12401 Tyler Woods Court, Louisville, KY 40299

502-494-2929

859-858-2212

Marriage and family therapists evaluate and treat mental and emotional disorders and other health and behavioral problems, and address a wide array of relationship issues within the context of the family system. They pioneered brief, solution-focused, family-centered treatment. Their treatment seeks to pinpoint problems and conclude as soon as specific, attainable therapeutic goals are met. Trained in family systems theory, marriage and family therapists believe that individuals and their problems must be seen in context, and that the most important context is the family.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) identifies five core mental health professions: marriage and family therapy, psychiatry, psychology, social work, and psychiatric nursing. Marriage and family therapy traineeships compete on an equal basis with other disciplines for funding through the NIMH.

Nationally, more than 23,000 clinical members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) have fulfilled stringent education and training requirements and subscribe to a strict code of ethics. In Kentucky, licensed marriage and family therapists must have a minimum of a Masters Degree, including specific graduate training in marriage and family therapy, a minimum of 200 hours of approved clinical supervision, at least 2 years experience in the practice of marriage and family therapy, and must pass a written examination prescribed by the Kentucky Board of Licensure for marriage and family therapy.

Marriage and family therapists work in a wide variety of settings, including inpatient facilities, employee assistance programs, hospice programs, health maintenance organizations, community mental health centers, social service agencies, universities, research centers, churches, schools, the judicial system, and private practice.
 

Family therapists are particularly effective at matching their interventions to the specific cost and time factors associated with each client's situation. A recent study identified that the median cost per hour of service charged by marriage and family therapists was $85, and the average duration of treatment was 11 sessions.
 

They may assign members particular tasks or "homework" to accomplish between sessions. In this way, family therapists help to change the patterns of interaction in a family that contribute to their difficulties.

They often include parents, children, or grandparents.They may also involve significant others in the community such as teachers, welfare workers, clergy and probation officers. Marriage and family therapists are leaders in collaboration within teams of caregivers. Contrary to most people's expectations however, marriage and family therapists do not work only with whole family units; they frequently treat individuals by themselves, couples, and other family subunits.

Generally speaking, MFT's work to understand the problem as it exists now, and focus on solutions or actions which might help to resolve the problem. They may typically ask questions about family roles, patterns, rules, goals, and stages of development. They generally view the problems or issues brought to therapy in the context of the family.

Consumers increasingly seek the services of marriage and family therapists. According to a study published in American Psychologist, consumers said that marriage and family therapists are the mental health professionals they would most likely recommend to friends.
 

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