Marriage and Family Therapists
Diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems. Apply psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques in the delivery of services to individuals, couples, and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed nervous and mental disorders.
66,740 people do this job in the US. $66,940 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 65%
- 29%
- 6%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 51%. Today's estimate: 57%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 17 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop and implement individualized treatment plans addressing family relationship problems, destructive patterns of behavior, and other personal issues.Done daily by most who do it. | 15% | 2.1 h50 min to 4.2 h | 72%Half by now | |
| Diagnose mental and emotional disorders in clients.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 14% | 1.7 h38 min to 2.5 h | 90%Half by now | |
| Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 13% | 42 min17 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 12% | 42 min25 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Counsel clients on concerns, such as unsatisfactory relationships, divorce and separation, child rearing, home management, or financial difficulties.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 11% | 50 min38 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Collect information about clients, using techniques such as testing, interviewing, discussion, or observation.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 1.1 h33 min to 2.1 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Maintain case files that include activities, progress notes, evaluations, and recommendations.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 7% | 25 min13 min to 42 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Write evaluations of parents and children for use by courts deciding divorce and custody cases, testifying in court if necessary.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 3.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Gather information from doctors, schools, social workers, juvenile counselors, law enforcement personnel, and others to make recommendations to courts for resolution of child custody or visitation disputes.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 3% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.6 work days | 17%Half by Apr 2027 | |
| Supervise other counselors, social service staff, and assistants.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min33 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Determine whether clients should be counseled or referred to other specialists in such fields as medicine, psychiatry, or legal aid.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 2% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Follow up on results of counseling programs and clients' adjustments to determine effectiveness of programs.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 2% | 50 min25 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers21% now, 44% by 2028
- Mental Health Counselors65% now, 67% by 2028
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers35% now, 52% by 2028
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists39% now, 65% by 2028
- Healthcare Social Workers42% now, 62% by 2028
- Rehabilitation Counselors66% now, 79% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).