Marriage and Family Therapists
Official O*NET title: Marriage and Family Therapists (21-1013.00)
Also called: clinical therapist, couple and family therapist, family specialist, family therapist, lcmft
Do you do this at work?
Answer each card — it takes about a minute.
Do you do this at work?
Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner
Swipe right for yes, left for not me. On a keyboard: → yes, ← not me, Z undo. +2 XP per answer.
How AI is changing marriage and family therapists work
6 of 16 measurable main tasks for this job show up in real AI-use data, so we rate it Amber (some AI use) — 38%. 1 newer task is not in the data yet and left out.
This shows where people already use AI, not whether the job will disappear. How we measure this.
Tasks in this job and recorded AI use
- Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner (main task) — a lot of recorded AI use
- Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counseling services, issues, and methods (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Provide instructions to clients on how to obtain help with legal, financial, and other personal issues (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Develop and put in place individualized treatment plans addressing family relationship problems, destructive patterns of behavior, and other personal issues (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Gather information from doctors, schools, social workers, juvenile counselors, law enforcement staff, and others to make recommendations to courts for resolution of child custody or visitation disputes (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Maintain case files that include activities, progress notes, evaluations, and recommendations (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Counsel clients on concerns (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Determine whether clients should be counseled or referred to other specialists in such fields as medicine, psychiatry, or legal aid (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Supervise other counselors, social service staff, and assistants (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Talk with other counselors, doctors, and professionals to analyze individual cases and to coordinate counseling services (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Diagnose mental and emotional disorders in clients (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Talk with clients to develop plans for posttreatment activities (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Collect information about clients, using techniques such as testing, interviewing, discussion, or observation (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Provide family counseling and treatment services to inmates participating in substance abuse programs (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Follow up on results of counseling programs and clients' adjustments to determine effectiveness of programs (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Write evaluations of parents and children for use by courts deciding divorce and custody cases, testifying in court if necessary (main task) — no recorded AI use
Tasks: O*NET 31.0. AI use: Anthropic Economic Index (exact or close text match).
Your first steps (guidance)
- Week 1: Open a free AI assistant and say hello. Follow our “Getting started with AI” guide. Ask it one simple question about your work.
- Week 2: Use AI on one task you do often. Try the prompt for: “Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner”. Try the prompt for: “Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors”.
Tick your own tasks above to get a plan based on what you really do. The first 2 weeks are free; Premium (coming soon) adds weeks 3–12. New to AI? Read our beginner’s guide.
Questions about AI and marriage and family therapists
Will AI replace marriage and family therapists?
Our data can’t predict job losses, and we don’t try to. What it does show: 6 of the 17 main tasks for this job match tasks people already use AI for (Anthropic Economic Index), giving a Amber rating (some AI use). Using AI on a task is not the same as AI doing the whole job, and 10 of the 17 listed tasks show no recorded AI use yet.
Which marriage and family therapist tasks is AI used for most?
In the data, the most AI use among this job’s tasks is for: encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner; ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors; provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counseling services, issues, and methods.
Which marriage and family therapist tasks show little or no AI use?
For example: maintain case files that include activities, progress notes, evaluations, and recommendations; counsel clients on concerns; determine whether clients should be counseled or referred to other specialists in such fields as medicine, psychiatry, or legal aid. These are good places to keep building your own skills.
How does this job compare to others?
In Microsoft Research’s “Working with AI” study, this job’s AI applicability score is equal to or higher than 76% of the occupations they scored. That measures overlap with AI chat use, not risk of job loss.
How can a marriage and family therapist start learning AI?
Start small: open a free AI assistant, try it on one task you do often, and always check facts and numbers yourself. The plan on this page is guidance, not professional advice.
See how this job ranks
Marriage and Family Therapists ranks #205 of 572 jobs for the share of main tasks with AI use (#1 = most), and #4 of 13 in Social & Community.
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