MFT named one of 50 best careers for 2010

US News and World Report has named marriage and family therapy as one of the "50 best careers" for 2010. They sum up the profession nicely:

While some counselors focus on the behavior of an individual, marriage and family therapists go a step further, addressing mental-health issues within the context of the family. By counseling couples, families, or individuals, marriage and family therapists can tackle a host of problems: adult schizophrenia, substance abuse, anorexia, and marital conflict. Today, marriage and family therapy is considered a "core" mental-health profession, alongside social work, psychiatric nursing, psychology, and psychiatry. More than 1.8 million people are currently receiving treatment from a marriage and family therapist.

Demand for MFTs is expected to grow substantially over the next decade, the report says. If MFTs ultimately earn inclusion in Medicare, demand could increase far beyond what US News predicts.

Money for MFTs

A number of state and federal programs offer tens of thousands of dollars in stipends and loan reimbursements for marriage and family therapists to advance their careers. Generally, these programs aim to help bring mental health services to underserved areas and to reward therapists who dedicate themselves to such communities. Here are just a few of the programs MFTs may find enriching.

The federal National Health Service Corps program offers a whopping $50,000 in loan reimbursement, on top of the salary one would already make in an eligible position, for two years of service. More information can be found at nhscjobs.hrsa.gov.

Also on the federal level, the Indian Health Service (IHS; www.ihs.gov) offers a similar program, awarding $20,000 per year for two years of service at an IHS site. (A cautionary note: MFTs are legally recognized for employment within IHS, but appear to fall within "other professions as determined by need" in the loan repayment program.)

The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) / US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Minority Fellowship Program awards stipends of $20,000 per year, plus funding to conduct research and travel to conferences and trainings, to doctoral students in MFT programs. These awards are renewable up to three years.

In California, there are additional state-based stipend and loan reimbursement programs. The awards offered by each of these programs are in addition to the salary one would already earn in an eligible position.

The California State MFT Stipend Program provides awards of $18,500 per year to MFT Interns who agree to work in public mental health positions in underserved areas for at least one year. In 2009, 60 of these stipends were awarded through the statewide MFT Consortium, which covers most of the state; Loma Linda University and CSU-Chico each administered a handful of additional stipends through the same state fund.

There is a separate Los Angeles County MFT Stipend Program, which for 2009-2010 is awarding 36 stipends of $18,500 with similar service requirements.

Finally, the state also offers MFTs and MFT Interns its Mental Health Services Provider Education Program, which awards up to $15,000 in loan reimbursement for two years of service in an underserved area. Technically, this is two separate programs, as its funding comes through two distinct streams (license renewal fees, and the Mental Health Services Act). As a practical matter, though, they're the same; they use the same application form and are administered collaboratively.

Are you aware of other federal or state-based programs that should be added to this list? Email me at bcaldwell (at) alliant (dot) edu and let me know, and I'll be happy to expand this post.