Table Of ContentThe Marriage and Family
Therapy Career Guide
How does one obtain employment and succeed in the growing yet competitive field of
family therapy? For anyone asking themselves this question, The Marriage and Family
Therapy Career Guide is the resource to read. It is structured around a series of
interviews with successful graduates of accredited MFT programs and covers a wide
range of career options. Not only is up-to-date information on licensure and practice
requirements for each state included, the authors also present agency, residential,
coaching, medical, legal, tribal, academic, corporate, faith-based, and private practice
options. The book ends with a section for those professionals who wish to practice
abroad. This is an indispensable guide for marriage and family therapists wishing to
start their career, or change their area of practice.
Anne Rambo, PhD, has taught in Nova Southeastern University’s family therapy pro -
gram for over 20 years and supervised hundreds of students who are now licensed
marriage and family therapists (MFTs). She has developed an innovative program in
the public schools helping to employ family therapists.
Tommie V. Boyd, PhD, is the chair of the family therapy department at Nova
Southeastern University and is on faculty. She has over 30 years of clinical and super-
vision experience and is the recipient of an American Association for Marriage and
Family Therapy (AAMFT) Leadership Award. She has developed programs helping
to employ marriage and family therapists in medical settings, and was a key player in
developing guidelines for marriage and family therapist employments in military
settings.
Martha Gonzalez Marquez, PhD, has been an educator, clinician, and supervisor for
over 20 years. She has a thriving couples therapy practice and has mentored others
into launching their own practices in diverse settings. She is passionate about issues of
ethics, inclusion, social justice, and supervision and has written and presented on these
topics both nationally and internationally.
This page intentionally left blank
The Marriage
and Family
Therapy Career
Guide
Doing Well While
Doing Good
Anne Rambo,
Tommie V. Boyd, and
Martha Gonzalez
Marquez
First published 2016
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Taylor & Francis
The right of Anne Rambo, Tommie V. Boyd, and Martha Gonzalez Marquez
to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification
and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Rambo, Anne Hearon, author. | Boyd, Tommie V. |
Marquez, Martha Gonzalez.
Title: The marriage and family therapy career guide: doing well while doing
good/Anne Rambo, Tommie V. Boyd, and Martha Gonzalez Marquez.
Description: New York, NY: Routledge, 2016.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015038716| ISBN 9781138853058 (hbk: alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781138853065 (pbk: alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315723044 (ebk)
Subjects: LCSH: Family psychotherapy. | Family psychotherapy—Practice.
Classification: LCC RC488.5 R353 2016 | DDC 616.89/156—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015038716
ISBN: 978-1-138-85305-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-85306-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-72304-4 (ebk)
Typeset in Perpetua and Bell Gothic
by Florence Production Ltd, Stoodleigh, Devon, UK
Contents
1 Introduction: About This Book and About Marriage and Family Therapy 1
Anne Rambo, Tommie V. Boyd, and Martha Gonzalez Marquez
2 Inclusivity in MFT: Working Across and Within Borders 7
Christine Ajayi Beliard, Josiane Bonte Apollon, and Daniel Mendel
SUCCESS STORIES 11
3 About Private Nonprofit Agencies 13
Anne Rambo
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 14
Andrea’s Story 14
Fabiola’s Story 17
Trahern’s Story 19
Neolita’s Story 20
Liz’s Story 22
4 About Residential Treatment Settings 25
Tommie V. Boyd
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 25
Jamie’s Story 26
Nancy’s Story 28
Lisa’s Story 29
Sara’s Story 31
5 About Private Practice Settings 35
Martha Gonzalez Marquez
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 35
Idit’s and Alina’s Story 36
Alonso’s Story 38
v
CONTENTS
Julien’s Story 41
Tequilla’s Story 42
Katie’s Story 44
6 About School-Based Settings 47
Anne Rambo
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 47
Philip’s Story 48
Walter’s Story 49
Susy’s Story 51
Farheen’s Story 53
7 About Collaborative Settings with Other Professions
(Medicine and Law) 55
Tommie V. Boyd
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 55
Brian’s Story 56
Randy’s Story 57
8 About Coaching 61
Martha Gonzalez Marquez
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 62
Alex’s Story 62
Gaby’s Story 63
Katia’s Story 65
Trish’s Story 67
9 About Military Settings 71
Anne Rambo
Our success Stories Recommend . . . 71
Anthony’s Story 72
Laura’s Story 74
Elissa’s Story 76
Ronella’s Story 78
Michele’s Story 81
10 About Managed Care Settings 83
Tommie V. Boyd
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 83
Anne-Marie’s Story 84
vi
CONTENTS
Shazia’s Story 85
Fariha’s Story 88
11 About University and Postgraduate Settings 91
Martha Gonzalez Marquez
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 91
Rosario’s Story 92
Ili’s Story 93
Jacquie’s Story 96
12 About Faith-Based Settings 99
Anne Rambo
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 99
Patti’s Story 100
Leslie’s Story 101
Simone’s Story 103
Bobbi’s Story 104
Amnah’s Story 106
13 About Indian Health Services and Related Settings 109
Tommie V. Boyd
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 109
Bryan’s Story 110
Holly’s Story 111
Samantha’s Story 113
14 About Corporate Settings and Entrepreneurial Work 117
Martha Gonzalez Marquez
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 117
Marilyn’s Story 118
Jodi’s Story 119
Avi’s Story 122
15 About Equine-Assisted Family Therapy 125
Anne Rambo
Our Success Story Recommends . . . 125
Talia’s Story 125
16 About International Settings 129
Tommie V. Boyd
Our Success Stories Recommend . . . 129
vii
CONTENTS
Karen’s Story 129
Doreen’s Story 130
Jonathan’s Story 130
Pei-Fen’s Story 131
17 And in Conclusion . . . 133
Anne Rambo, Tommie V. Boyd, andMartha Gonzalez Marquez
Index 135
viii
Chapter 1
Introduction
About This Book and About Marriage
and Family Therapy
Anne Rambo, Tommie V. Boyd, and Martha
Gonzalez Marquez
WHO WE ARE
This book is designed for marriage and family therapists at the beginning of their
careers, or those interested in career growth and mobility. The three primary
authors are long-term marriage and family therapy educators who have watched
graduates go out into the world for over 25 years, and marveled at the varieties
of positive outcomes. We have interviewed 53 marriage and family therapists who
are successful in their chosen work settings, and identified what makes for success
in each setting. Our interview subjects are listed in each section. While the three
of us (Rambo, Boyd, and Marquez) collaborated on all interviews and on the book
itself, each of us took primary responsibility for specific work-setting sections.
Our names are listed under that setting along with those we interviewed, who
are co-authors for their personal stories. All of our interviewees—our success story
examples!—have master’s degrees in family therapy. Unless otherwise specified,
that master’s degree is from a COAMFTE (Commission on Accreditation in Marital
and Family Therapy Education) accredited program in the United States. While
some of our subjects have additional degrees or certifications, our focus will be
on what they can do with their master’s in marriage and family therapy. “Marriage
and family therapy” is the accepted legal name for our field, and includes services
provided to both gay and straight couples, unmarried couples, individuals, and
groups, as well as families. And that brings us to our discussion of the unique aspects
of marriage and family therapy.
ABOUT THE FIELD OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
THERAPY
Marriage and family therapy represents a relational way of looking at the world;
a commitment to relational values; and also a profession, with its own distinct
1
