Occupation · SOC 21-1013.00
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.
Also called: Clinical Therapist · Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) · Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) · Outpatient Therapist · Counselor · Family Therapist · Human Relations Counselor · Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) · Marriage and Family Counselor · Play Therapist · ABA Behavior Therapist (Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Therapist) · Behavior Intervention Specialist
Job family: Community and Social Service Occupations
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-21-1013-00/context.md directly.
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.
Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
62nd-percentile task overlap — yet about 7,700 openings a year (+12.6% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 6563% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High | 94th | 1.4 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 19th | 0.1 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 75th | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.0 · 9th percentile among occupations · Low
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner. | 5.3% | |
| Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors. | 1.6% | |
| Provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counseling services, issues, and methods. | 1.3% | |
| Provide instructions to clients on how to obtain help with legal, financial, and other personal issues. | 0.9% | |
| Develop and implement individualized treatment plans addressing family relationship problems, destructive patterns of behavior, and other personal issues. | 0.8% | |
| 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. | 0.2% |
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +12.6% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 7,700 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 77,800 → 87,700 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Social Work and Counselling Professionals · 2635 | 28% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 65.6% working with AI · 21.8% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Learning · you ask AI to explain or teach |
| Typical AI autonomy | 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 12.4% |
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner. | Learning | 7.5% |
| Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors. | Learning | 2.1% |
| Provide instructions to clients on how to obtain help with legal, financial, and other personal issues. | Learning | 1.2% |
| Provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counseling services, issues, and methods. | Learning | 1.1% |
| Develop and implement individualized treatment plans addressing family relationship problems, destructive patterns of behavior, and other personal issues. | Iteration | 0.7% |
| Collect information about clients, using techniques such as testing, interviewing, discussion, and observation. | Directive | 0.4% |
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Provide instructions to clients on how to obtain help with legal, financial, and other personal issues. | 99.2% | |
| Collect information about clients, using techniques such as testing, interviewing, discussion, and observation. | 97.2% | |
| Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner. | 96.0% | |
| Provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counseling services, issues, and methods. | 93.8% | |
| Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors. | 80.1% | |
| Develop and implement individualized treatment plans addressing family relationship problems, destructive patterns of behavior, and other personal issues. | 75.0% |
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
Help me encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner. From: Encourage individuals and family members to develop and use skills and strategies for confronting their problems in a constructive manner. · 7.5% of measured AI use · learning
Help me ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors. From: Ask questions that will help clients identify their feelings and behaviors. · 2.1% of measured AI use · learning
Help me provide instructions to clients on how to obtain help with legal, financial, and other personal issues. From: Provide instructions to clients on how to obtain help with legal, financial, and other personal issues. · 1.2% of measured AI use · learning
Help me provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counseling services, issues, and methods. From: Provide public education and consultation to other professionals or groups regarding counseling services, issues, and methods. · 1.1% of measured AI use · learning
All 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
| Therapy and Counseling | 5.0 | |
| Psychology | 4.9 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.0 | |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 3.9 | |
| English Language | 3.6 | |
| Administrative | 3.4 | |
| Law and Government | 3.3 | |
| Philosophy and Theology | 3.2 |
| Active Listening | 4.9 | |
| Speaking | 4.3 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Writing | 4.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | |
| Active Learning | 3.8 | |
| Monitoring | 3.6 | |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.4 | |
| Service Orientation | 4.0 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.0 | |
| Persuasion | 3.6 | |
| Negotiation | 3.6 | |
| Coordination | 3.5 | |
| Instructing | 3.5 | |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.3 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.1 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.3 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.3 | |
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Written Expression | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Speech Recognition | 4.0 | |
| Speech Clarity | 4.0 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.8 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.6 | |
| Originality | 3.6 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.6 | |
| Near Vision | 3.3 |
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 42.
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
What to study: Health Professions and Related Programs , Public Administration and Social Service Professions . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Master's Degree | 79.0% | |
| First Professional Degree | 9.8% | |
| Doctoral Degree | 5.0% | |
| Post-Master's Certificate | 2.6% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 2.0% | |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 1.7% |
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
| Dependability | 9.0 | |
| Integrity | 8.0 | |
| Cooperation | 7.0 | |
| Social Orientation | 6.0 | |
| Self-Control | 5.0 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 4.0 | |
| Empathy | 3.0 |
| Social Service | 6.8 | |
| Social Science | 6.1 | |
| Professional Advising | 5.7 | |
| Health Care Service | 4.7 | |
| Personal Service | 3.1 | |
| Teaching/Education | 3.0 |
| Social | 6.2 | |
| Investigative | 5.3 | |
| Artistic | 3.6 |
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $42,610 |
| 25th percentile | $48,600 |
| Median (50th) | $63,780 |
| 75th percentile | $85,020 |
| 90th percentile | $111,610 |
| People employed | 65,870 |
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 57,920 | $62,820 |
| Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) · National industry | 20,900 | $60,140 |
| Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers · National industry | 7,590 | $69,890 |
| Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists · National industry | 2,400 | $47,770 |
| Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities · National industry | 2,280 | $49,280 |
| Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities · National industry | 1,910 | $74,410 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 1,570 | $58,160 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 590 | $64,920 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 450 | $71,830 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 340 | — |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 230 | $57,820 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities · National industry | 100 | $62,180 |
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) · National industry | 202.32× | 20,900 |
| Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers · National industry | 57.38× | 7,590 |
| Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities · National industry | 17.28× | 1,910 |
| Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists · National industry | 11.79× | 2,400 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 5.87× | 57,920 |
| Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities · National industry | 2.21× | 2,280 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities · National industry | 0.6× | 100 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 0.37× | 450 |
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
Options the data surfaces for Marriage and Family Therapists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
How people typically prepare for this work.
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 53rd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Marriage and Family Therapists show 62nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,700 annual U.S. openings
Marriage and Family Therapists show 62nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,700 annual U.S. openings • Marriage and Family Therapists rank in the 62nd percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 7,700 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+12.6%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $63,780, across about 65,870 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 66% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Marriage and Family Therapists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-21-1013-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Singulariki. "Marriage and Family Therapists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-21-1013-00
Singulariki. (2026). Marriage and Family Therapists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-21-1013-00
@misc{singulariki-role-21-1013-00,
title = {Marriage and Family Therapists},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-21-1013-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.