Marriage and Couple Therapy: Burnaby / Vancouver

Marriage and Family Therapists: The Friendly Mental Health Professionals

I am often called and asked if I will see someone, or a couple, for "couple's therapy," or "marriage counselling."  Most of these calls are because I am a psychologist, and there is an assumption that every mental health professional has the same training and experience and can see anyone. This isn't necessarily so, as marriage and family therapy is a separate field of study and every US State and most Canadian provinces actually license or registered therapists in the field of marriage and family therapy.

Luckily , in addition to my license as a psychologist I am also a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist in British Columbia, and a Fellow and Clinical Member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (BCAMFT and AAMFT).  

A marriage therapist usually holds a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy, and has completed one or two years of full time supervised clinical internship in marriage and family therapy.  This includes60 semester hours of work focused on marriage and family therapy. Most "clinical counsellors" and psychologists have taken one or two courses in this area, and would not qualify to registration in marriage and family therapy.  This doesn't mean they don't have the clinical ability or experience to do marriage and family therapy, but it good to know that there are specially certified experts in the field, many of whom ARE psychologists.

To find a listing of Registered / Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists near you, including those who are additionally Registered / Licensed Psychologist, go to the "Find a Therapist" website of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists by clicking here: http://www.therapistlocator.net/iMIS15/therapistlocator/

To find out more about the differences between the various mental health professionals you can also visit this page, which explains what marriage and family therapists are in comparison to other mental health professionals. Click here: http://www.therapistlocator.net/IMIS15/Content/Consumer_Updates/Marriage_and_Family_Therapists.aspx

Briefly, from that page, you will see that: "Marriage and family therapists are mental health professionals with a minimum of a master’s degree and two years supervised clinical experience. Marriage and family therapists (commonly referred to as MFTs or family therapists) are trained and licensed to independently diagnose and treat mental health and substance abuse problems. Marriage and family therapy is one of the core mental health disciplines and is based on the research and theory that mental illness and family problems are best treated in a family context. Trained in psychotherapy and family systems, marriage and family therapists focus on understanding their clients’ symptoms and interaction patterns within their existing environment. MFTs treat predominantly individuals, but also provide couples, family and group therapy. Whomever the client, Family Therapists treat from a relationship perspective that incorporates family systems."

For more information about my practice as a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist and Fellow of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists you can visit my web page here: http://www.relatedminds.com/couple-family-therapy/ or my home page at http:www.relatedminds.com

I can also be reached at my office by calling 778.998-7975