What’s a Marriage and Family Therapist?
“Well, theoretically psychiatrists ‘diagnose’, prescribe drugs and may or may not do psychotherapy and/or family therapy; psychologists , ‘diagnose’, do psychological testing, do not prescribe drugs and do psychotherapy and/or family therapy, marriage and family therapists and licensed clinical social workers can ‘diagnose’ and typically do psychotherapy and/or family therapy. So what’s the difference? On one level there are differences in orientation; meaning diffferences in belief about how we all grow and come to be who we are and given that, differences in belief about  what might be most helpful to folks who want to change.

On another level and on the level where I prefer to work, we’re all just folks trying to negotiate the business of being. Okay, legislative bodies issue licenses which bound what we do and theoretically, ensure that what we do has some merit and is safe for the public. I’ll grant there is merit in that and I am gladly mindful of the role  governing bodies play creating some accountability in the ‘business’. But… In matters of the ‘hearts and minds of people’ regulation of affairs is a messy business. There is simply not agreement about what our difficulties really represent (see Making Us Crazy) and there is simply not agreement about what is helpful (see Brain Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry)