Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) are trained in psychotherapy and family systems (2 years of clinical experience is required)
. MFTs are licensed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders within the context of marriage, couples and family systems. In the center of the therapy is a family.
As for the fee, family and marriage counseling costs can vary from about $75 to $200 per hour. Average cost is approximately $100 per session. Marriage and family therapy is a short-term therapy. Usually it consists of 12 sessions. And quite often it includes one-on-one as well as a family therapy.
If you graduate from an accredited program, then you should gain a post-degree supervised clinical experience. It is necessary to do before licensure or getting bachelors psychology degree and it lasts for the period of 2 years. If you complete the supervision period, then you have a chance to take a state licensing exam or the national examination for marriage and family therapists conducted by the AAMFT Regulatory Boards.
A few words about online marriage counseling. This question is still opened and has many aspects to discuss. This is because online counseling is a relatively new form of therapy and the regulations have yet to be established. However the International Society for Mental Health Online has already published ethical guidelines to assist professionals in the development of ethical e-counseling practices. So now a few words about how to choose a marriage counselor.
You can consult the internet but you can also ask your friends and family. Most therapists will have a brief phone consultation with you. They will answer all your questions. And after this phone consultation you can decide whether you and the marriage counselor might work well together.