Therapies used by MFTs are based on the scientific findings that individuals and their problems are best seen in context, and the most important context is the family. Trained in psychotherapy and family systems, MFTs focus on understanding their clients' symptoms, and the interaction patterns with family and friends that may contribute to the problem. MFTs will typically ask questions about roles, patterns, rules, goals, beliefs and stages of development. The MFT then works with the individual, couple and/or family to change interaction patterns so that the problem can be resolved.

Marital and family therapies are proven to be particularly effective in the treatment of adult schizophrenia, adult alcoholism and drug abuse, depression in women, adult hypertension, elderly dementia, adult obesity, children's conduct disorders, adolescent drug use, anorexia in young adult women, chronic physical illness in adults and children, and marital distress and conflict.

Consumers increasingly seek the services of MFTs. In a recent study consumers reported that marriage and family therapists are the mental health professionals they would most likely recommend to friends. Clients of marriage and family therapists report high satisfaction with their treatment. In a national sample survey, over 98 percent of clients rated MFT services as good or excellent.

Marriage and family therapy is a distinct discipline with graduate and undergraduate programs granting degrees in marriage and family therapy. Historically, however, marriage and family therapists have come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds including psychology, psychiatry, social work, nursing, pastoral counseling, and education.

Marriage and family therapy is one of the nation's fastest growing health care professions. Since 1970 there has been a 50-fold increase in the number of marriage and family therapists. Today more than 50,000 MFTs treat individuals, couples and families nationwide.

The federal government has designated MFT as a core mental health profession along with psychiatry, psychology, social work and psychiatric nursing. States also support the profession by licensing or certifying MFTs. Currently, 40 states regulate MFTs, with many other states considering licensing bills.

Marriage and family therapists work in all areas of mental and physical health care, often providing interdisciplinary connections for more comprehensive treatment. MFTs practice in hospitals, clinics, agencies, schools, private practice and colleges and universities. They serve as clinicians, supervisors, administrators, consultants and teachers in the fields of health care, corrections, education, adoption and social service.

A recent special issue of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy provided an in-depth review of the most up-to date research on the effectiveness of marriage and family therapy. More than 250 studies were critically examined in 10 articles comprising the special issue. The following results were found:

• Marriage and family therapy works
  Roughly two-of-three MFT clients do significantly better than control clients, leading researchers to conclude: "marital and family therapy works" and that "literature supporting this conclusion is at least as strong as other forms of psychotherapy." It is striking that "an effect this big is considerably larger than found typically in medical, surgical and pharmaceutical outcome trials."

• MFT is more effective than standard treatments for key mental illnesses
  Research indicates that MFT is more effective than standard and/or individual treatment for many mental health problems, including: adult schizophrenia, adult alcoholism and drug abuse, children's conduct disorders, adolescent drug abuse, anorexia in young adult women, childhood autism, chronic physical illness in adults and children, and marital distress and conflict.

• MFT improves physical as well as mental health
  An impressive side effect of MFT, the special issue found, is that it improves the client's physical as well as mental health. In the case of heart disease, for example, MFT has been shown to reduce blood pressure and mortality more than standard treatment, individual counseling and family support groups.

• MFT increases the success rate of mental health treatments requiring medication
  In mental health treatments requiring medication, significantly lower relapse rates are achieved by coupling medication and maintenance with MFT. In the treatment of schizophrenia, for example, relapse rates ranged from 0% - 14% when family psychoeducational intervention was included, whereas comparison group relapse rates ranged from 28% - 55%.