In 2023, around 62 million Americans reported being married, an increase from approximately 40 million in the 1960s, according to Statista. While marriage can offer benefits such as companionship, financial stability, and emotional well-being, it can also be a source of arguments and stress. Occasional marital disagreement is commonplace, but serious conflict, especially concerning issues such as infidelity, lack of commitment, or financial problems, can increase the likelihood of separation or divorce.
Licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) help couples navigate these kinds of difficulties by providing talk therapy, teaching communication skills, and facilitating conflict resolution. Individuals who are looking into how to become a marriage counselor should know it requires a combination of an advanced counseling degree, supervised clinical experience, and a state license.
What Does a Marriage Counselor Do?
LMFTs help individuals, couples, and families identify their emotional, behavioral, and psychological needs in a safe space such as a private office, mental health clinic, or social service agency. Common goals counselors set for their clients are to improve communication, discuss their emotions openly, and acknowledge each partner’s needs.
In a first session, a couple may start out discussing their shared history, such as how they met and developed their relationship, then move on to identifying the issues or problems in their marriage. Following sessions can include the counselor asking the couple open-ended questions to facilitate a two-way dialogue, while helping them process their reactions and develop coping strategies for healthy communication.
Marriage counselors often support clients dealing with issues such as a lack of intimacy, a breach of emotional boundaries, infidelity, or a major life transition such as parenthood, moving, or losing a loved one.
Steps to Become a Marriage Counselor
Marriage counselors can help couples foster nurturing, spiritually fulfilling relationships with themselves and their partners. Steps on the path to a career as an LMFT include earning a master’s degree, gaining real-world experience through supervised clinical hours, passing a national exam, and obtaining licensure.
1. Earn Relevant Degrees
A bachelor’s degree in psychology, counseling, or a related field can help students gain a basic foundation in the principles and practices of the field. Graduates who want to become licensed counselors must earn a master’s degree in counseling or a related field from a regionally accredited college or university.
Many master’s degree programs offer students the opportunity to choose a specialization in an area such as marital, couples, and family therapy or rehabilitation counseling. Master’s students must complete practicum or internship hours to earn their degrees, although practicum requirements vary by state. This allows students to use their classroom knowledge to provide therapy under the supervision of a licensed counselor.
2. Develop Required Skills and Knowledge
To become a marriage counselor, students need to develop the skills required to be able to effectively counsel couples and families with expertise and empathy. Graduate coursework in master’s in counseling programs typically covers the foundations of psychology, marital and family systems, therapy treatment and intervention methods, ethics, and human development.
Students in these programs also develop key soft skills in areas such as communication, which includes skills in active listening and using goal-oriented questions, and problem-solving, which is needed to be able to understand the root causes of clients’ problems.
3. Complete Postdegree Clinical Hours
Master’s degree graduates need to complete from 1,000 to 4,000 clinical hours of supervised experience in a specific timeframe, depending on the state where they intend to practice. In Oklahoma, LMFT candidates must complete a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised experience, including 1,000 hours of direct client contact, with 250 hours of direct client contact with families, couples, or groups.
4. Pass Required Exams and Earn Licensure
To become licensed marriage and family therapists, graduates in nearly all U.S. states, including Oklahoma, must pass the Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) National Examination administered by the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB). Other state-specific licensure requirements may include passing a background check and a state jurisprudence exam.
In Oklahoma, graduates must pass the Oklahoma LMFT Jurisprudence Examination, which covers Oklahoma-specific statutes, ethical standards, and administrative rules. Oklahoma LMFTs must complete ongoing continuing education and renew their licenses annually.
How to Become a Christian Marriage Counselor
Marriage is a key foundation of the Christian faith. While members of the clergy can offer pastoral marriage counseling to members of their congregations, they cannot legally call themselves therapists or licensed counselors.
While Christian LMFTs typically use many of the same strategies and techniques as counselors who are not faith-based, they often incorporate religious principles into their counseling sessions. For example, a Christian marriage counselor might encourage couples to study Scripture or pray together.
Students interested in becoming marriage counselors who emphasize spiritual values can choose a master’s program that roots its teaching in Christian belief and practices. A faith-based curriculum guides students toward helping families heal and grow through compassion, spirituality, and empathy.
Salary and Job Outlook for Marriage Counselors
Marriage and family therapists had a median annual salary of $66,940 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Positions are projected to increase 14% between 2025 and 2035, according to the BLS, much faster than average, with around 6,900 openings expected each year that decade.
Begin a Christian-Focused Counseling Career With MACU
Becoming a marriage counselor takes patience, discipline, and a talent for listening empathetically while couples share their most intimate issues. With the right training and clinical expertise, LMFTs can base their practice in Christian values.
Degree programs at Mid-America Christian University (MACU) feature curricula that encourage students to transform their lives through flexible, holistic classes that fit their unique career journeys, all taught from a Christian perspective. MACU offers an online Master of Science in Counseling program with an emphasis in Marital, Couples, and Family Therapy. Other emphasis area options include Addiction and Substance Abuse and Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Find out how MACU can help you embark on a faith-based career of service.
Recommended Readings
Listening When God Speaks: MACU Student Clarence Boykin on Finding His Calling
How Long Does It Take to Become a Counselor?
5 Counseling Theories and How They Are Applied
Sources:
Associated Clinic of Psychology, “Modern Relationships: When to Seek Couples Counseling”
Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards, Your National Exam Roadmap
Barna, “Marriage and Divorce in 2025: Five Trends Shaping Today’s Families”
Behavioral Sciences, “Core Competencies for Psychological Counselors: A Scoping Review”
BetterHelp, “Marriage Statistics: Do Marriages Really Last?”
BetterHelp, “Counseling Licensure Requirements by State: Understanding Licensing Requirements for Clinical Mental Health Counseling”
Certification.app, LMFT Continuing Education Requirements, by State
LicenseTrail, Oklahoma LMFT Requirements: Hours, Exams and Step-by-Step Guide
National Board for Certified Counselors, About the National Counselor Examination (NCE)
National Board for Certified Counselors, About the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE)
Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health Licensure, Acts and Regulations
Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health Licensure, License Renewal
Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health Licensure, Licensed Marital and Family Therapist
Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health Licensure, Licensed Professional Counselor
Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health Licensure, Make an Application
SamaraCare, “What to Expect in Marriage Counseling: Key Steps and Common Outcomes”
Statista, Number of Married Couples in the United States From 1960 to 2023
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Marriage and Family Therapists
Verywell Mind, “What Is Christian Marriage Counseling?”