Marriage and family therapy is a profession that is growing much faster than many occupations. However, to shine among many qualified MFT, one may need to prepare well for the interview. The following 25 questions provide you with insights on what to expect during a marriage and family therapist’s interview. Review their sample answers to know how to respond to each one of them.
1. Why Are You Interested In This Role?
I have a passion to assist couples and other family systems solve their discords or dissolutions. I possess a counseling degree in marriage and marriage therapy. Previously, I have been on a one-year internship at a mental health center in our district. During this time, I have gained a lot of experience in assisting couples to manage and overcome difficult issues with family as well as other relationships. Moreover, I have developed important skills such as communication, listening, intervention, and counseling skills to help me perform this role effectively. This job caught my attention since I have the qualities, skills, and training that you are looking for from the candidate. Should you offer me this job, I will use my skills, education, and experience to exceed your expectations for this role.
2. What Are The Roles Of A Marriage And Family Therapist?
Marriage and family therapists provide guidance to families, couples, and groups to overcome problems that affect their well-being and mental health. They have other specific responsibilities such as :
- Evaluating and resolving relationships problems
- Observing how couples and families interact within units
- Diagnosing and treating psychological disorders in a family set up
- Highlighting problematic behavioral or relational patterns
- Guiding people through transitional crises including death or divorce
- Taking a holistic approach to people’s wellness
- Helping in replacing dysfunctional behaviors with alternative healthy behaviors
3. What Are The Qualities That A Marriage And Family Therapist Need To Be Successful?
To succeed in this role, a marriage and family therapist must have the ability to exude his expertise under cross-examination. He should be familiar with local ideas regarding familial interactions. He should also have excellent intervention, negotiation, social perceptiveness, critical thinking, motivation, listening, and communication skills to effectively perform his roles. Moreover, a good marriage and family therapist needs to have strong record-keeping, interpersonal, organizational, and time management abilities. It is also important for him or her to be judicious, emotionally intelligent, and impartial.
4. What Major Challenges Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You Manage Them
The major challenge was handling clients who had anxiety issues. Some would show up in my office but when we begin to speak, they would not respond to anything verbally. Not even their partners would encourage them to get to talk. However, I discovered that the stress would rise to an extent they couldn’t talk. Having realized this, I would request those clients to write down a few words regarding what they were feeling. Writing meant that the clients would be able to communicate in a way that was comfortable for them. From the information put down by them, I would handle their cases effectively.
5. Describe Your Daily Routine As A Marriage And Family Therapist?
I begin my day by reviewing my emails and voice messages to check what is needed to be responded to before embarking on my usual activities including:
- Guiding people through transitional crises including death or divorce
- Taking a holistic approach to people’s wellness
- Helping in replacing dysfunctional behaviors with alternative healthy behaviors
- Evaluating and resolving relationships problems
- Observing how couples and families interact within units
- Diagnosing and treating psychological disorders in a family set up
- Highlighting problematic behavioral or relational patterns
- Attending hearings as well as testifying in court when called upon
- Keeping clients’ records, progress notes as well as the evaluations of child custody and parental aptitude for divorce cases
- Determining the referrals to attorneys, psychiatrists, or other specialists
6. Describe Briefly About Your Experience?
Previously I have been performing a similar role at a private institution. During this time I have gained a lot of expertise in identifying latent determinants of dysfunction and finding ways to improve such issues. I have also learned a lot about how to elucidate the perception of clients regarding disruptions present in their structures. Besides, I have developed essential skills for this role including excellent intervention, negotiation, social perceptiveness, critical thinking, motivation, listening, and communication skills. Thus, I will utilize the skills and experience that I have to excel in this role should you give me this job.
7. What Kind Of Strategies And Mindset Are Required For This Role?
To succeed in this role, a marriage and family therapist must employ a client-focused approach while treating couples and families in committed relationships. The right candidate must focus on helping family units to work together to get over serious problems in their structures. As a therapist, it is important to come up with strategies that can help people to live better and improve their relationships.
8. What Is The Biggest Challenge You Foresee In This Job?
The biggest challenge that faces this industry is the dramatic change in the practice of marriage and family therapy. Marriage and family therapists are slowly losing the monopoly on this field. They are facing a lot of competition ranging from self-help therapy websites and virtual law offices. Some of these sources that try to give therapy services are not even reputable and they cannot offer the same results as the ones offered by trained marriage and family therapists. They are there to divert potential clients away from an educated therapist.
9. How Do You Stay Motivated At Work?
I get motivated by results. It gives me morale for this work to see couples getting over difficult issues in their marriage. That Is why I prioritize family well-being without leaving behind individual states. I have a non-judgmental attitude and this has enabled me to closely interact with many clients from different cultural backgrounds. This has enabled me to offer therapy and other services that have helped them to heal.
10. Describe A Time You Failed In This Role And The Lesson You Learned?
Early in my career, I would focus so much on oral communication over written communication. Some clients were not able to express themselves orally and this was affecting the therapy given to them including making my work difficult. Upon that realization, I began to ask those who couldn’t express themselves to put down what they were feeling in writing. This helped a lot. I still use the same strategy in my profession today.
11. Why Do You Feel You Are Qualified For This Role?
I believe that I am the right candidate for this role due to the strong qualities, skills, and experience that I have. I have a bachelor’s degree in marriage and family therapy. Previously, I have performed a similar role for three years. During this time, I supported many clients on my caseload including offering them therapy and other services to assist them to heal. I am committed to making families live better with each other as well as helping them improve their relationships. Besides, I have an excellent intervention, negotiation, social perceptiveness, critical thinking, motivation, listening, and communication skills that enable me to effectively perform my roles. Moreover, I have strong record-keeping, interpersonal, organizational, and time management abilities. I can remain judicious, emotionally intelligent, and impartial while performing this role. Should you offer me this opportunity, I will exceed your expectations for this role.
12. Share With Us Your Greatest Achievement
As a marriage and family therapist, I take pride in my ability to support a wide range of clients. I have a non-judgmental attitude and this has enabled me to closely interact with many clients from different cultural backgrounds. This has enabled me to offer therapy and other services that have helped them to heal. Recently, I was named the most successful therapist that the facility I work for has ever had. This is encouraging for it shows that my services to families, couples, and other employees are recognized.
13. Briefly Explain The Relationship Between Therapists And Psychiatrists
Psychiatrists and therapists are interrelated as they benefit one another. Therapists are not allowed to prescribe medication for they are not trained, medical doctors. They refer their clients who may show signs of mental illness to psychiatrists. Psychiatrists can prescribe medicine to a client hence helping to combat mental illness. At the end of the day, both psychiatrists and therapists contribute to the mental well-being of people.
14. Describe The Process You Take Before, During, And After A Session With A Client.
I always review clients’ notes from the previous session 30 minutes before beginning a new session. I note done some points to discuss at the present session. However, during the session, I refrain from writing too much so that I can actively listen to clients’ concerns. From the issues the clients put on the table, I talk through them. I also remember to bring up points from the previous session to find out whether there is any improvement on the issues on the table. Once I am done with the session, I write notes regarding the session and file them in the client’s folder.
15. As A Marriage And Family Therapist, How Can You Tell That A Child Is Suffering From Parental Alienation?
Parental alienation causes a child to reject a parent without any good reason. The situation may grow from mild to severe alienation if not properly handled. In a severe case, the child may express raw hatred and refuse contact with a formerly loved parent. However, one can identify parental alienation with the following characteristics: Child begins to repel a relationship with a parent, the presence of serious deficient parenting, denigrating behavior and attitude toward the rejected parent among others.
16. What Advice Can You Give To A Parent Facing Parental Alienation From A Child?
If a parent report to me that she or he has a child with parental alienation, I would tell the parent not to lose temper or act too aggressive towards the child. I would also tell the parent to engage in pleasurable and conflict-free interactions while trying to take the child out of the negative attitude. Even if the child may feel that the parent does not understand him or her, I would remind the parent not to dismiss the child’s feelings. Finally, I would encourage the parent to visit a therapist as soon as possible. I believe the therapist can help in reviewing the capacity to restore familial relationships.
17. As A Marriage And Family Therapist, Highlight Factors That Can Help You Make Custody-Related Choices.
While making custody-related choices, I would consider several factors such as:
- If there is any proof of domestic abuse, neglect, or violence by either parent
- The ability of each the parent to provide a loving and stable environment
- The ability of each parent to provide the child with physical needs, medical care, and emotional wellness.
- The effect of the custody arrangement on a child
- If the child is old enough to express herself, I would also consider the child’s wishes as I make custody-related choices
- The physical and mental health of each parent and that of the child
- The quality of the relationship between each parent and the child
18. According To You, Why Is Family The Most Important Social Unit In Society?
I think the family is the most important social unit in society because of its role in development. A family bears the first responsibility for the socialization and education of their kids as well as imparting citizenship values and belonging in the society.
19. From Therapist’s Point Of View, How Can A Family Help In Developing A Child’s Character?
I believe that families and parents contribute a lot to developing character traits for their children.In my opinion, parents who promote a positive home learning environment understand the importance of character traits for their kids. This is because in most cases family values are passed over from one generation to the next. kids can get traits such as sociability, self-awareness, creativity, integrity, and resilience, among others.
20. How Would You About Simplifying A Complex Issue To A Client?
Any time I have to explain complex information to clients and colleagues, I deliver
messages in very simple language and even demonstrate complex information using practical examples. Sometimes I have had to repeat the same thing over and over until it is understood. This has made me develop patience and persistence and this has resulted in working well with teams and clients from different cultural settings.
21. How Do You Get People To See Things Your Way?
When getting people to see things my way, I begin by establishing what I want to accomplish. I ensure that the topic is clear to me. While strongly believing in the idea, I clearly explain it to the other person in such a way that he or she is able to easily understand what my point is. I then explain why that thing matters to the person.
22. Describe How Familial Relationships Can Be Improved
Building a strong family relationship requires effort and patience. However, I have realized that some factors including the following can help strengthen familial relationships:
Eating together as a family during this time helps in knowing each other better during the conversation. Spend quality time- This may include doing activities together such as watching a movie, solving a puzzle, etc. Be proactive and engage in whatever activity your partner and kids are interested in. In the course of my career as a marriage and family therapist, I have seen the mentioned simple gestures helping families to come closer to one another.
23. Why Should We Build Resilience In Familial Units?
Resilience is important in familial units for it provides people with the strength required to process and overcome complex issues. Without this resilience, families can get overwhelmed by issues that can result in unhealthy coping mechanisms. However, resilient families tap into their strengths to overcome complex issues and work through problems.
24. What Is The Most Common Problems Have You Addressed In Couples Therapy?
I have addressed many issues while performing therapy for couples such as intimacy issues, emotional distance, communication issues, significant life events, overcoming trauma, affairs, and incidentally among others. However, I have realized that there is always a solution to overcome all these issues.
25. What Is Your Previous Experience Handling Confidential Information?
Previously, I worked as a counselor in a medical facility. I was responsible for maintaining the facility patients’ list and profiles. My employer expected me to keep the records of the patients secure and confidential in a locked cabinet when I wasn’t using them. During my three years working there, I did not lose any records or even put information at risk of being assessed by other staff.
Conclusion
Use these questions and answers to prepare adequately for your next interview. You simply need to demonstrate to the interviewer that you have relevant knowledge and skills by answering every question correctly.
