This marriage and family therapists census is part of the Vermont Department of Health’s healthcare provider data program, which is used to monitor and measure the supply of health care providers in Vermont over time. Vermont professionals are relicensed every two years. Data for this report were obtained during the November 2024 relicensing period and represent a snapshot of the profession at that time.
Marriage and family therapists (MFTs) diagnose mental disorders and provide psychosocial treatment for individuals, families, and groups. They are part of the allied mental health professional workforce in Vermont. To be licensed in Vermont, therapists must have completed a graduate degree with specific marriage and family therapy focus, have two years (at least 3000 hours) of supervised practice, and pass an examination.
If you need help accessing or understanding this information, contact AHS.VDHPhysicianCensus@vermont.gov
Workforce
128 marriage and family therapists renewed their licenses during the surveyed period and 128 of these completed the workforce survey for a response rate of 100%.
Of the 128 respondents, 96 (75%) indicated they are actively practicing in Vermont.
50% (16/32) of marriage and family therapists who are not currently providing care in Vermont indicated they planned to do so within the next 12 months.
The remainder of this report is based on the 96 marriage and family therapists who reported actively working in Vermont.
Fulltime Equivalents (FTEs)
- 96 marriage and family therapists provide 49.6 total FTEs.
- 12.5 FTEs, or 25% of total FTEs, are provided by 28 marriage and family therapists aged 60 or older.
- 14% (13) of marriage and family therapists work 40 or more hours per week at their main site.
- Windham county has the highest FTEs per population (46.8).
- Grand Isle, Franklin and Essex do not have any marriage and family therapist FTEs.
| Average weekly hours – at all sites |
Number |
Percent |
| Less than 20 hours |
47 |
49% |
| 20 to 39 hours |
35 |
36% |
| 40 hours or more |
14 |
15% |
Marriage and Family Therapists FTEs per 100,000 population by County
| County |
Ratio of FTEs per 100,000 population |
| Addison |
4.3 |
| Bennington |
19.0 |
| Caledonia |
17.3 |
| Chittenden |
7.9 |
| Essex |
0.0 |
| Franklin |
0.0 |
| Grand Isle |
0.0 |
| Lamoille |
2.0 |
| Orange |
12.5 |
| Orleans |
6.2 |
| Rutland |
11.3 |
| Washington |
16.3 |
| Windham |
46.8 |
| Windsor |
14.0 |
Trends in Statewide FTE
The number of marriage and family therapists practicing in Vermont increased steadily from 26.4 in 2014 to 48.3 in 2022, but saw little change from 2022 to 2024.
Marriage and Family Therapists FTEs by Year
| Year |
FTEs |
| 2024 |
49.6 |
| 2022 |
48.3 |
| 2020 |
38.1 |
| 2018 |
35.3 |
| 2016 |
32.2 |
| 2014 |
26.4 |
Demographics, Education and Practice
Gender
Seven percent of marriage and family therapists preferred not to answer or were missing data for gender. The gender data reported in the table are based on those who reported gender. Seventy-four of marriage and family therapists are female.
| Gender |
Count |
Percent |
| Female |
66 |
74% |
| Male |
19 |
21% |
| Prefer to self-describe |
4 |
4% |
Age
- The median age of marriage and family therapists is 54, meaning half of marriage and family therapists are aged 54 and older.
- 4% are under 35 years of age.
- 51% are between 35 and 54 years of age.
- 14% are 65 or older.
Age Distribution of Marriage and Family Therapists
| Age |
Count |
percent |
| Under 35 |
4 |
4% |
| 35 to 44 |
22 |
23% |
| 45 to 54 |
27 |
28% |
| 55 to 64 |
29 |
30% |
| 65 to 74 |
12 |
12% |
| 75 and older |
2 |
2% |
Race and Ethnicity
Seven percent of marriage and family therapists preferred not to answer or were missing data for race and ethnicity. The race and ethnicity data reported in the table are based only on those who reported race and/or ethnicity. Respondents were asked to select their race and ethnicity and could select multiple responses or choose not to answer. Therefore, numbers may not equal the total number of marriage and family therapists.
| Race and ethnicity |
Count |
Percent |
| White |
80 |
90% |
| Hispanic or Latino/a, or of Spanish origin |
6 |
7% |
| Middle Eastern or North African |
1 |
1% |
| American Indian or Alaskan Native |
0 |
0% |
| Asian |
0 |
0% |
| Black |
0 |
0% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander |
0 |
0% |
| Prefer to self-describe |
3 |
3% |
Education and Training
Master’s degrees are required to hold a Vermont license to be a marriage and family therapist.
8% of licensed marriage and family therapists in Vermont have a PhD / PsyD / EdD.
47% received their schooling in the Northeast and 44% in the West.
3% also maintain a license as Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor, and 4% as a Mental Health Counselor.
| Location of highest degree |
Count |
Percent |
| Northeast |
42 |
47% |
| Midwest |
4 |
4% |
| South |
4 |
4% |
| West |
40 |
44% |
| Canada |
0 |
0% |
| Other Foreign Country |
0 |
0% |
Missing data for 6 individuals.
Practice Characteristics
Practice Setting
- 69% of marriage and family therapists work in an independent solo practice (private practice).
| Main Setting |
Count |
Percent |
| Independent solo practice (private practice) |
66 |
69% |
| School-based mental health service |
6 |
6% |
| Independent group practice |
5 |
5% |
| Community health center |
3 |
3% |
| Community mental health center / Designated Agency |
3 |
3% |
| Other setting |
13 |
14% |
Number of sites
- 89% of marriage and family therapists practice at a single practice site.
- 11% (11) work at two or more sites.
Specialties
- The most common primary specialty of marriage and family therapists is general practice (35%), followed by couple & family psychology (29%).
Access to Care
- 91% of marriage and family therapists are accepting new patients.
- 54% participate in Medicaid, and 50% accept new Medicaid clients.
- 29% participate in Medicare, and 28% accept new Medicare clients.
- Medicare does not reimburse marriage and family therapists directly so MFTs accepting Medicare must be able to bill using another provider type or provide services under supervision of a covered license type.
| % of Marriage and Family Therapists that |
Count |
Percent |
| Accept new patients |
82 |
91% |
| Participate in Medicaid |
46 |
54% |
| Accept new Medicaid patients |
42 |
50% |
| Participate in Medicare |
24 |
29% |
| Accept new Medicare patients |
23 |
28% |
Current Experience and Future Plans
- 42% of marriage and family therapists have been licensed in Vermont for 5 years or less.
- 13% of marriage and family therapists have been licensed in Vermont for over 20 years.
- 73% plan to continue working the same number of hours in the next 12 months.
- 20% plan to increase their hours.
- 6% plan to reduce their hours.
- No marriage and family therapists plan to seek non-clinical job or retire.
| Years Licensed in VT |
Count |
Percent |
| 0 to 5 years |
40 |
42% |
| 6 to 10 years |
21 |
22% |
| 11 to 15 years |
14 |
15% |
| 16 to 20 years |
8 |
8% |
| 21 to 25 years |
7 |
7% |
| Over 25 years |
5 |
5% |
Missing data for 1 individual.
Key Takeaways
- The number of marriage and family therapists practicing in Vermont increased steadily from 26.4 in 2014 to 48.3 in 2022, but saw little change from 2022 to 2024. While the number of marriage and family therapists licensed increased from 2022 to 2024 (113 to 128), as well as the number actively practicing (76 to 96), the number of FTEs did not increase much.
- Relative to population, marriage and family therapists are most common in Windham, Bennington and Caledonia Counties.
- Almost half of marriage and family therapists are over the age of 54, and 29% are age 60 or older. 25% of all FTEs in Vermont are provided by marriage and family therapists aged 60 and older, which may lead to a shortage in coming years as older marriage and family therapists leave the workforce.
- 21% of marriage and family therapists are men, which may limit access to services for those who feel more comfortable with male marriage and family therapists.
For more information, contact: AHS.VDHPhysicianCensus@vermont.gov
Data Acknowledgement
The Vermont Department of Health recognizes the many social, economic and environmental inequities which drive the data in this report. We are working to incorporate data reflective of these lived experiences among all Vermonters. For this report, race and ethnicity are self-reported by participants. These questions are optional and “prefer not to answer” answers are allowed. Participants are asked how they would classify their race and ethnicity, with presented options being Abenaki or other Native American or Alaska Native identity; Asian or Asian American; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino, Latina, or Latinx; Middle Eastern or North African; Native Hawaiian or another Pacific Islander; White or European American; prefer not to answer; and an additional race or ethnicity (with space to write-in), and they can choose multiple.
Appendix
Active Marriage and Family Therapists
A marriage and family therapist who reported working in Vermont as a marriage and family therapist (regardless of how many hours) is considered active.
Census
The census was taken during the biennial relicensing process which ended on November 30, 2024. The data include all licensed marriage and family therapists except for new licensees enrolled less than three months before the renewal date (August – October 2024), as their license was valid until the next renewal date of November 30, 2026. Copy of census questions is available upon request.
Full Time Equivalent (FTE)
Full time is defined as 40 or more working hours in Vermont per week, 48 weeks or more per year. Reporting more than 40 hours per week is defined as one FTE regardless of the number of hours over 40 per week worked.
Limitations
Accuracy of setting data is difficult to interpret since many marriage and family therapists employed at the same location chose different settings to describe the same work location.
Main Practice, Site, Setting, and Specialty
The main practice, site, setting, or specialty refer to the practice in which the marriage and family therapists worked the greatest number of annual hours.
Map Quartiles
For county maps, colors define quartiles. The lowest 25% of FTE equivalents to population ratio is displayed in the lightest color, the middle 50% in medium, and highest 25% in the darkest color.
Missing data
Unless otherwise noted, missing data are excluded from percentages and tables. Therefore, totals may vary from table to table. Starting in May 2025, missing data and those who preferred not to answer for gender, race, and ethnicity are excluded from the denominator, which may affect comparisons with prior reports where missing data were included.
Population Estimates
Population estimates are for July 2023 and were provided by the Department of Health.
Race and Ethnicity
The way the race and ethnicity questions have been asked has changed over time. In this survey, participants were asked how they classify their race and ethnicity from a list of options, which included: Abenaki or other Native American or Alaska Native identity; Asian or Asian American; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino, Latina, or Latinx; Middle Eastern or North African; Native Hawaiian or another Pacific Islander; White or European American; prefer not to answer; and an additional race or ethnicity (with space to write-in). In the previous survey, race and ethnicity were addressed as separate questions. Participants could classify their race by selecting from options such as American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, White, Other (with space to specify), or Prefer not to answer. Additionally, they were asked if they were Hispanic, Latino/a, or of Spanish origin, with options to respond Yes, No, or Prefer not to answer.
States
States are grouped into the following regions:
| Northeast |
Midwest |
South |
|
West |
| Connecticut |
Illinois |
Alabama |
North Carolina |
Alaska |
| Maine |
Indiana |
Arkansas |
Oklahoma |
Arizona |
| Massachusetts |
Iowa |
Delaware |
South Carolina |
California |
| New Hampshire |
Kansas |
Florida |
Tennessee |
Colorado |
| New Jersey |
Michigan |
Georgia |
Texas |
Hawaii |
| New York |
Minnesota |
Kentucky |
Virginia |
Idaho |
| Pennsylvania |
Missouri |
Louisiana |
Washington DC |
Montana |
| Rhode Island |
Nebraska |
Maryland |
West Virginia |
Nevada |
| Vermont |
North Dakota |
Mississippi |
|
New Mexico |
|
Ohio |
|
|
Oregon |
|
South Dakota |
|
|
Utah |
|
Wisconsin |
|
|
Washington |
|
|
|
|
Wyoming |
Weekly Hours
Average weekly hours is based on hours and weeks reported, adjusted to a full-time 48-week working year (hours * (weeks/48)). Thus, the average weekly hours for an individual working 40 hours a week for half the year (24 weeks) is 20.
