Marriage & Family Therapist Interview Questions & Answers

Marriage and family therapists help people manage and overcome problems with family and other relationships.

Interviewers look for candidates that demonstrate excellent skills such as:

• Listening skills
• Speaking skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Organizational skills
• Compassion

In this blog, we discuss commonly asked interview questions during job interviews for marriage and family therapist positions. We also discuss the qualities that interviewers look for in successful candidates. In other words, we’re here to help you out!

Also, read more about frequently asked job interview questions here and check our job interview preparation checklist.

Skills Interviewers Look For In Successful Candidates

Below we discuss the skills you can highlight in your answers to demonstrate that you’re qualified for the job.

Compassion

Why interviewers are interested in your compassion:

Marriage and family therapists often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations, so they must be compassionate and empathize with their clients.

Related: What Does a Qualified Mental Health Professional Do?

Interpersonal skills

Why interviewers are interested in your interpersonal skills:

Marriage and family therapists work with different types of people. They spend most of their time working directly with clients and other professionals and must be able to encourage good relationships.

Learn more about communication interview questions and how to answer them!

Listening skills

Why interviewers are interested in your listening skills:

Marriage and family therapists need to give their full attention to their clients to understand their problems, values, and goals.

Organizational skills

Why interviewers are interested in your organizational skills:

Marriage and family therapists in private practice must keep track of payments and work with insurance companies.

Learn more about organizational interview questions and how to answer them!

Speaking skills

Why interviewers are interested in your speaking skills:

Marriage and family therapists need to be able to communicate with clients effectively. They must express information in a way that clients can understand easily.

(source: bls.gov)

Marriage and Family Therapist Job Interview Questions & Answers

During a job interview, the hiring manager wants to discuss several things. Think of your:

• Employment history
• Skills and abilities
• Accomplishments
• Job qualifications
• Educational background
• Career goals
• Personality

Below you find a list of commonly asked interview questions.

Examples Of General Marriage and Family Therapist Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How would you describe yourself?
3. Why do you want to work here?
4. What interests you about this position?
5. Walk me through your resume.
6. What motivates you?
7. Why are you leaving your current job?
8. Describe your work ethic.
9. What is your greatest strength?
10. How does your experience qualify you for this job?
11. What is your greatest weakness?
12. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
13. Tell me about a challenging work situation and how you overcame it.
14. What are your expectations for this position?
15. What are your career goals?
16. Why should we hire you?
17. What did you like most about your last position?
18. What did you like least about your last position?
19. How do you handle stress?
20. What is your greatest accomplishment?

Learn how to answer these common job interview questions!

Examples Of Specific Marriage and Family Therapist Behavioral Interview Questions

Learn more about answering behavioral interview questions by using the STAR interview technique.

1. Tell me about a time you demonstrated excellent listening skills. What was the situation and how did you respond to it?
2. What additional training and development programs could help you become a better or more specialized marriage and family therapist?
3. Describe a time you had to deal with an angry client. How did you handle the situation?
4. Walk me through your process of keeping track of client notes and important related information?
5. In your opinion, what are the most important skills for a therapist to be successful?
6. How do you help clients to open up during therapy sessions? Give me an example.
7. Can you describe the main duties and responsibilities of a marriage and family therapist?
8. Tell me how you plan, organize, and prioritize your workday.
9. Which of your prior work experience will help you most in this position?
10. Tell me about a rewarding experience as a marriage and family therapist.
11. How do you ensure that you communicate effectively with your clients?
12. How do you show that you’re compassionate and empathize with your clients?

Learn more about questions to ask the interviewer during your job interview.