Resources · Guide
What Is a Marriage and Family Therapist?
There are several kinds of licensed therapists, and the letters after their names can be confusing. This guide explains what an LMFT is, what systemic therapy means in plain terms, and why a marriage and family therapist sees individuals as well as couples and families.
The License
What LMFT Means
LMFT stands for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. It is a mental health license granted by a state after a specific path: a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy or a closely related field, a period of supervised clinical work after graduation, and a licensing exam. Once licensed, an LMFT can independently assess and treat mental health and relationship concerns within the state that issued the license.
Athena Metos, MA, LMFT holds a bachelor's degree in Family and Consumer Studies from the University of Utah and a master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Argosy University. She is licensed as a marriage and family therapist in Utah only, which is why she works in person in Salt Lake City and by telehealth with people located in Utah. She is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC).
Before and alongside her own practice, Athena worked for three years in mental health under a psychiatrist, taking part in weekly psychiatric evaluations and running a group for ADHD patients. That experience is part of why she is comfortable working alongside prescribers, even though she is not one herself.
The Lens
Systemic Therapy, Explained Plainly
What sets marriage and family therapy apart is not who sits in the room but how the therapist thinks about the problem. The training is systemic. A systemic therapist assumes that people are shaped by, and continually shape, the relationships around them: partners, parents, children, siblings, coworkers. A difficulty that shows up in one person often makes more sense once you see the pattern it belongs to.
A simple example is a cycle between two people. One person worries and seeks reassurance. The other gives it, which brings relief for a moment, and then the worry returns and the reassurance is needed again. Over time the reassuring partner grows tired and pulls back a little, which makes the worried partner worry more. Neither person is doing anything wrong, exactly. The pattern is the problem, and it has two participants.
Athena's own reason for choosing this license comes from exactly that idea. As her bio puts it, change in an individual alone is not always enough; systemic therapy addresses people in relationship and the patterns between them. That is the lens she brings to every session, whoever is in the room.
In practice, that means sessions often include questions that might seem surprising at first: who else knows about this, what happens at home when it gets worse, how your family handled similar things when you were growing up. Those questions are not a detour. They are how a systemic therapist maps the pattern so it can be worked with.
Who Comes In
Why an MFT Also Sees Individuals
A common misunderstanding is that a marriage and family therapist only works with couples or families. In fact, a great deal of MFT work is individual therapy. The difference is that the individual is understood in context. Anxiety, depression, burnout or a hard life transition is explored alongside the relationships and roles that surround it: who you lean on, who leans on you, what patterns you learned growing up, and what happens at home when you are struggling.
When it is helpful, other people can be brought in. A partner might join for a few sessions of individual work. A parent might come to part of a teen therapy session. And some concerns are best worked on together from the start, which is where couples counseling and family therapy come in. Athena has Level 2 Gottman training for couples work and extensive training in eating disorders.
The guide on individual, couples or family therapy goes into more detail about how that decision is made.
Other Licenses
How LMFTs Compare With Other Therapists
Several licenses can provide therapy, and each brings real strengths. Licensed clinical social workers are trained with a broad view of people within their communities and social systems. Licensed professional counselors are trained in counseling across many settings. Psychologists hold doctoral degrees and are often trained in psychological testing and research. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who can diagnose and prescribe medication, and many focus mainly on medication management.
None of these is better in general. They are different trainings, and a good fit depends on what you need. What an LMFT offers is a particular depth of training in relationships and family systems, which makes the license a natural choice when the concern involves a partner, a family, or patterns that seem to repeat across relationships.
If medication is part of the picture, that conversation belongs with a physician or psychiatrist. Therapy with an LMFT can run alongside it, and Athena is familiar with how those decisions get made from her years working under a psychiatrist.
Next Steps
Starting With Athena
If you are considering therapy with Athena, the what to expect page walks through the first session, and rates and insurance lists fees and accepted plans. Individual sessions are 60 minutes at $200; couples and family sessions are 60 minutes at $250.
You do not need to know which format is right before reaching out. A short note about what brings you in is enough, and the question of who should be in the room can be worked out together.
Sessions are offered in person at 24 South 600 East, Suite 2, in Salt Lake City, or by telehealth for anyone located in Utah at the time of the session.
Common Questions
Questions About Marriage and Family Therapists
- Do I need to bring my partner or family to see a marriage and family therapist?
- No. Marriage and family therapists see individuals as well as couples and families. The name describes the training and the lens, not a requirement about who comes to sessions.
- Is Athena licensed outside Utah?
- No. Athena is licensed as a marriage and family therapist in Utah only. Sessions are in person at the Salt Lake City office or by telehealth, and telehealth clients need to be located in Utah at the time of session.
- Can a marriage and family therapist prescribe medication?
- No. LMFTs are not prescribers. Medication questions belong with your physician or a psychiatrist, and therapy can continue alongside whatever you decide with them.
- Is therapy with an LMFT covered by insurance?
- Often, depending on your plan. Athena accepts Select Health, BCBS, UBH and University of Utah Health Plans, and can provide a superbill on request for out-of-network plans. Your plan is the best source for what it will cover.
Start With the Contact Form
New clients start with the contact form. Send a short note about what brings you in before anything is scheduled.