Marriage & Family Therapist
Social & Community
Diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems. Apply psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques in the delivery of services to individuals, couples, and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed nervous and mental disorders.
Picture the job
Where you'd usually workA counselling room
- Mostly indoors
- Sitting for most of the day
- Dealing with customers or the public
- A noisy workplace
An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.
In Malaysia
Malaysia has no separate 'marriage and family therapist' licence as in the US. Family and marriage counselling is done by registered counsellors (Lembaga Kaunselor), in government agencies such as LPPKN and JKM, in state Islamic religious departments, and in private practice. Practising counselling without registration is an offence under Act 580.
- How people get into it here
- SPM → STPM/matriculation/foundation → Bachelor's in counselling (LKM-recognised, MQR code 0923, with at least 504 internship hours) → register with Lembaga Kaunselor → further training/Master's in marriage and family counselling.
- Government post
- Pegawai Psikologi Gred S9 (dahulu S41), e.g. counselling posts in ministries · starts at RM2,470 a month
Pay in Malaysia
Government starting pay
RM2,470 – RM3,020
per month
Official basic pay for the government grade, before allowances. Private-sector pay can differ.
SPA — Pegawai Psikologi Gred S9 · Aug 2024
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
2
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
Typical entry
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Asasi / Foundation
One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.
International Pre-U
A-Levels, AUSMAT, IB and more. The flexible premium route, local or overseas.
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
Quick answers
How do you become a Marriage & Family Therapist in Malaysia?
SPM → STPM/matriculation/foundation → Bachelor's in counselling (LKM-recognised, MQR code 0923, with at least 504 internship hours) → register with Lembaga Kaunselor → further training/Master's in marriage and family counselling. Registration with Lembaga Kaunselor Malaysia (Counsellors Act 1998, Act 580) — registration plus biennial practising certificate is required to practise.
What should I study to become a Marriage & Family Therapist?
Related fields of study: Allied Health. SPM subjects that help most: Biology, Sports Science, English and Business.
How much does a Marriage & Family Therapist earn in Malaysia?
The official pay scale put starting pay at RM2,470 – RM3,020 a month (source: SPA — Pegawai Psikologi Gred S9, Aug 2024).
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Therapy and Counseling100%
BiologySports Science
- Psychology99%
- Customer and Personal Service80%
- Sociology and Anthropology78%
- English Language73%
English
- Administrative68%
Business
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersNot at all
- Handling conflict situationsOften
- Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentOften
Where this job is heading
Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.
- Diagnose mental and emotional disorders in clients.
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work
Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job, and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.
What beginner adverts asked for
We read 20 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.
9 of 20 were internships
Allowance or pay, when stated
RM800 – RM2,000
16 of 20 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM800 and RM2,000 a month. Many print none.
Languages named
Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin
An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.
Related careers
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About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Marriage and Family Therapists
Source: SPA — Pegawai Psikologi Gred S9 · as of Aug 2024
Check the salary figures yourself:SPA — Pegawai Psikologi Gred S9
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org