Marriage counselors are trained and licensed therapists that specialize in marriage and family therapy. While states have different certification and licensure requirements, most require marriage counselors to have advanced training such as masters, doctorate and graduate work in the field, as well as supervised training under other Marriage and Family Therapy experts.

Marriage counseling is often referred to as "couples therapy," as you do not necessarily have to be married to see a marriage counselor. Also known as Marriage and Family Therapists, counselors help couples understand the root of the conflicts that they are facing. By showing couples how to improve their communication skills, and understand and respect their differences, they give them tools to build healthier and stronger relationship. From issues such as substance abuse and conflicts with raising children to major life changes such as retirement or death of loved ones, the marriage counselor walks the couple through dealing with it. Counselors see the couples together during a session. It is during this time that the couples are encouraged to talk about their stresses and issues. While they are communicating, whether it be through crying or yelling, the counselor is there to help mediate the process and remain neutral at all times. Marriage counselors are not there to take sides, but rather to help the couple communicate their feelings to each other and find a way to work it out together, thus resolving the conflict.

Marriage counselors/therapists are in the same business of helping people the way individual therapists are, but they have gone on to specialize their training in this particular field. As a drug-and-alcohol counselor is specialized in the field of substance abuse, a marriage counselor is specialized in the area of marriage and family therapy. Most marriage counselors have a private practice, but if specializing in "marriage and family" they are also often employed within the health care system, school systems and social service industries. While those specializing in Marriage and Family Counseling comprise less than 10 percent of all licensed counselors, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a growth rate of 30 percent in the near future.