More MFTs Looking into Hyperspecialization

In the first half of 2022, AAMFT conducted an industry workforce study to examine the shifts related to COVID-19, their short- and longer-term impacts, and what challenges and opportunities are facing the field. In each issue of Family Therap-eNews, we examine a data point from this report.

To download the full report, visit aamft.org/workforcestudy

In their article “The Big Idea: The Age of Hyperspecialization” for the Harvard Business Review, Thomas W. Malone, Robert Laubacher, and Tammy Johns (2011) identified the labor market was entering into a new and not yet widely understood era of hyperspecialization.

The 2022 study reflected this era of labor evolution has in fact taken hold within the MFT field. Forty percent of respondents indicated they currently held a specialized degree with another 30% indicating they intended to pursue one. With those intending to pursue, the topic areas of greatest interest were Trauma/PTSD (53%) and Couples (43%).

Recognizing this emergent evolution, in 2017 AAMFT expanded its structure to offer mechanisms for hyperspecialization development via topical interest networks. Topics such as research, trauma, military, school and healthcare settings, and working with diverse client populations are currently included in the offerings, amongst other topics. All current offerings can be viewed at aamft.org/engage