--- title: "Bigger and Stronger" id: "61216" type: "post" slug: "bigger-and-stronger" published_at: "2025-03-07T21:55:19+00:00" modified_at: "2026-07-11T18:06:11+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2025/03/07/bigger-and-stronger/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2025/03/07/bigger-and-stronger.md" excerpt: "Expanding an industry workforce comes on the back of association research identifying new pathways and advocacy work that clears roadblocks." taxonomy_category: - "Career Development" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Associations Now" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Bigger and Stronger Part of the Deep Dive[Navigating Workforce Development](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/navigating-workforce-development/) In 2022, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy conducted a survey of its workforce. It discovered that two substantial things had changed in the profession since the COVID-19 pandemic. First, the rapid growth of interest in telehealth prompted its members to seek out more nonlocal clients — an effort complicated by the fact that they needed to be licensed in any state those clients resided. Secondly, it found that people were interested in entering the field earlier than they historically had, often while they were undergraduates. To address the licensure issue, AAMFT ramped up its advocacy around licensure portability, connecting with statehouses and [recruiting volunteers to participate (opens in a new tab)](https://networks.aamft.org/portability/home) . “We’ve been working with different state legislatures to reduce the unnecessary burdens [around licensure],” says AAMFT Chief Strategy Officer Amanda Darnley. “We’re saying, ‘Look, I’m licensed in one state in good standing. I have no ethics violations. I’ve completed all of my necessary steps to becoming a therapist. I should be able to use that license to become licensed in your state as well.’” Thus far, seven states have streamlined their licensure transfers, with legislation pending in 10 more states. To connect with younger potential MFTs, the association has tried to reach them where they’re at, especially on social media. It developed a series of videos under the banner of [Jobs of Tomorrow (opens in a new tab)](https://plus.aamft.org/jobs-of-tomorrow/) and promoted them heavily on TikTok, Instagram, and elsewhere, showcasing how MFTs go about their work. “We really targeted this audience on social media,” she says. “We used a lot of TikTok advertising, a lot of targeted digital advertising to drive them to the series. So, we got about a million eyes on understanding what the profession is, how to enter it, what kind of work is done in it.” [Mark Athitakis](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Mark Athitakis, a contributing editor for Associations Now, has written on nonprofits, the arts, and leadership for a variety of publications. He is a coauthor of The Dumbest Moments in Business History and hopes you never qualify for the sequel. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Tags: [#Associations Now](https://associationsnow.com/tag/associations-now/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## More in this Deep Dive - [The Workforce Won’t Wait—How Associations Can Keep Up](https://associationsnow.com/2025/03/13/the-workforce-wont-wait/) - [Top Career Challenges for Association Professionals and How to Overcome Them](https://associationsnow.com/2025/03/07/top-career-challenges-for-association-professionals-and-how-to-overcome-them/) - [A Wider Net](https://associationsnow.com/2025/03/07/a-wider-net/) - [The Case for Calm](https://associationsnow.com/2025/03/07/the-case-for-calm/) - [The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Developing Career Resilience](https://associationsnow.com/2025/03/10/the-role-of-emotional-intelligence-in-developing-career-resilience/) [View the full Deep Dive →](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/navigating-workforce-development/) ## You Might Like - [Video🚀 The Agile Association Professional: How to Pivot Your Career Path When the Strategic Plan ShiftsJuly 28, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/28/the-agile-association-professional-how-to-pivot-your-career-path-when-the-strategic-plan-shifts/) - [Video2026 Summit Awards DinnerOctober 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/02/2026-summit-awards-dinner/) - [VideoAmerican Geophysical Union: Standing Up for Science: AGU’s Year of Action for Scientists and SocietySeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-geophysical-union-standing-up-for-science-agus-year-of-action-for-scientists-and-society/) - [VideoAmerican College of Emergency Physicians: ACEP Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation ProgramSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-college-of-emergency-physicians-acep-geriatric-emergency-department-accreditation-program/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2025%2F03%2F07%2Fbigger-and-stronger%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !