One of marital and family therapy's key contributions to counseling is its use of systems theory; that is, studying a phenomenon in relation to its context. This paper addresses several contexts which will influence marriage and family counseling: (1) the future of psychotherapy; (2) marriage and family counseling's projected future; and (3) the vision of the future for professional counseling in general. Psychotherapy, states the author, must adapt itself to increasing pluralism in the field and in the population. New techniques are needed to adapt to increasing ethnicity, economic limitations, and more complex contexts. Marriage and family therapists in particular must integrate various theoretical positions as well as incorporate technical eclecticism so as to better involve reluctant family members. Increased interest in family involvement in therapy, proscribed therapeutic situations, and the reconciliation of opposites will all influence future therapy. For the future of professional counseling, licensure, program accreditation, psychoeducational approaches, the changing family, as well as other issues, will require therapists to adapt accordingly. Counselors of all types will become more involved in medical settings. The increasing importance of the family, along with its rising complexity, in therapeutic approaches will dictate more training for professionals to meet these new demands. Contains 30 references.) (RJM)