Are you curious about therapy as a career path? Deciding to become a therapist means dedicating your career to an extremely important role in society, where each day you’ll have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those you work with. This guide will walk through all you need to know about becoming a therapist, from educational requirements to the many various career pathways you might embark on. Keep reading to become equipped with knowledge and perspective that will guide you on the journey of this rewarding career. 

Understanding the Role of a Therapist

While you may have a visual of who a therapist is in your head, it’s important to start by understanding exactly what a therapist is. We can define a therapist as a trained professional who supports people in navigating mental, emotional, and/or physical challenges. 

Broadly speaking, the role of a therapist includes listening, understanding, and offering tools for managing the difficulties that come with life. Here is a general list of some key responsibilities that a therapist might have: 

• Assessing clients’ emotional state and mental health conditions
• Creating a plan for treatment and conducting therapy sessions
• Maintaining a thorough understanding of human behavior and mental health

Therapists’ roles and responsibilities can vary significantly depending on the type of therapist. Common therapy types include clinical psychologists, behavioral therapists, marriage and family therapists, child psychologists, psychotherapists, and more. If you aren’t sure yet which type or specialization you’re interested in, keep in mind that the therapy profession as a whole has a profound impact on public and individual health. As a therapist you will help individuals better understand their internal self, cope with life traumas and stresses, and help improve their interpersonal relationships. At scale, therapy boosts overall health in communities by creating awareness of the importance of mental health and promoting a more supportive culture. 

The Educational Road to Becoming a Therapist

There are many educational pathways to choose from to become a therapist, including some non-negotiable requirements and many flexible options to consider. Let’s dive into all the requirements, recommendations, and options, starting from the beginning. 

High School Preparation for Aspiring Therapists

In addition to earning a high school diploma, there are a number of steps you can consider taking to begin preparing for a future career in therapy: 

1. Course work: Elect to take relevant course work, when possible (e.i. psychology, sociology biology). 
2. Activities: Join extracurricular activities that will support your development of essential therapy skills (empathy, active listening, communication), such as debate clubs or discussion groups. Pro-tip: consider starting psychology club at your high school if one doesn’t yet exist!
3. Research & explore: Follow blogs or social media pages related to therapy, read introductory psychology books, and attend free lectures when you can.

Undergraduate Degrees for Future Therapists

The next milestone you’ll need to complete in order to become a therapist is a bachelor’s degree. However, what you decide to study and the type of degree you eventually earn can vary. While the early stages of your college application and selection process won’t require you to commit to this career path fully, there are certain fields of study that may translate better to your future career as a therapist. If you are already fully intent on becoming a therapist, you should strongly consider majors like psychology, sociology, social work or human behavior. To go a step further, you can consider researching and applying to colleges with strong psychology programs. 

Graduate Studies

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree, an aspiring therapist will need to enroll in a graduate studies program. There are a range of options when it comes to graduate programs for therapists, and it’s important to consider each of them carefully. 

1. Master’s Degree Programs: Earning a master’s degree typically takes 2-3 years to complete, focusing on practical skills in fundamental knowledge. Advantages of choosing a Master’s program include their shorter duration and often lower cost. Some common master’s programs for aspiring therapists include:
   1. Master of Social Work (MSW)
   2. Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS) in Counseling
   3. Master of Education (MEd) in Counseling
   4. Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS) in Psychology 
2. Doctoral Degree Programs: Unlike master’s degree programs, Doctoral programs can take from 4-7 years to complete due to their more in-depth study, focus on research methodologies, and advanced training. The benefit of completing a program of this intensity could be higher earning potential and more expansive career options (e.i, academia/research, specialized areas of psychological testing and assessment.). If you’re excited about research, consider a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology or Counseling. Alternatively, if your interest leans toward a more clinical-focused doctoral education, a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) might be for you. 

While this section covers the most common options for graduate studies to become a therapist, there are many more types of degrees for different therapy specializations.  

Licensing and Certification Requirements 

The last step in becoming a therapist is licensing. Upon completing your graduate program, you’ll need have the following requirements in order to earn your license and begin practicing therapy: 

1. Clinical hours: A minimum completion of post-secondary supervised clinical work, typically ranging from 2,000 – 4,000 hours. 
2. Exams: Passing the required examinations of your state. The exam also varies for counselors (NCE/NCMHCE), psychologists (EPPP), and social workers (ASWB). 
3. Licensure: The final step in officially becoming a therapist is to obtain a license, which can be earned after completing the required clinical hours and passing the required exam. 

Continuing Education

You already be thinking this career path requires a whole lot of learning to become a licensed therapist, but be warned – it doesn’t end after graduate schoo. Once licensed, therapists are often required to take part in ongoing education throughout their careers in order to keep their license up-to-date. As therapy is an ever-evolving field, therapists need to stay abreast of the latest developments in the field. 

Gaining Experience & Developing Essential Skills

I’m sure it’s not news to you that there is more to being a therapist than nodding your head and offering “mhms” in response to a client. Let’s cover the critical skills great therapists should have, and how to get some experience under your belt. 

Important Skills for Therapists

To become an effective therapist, there are a number of critical skills to have handy. Among the most important skills unique to a therapist are: 

1. Active Listening – Possibly the most imperative skill of a therapist is to listen carefully and attentively. 
2. Communication – Strong spoken communication is crucial. Articulating thoughts clearly, as well as demonstrating response toward a client through nonverbal communication is absolutely essential. 
3. Empathy – Connecting on clients emotionally, beyond the surface level, is extremely important for therapists. 
4. Ehical Judgment and Integrity – As a therapist, having strong ethical integrity and judgement is imperative for following the strict code of ethics. 

Getting Hands-on Experience

Throughout your educational journey toward becoming a therapist, you will encounter potential opportunities for learning outside of the classroom. As we discussed above, supervised clinical hours are required for gaining licensure as a therapist. Beyond those required hours, it’s important to take any additional opportunities for hands on learning you can. Consider engaging in volunteer positions, seeking the wisdom and mentorship of professors or senior colleagues, pursuing internships, and joining professional therapy associations or attending webinars/live talks. 

Career Paths and Specializations in Therapy

Career Paths can vary widely for therapists by both the employment setting you choose and by specialization you pursue. 

Therapy Specializations

As a therapist, choosing a specialization will allow you to focus on specific issues that patients or clients need help with. Each specialization has it’s pros and cons, and they may appeal to aspiring therapists for different reasons, such as personal history, the type of degree they are willing to pursue, or the . Here’s a brief summary of the most common specializations: 

•  Clinical Psychology – Clinical psychologist focus their work on diagnosing and treating mental disorders. Their specialty lies in psychological disorders, but they can have different approaches to therapy, like CBT or psychotherapy.
• Marriage and Family Therapy – Therapists who specialize in MFT will spend their career working with couples and families on issues, focusing on the relationship system, rather than the individual. This type of practice can range from helping clients in navigating couple-conflict, to resolving parent-child struggles, to managing psychological disorders or other difficult individual circumstances taking place in the family system, and more. 
• Counseling Psychology – This therapy specialization fosues on wellness more than pathology. In this specialty, therapists support clients in dealing with the everyday life challenges, transitions, stressors, and emotional difficulties. 

These don’t cover all of the possible specializations out there, but shed light on how different each therapists’ practice can look. 

Employment Settings

With most specialities, therapists can choose to work in private practice, or in an institutional setting. Working in private practice often comes with benefits like flexibility in clients and scheduling. However, it also requires some self-marketing and business skill, especially when you’re starting out. 

Working in an institution, like a hospital, school, or mental health agency may come with a steadier income to start, and sometimes the reward of helping those who need it most, but it may also come with more bureaucracy and less control over their work. Each setting can provide a highly fulfilling career, regardless of the choice, so just be sure to weigh your preferences. 

Conclusion

You are now one step further on your journey to becoming a therapist! Hopefully this guide served as a helpful starting point for your potential future career in therapy. Before wrapping up this guide, it’s important to disclaim that it overviewed the career of therapy in mental and emotional health, and did not cover Pysical Therapy or Occupational Therapy careers. 

If you still have questions, head to CareerVillage.org to get them answered by real professionals!