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What are some extra steps i can take to become a therapist ? whats needed to become one/

My name is Bryanna and im a junior in high school and i was looking at becoming a therapist in the future but i just need to know what i can do to help me get that done and what extra steps i need to take.Im a very friendly person and i love to help people out. #therapist #future #helping #therapy

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Subject: Career question for you
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Jeanne’s Answer

Hi Bryanna,

To become a therapist, you will need a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in counseling, marriage and family therapy, or clinical social work.

Jeanne recommends the following next steps:

Look up your local hospital and/or community mental health center and contact them to see if you can volunteer to get some experience in the field.
Go to your school counselor and ask about opportunities to volunteer.
Go to your school counselor and ask if there are any classes you can take now.
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Clint’s Answer

To add some additional context around the other answer here, your high school courses shouldn't impact your career choices, however, your GPA and test scores will affect which university you get accepted to. When looking at your undergraduate program, you can look for schools with a top psychology program (here's a list: https://www.socialpsychology.org/gunder.htm), but to be honest, you don't absolutely need a psychology degree to pursue a graduated degree in counseling, marriage and family therapy (MFT), or clinical social work. I majored in economics and got accepted to an MFT program at the University of San Francisco. Volunteering or working in the mental health field will both help you get an idea of the different career paths as well as whether or not it's for you. Crisis Text Line is a great organization and I can also recommend doing Behavioral Therapy for children with autism. There are lots of companies around the world doing that. You could also volunteer at shelters or clinics if they have availability.

Once you get to graduate school, you will have to pick a career path (MFT, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Masters in Social work, Psychologist, PsyD, Psychiatrist, Etc.) at which point the requirements vary. For MFT (at least in California), it's a 2-3 year program with a 1-year practicum where you'll be doing supervised therapy.

I hope that helps and best of luck!
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