3 answers
Isabel
Student
Delhi charter Township, Michigan
1
Question
Asked
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What are things to help me become a therapist?
What are some challenges that come when trying to become a therapist? What classes can I take now in high school to help me develop the skills of a therapist?
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3 answers
Chinyere Okafor
Educationist and Counseling Psychologist
574
Answers
Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
Updated
Chinyere’s Answer
Hello Isabel,
Becoming a therapist is a noble and rewarding career choice. As you have expressed your interest in pursuing this path, here are several things you can do to prepare yourself.
1. Obtain a Bachelor's degree: Pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology, counseling, social work, or any related field.
2. Earn a Master's degree: After completing your Bachelor's degree, pursue a Master's degree in counseling or therapy-related fields, such as clinical psychology or marriage and family therapy. Ensure that the program you choose is accredited by the appropriate governing body.
3. Engage in supervised clinical experience: To obtain licensure, most states require a certain number of supervised clinical hours. Look for opportunities to gain hands-on experience through internships or volunteer positions at mental health clinics or counseling centers.
4. Obtain licensure: After completing your education and supervised experience requirements, you will need to pass state licensing exams to become a licensed therapist.
5. Continually update your knowledge and skills: Participate in ongoing professional development activities such as workshops, seminars, conferences, and certifications to stay up-to-date with the latest research and therapeutic techniques.
Becoming a therapist comes with some challenges, just like every other profession. Below are some of them.
1. Lengthy educational journey: Becoming a therapist requires years of education and training before being able to practice independently.
2. Emotional demands: Being exposed to clients' emotional struggles can be mentally taxing for therapists; self-care practices are essential for maintaining well-being.
3. Ethical considerations: Therapists must adhere strictly to ethical guidelines governing client confidentiality and professional boundaries while providing effective care.
4. Balancing objectivity with empathy: Therapists need to find the right balance between empathy and maintaining professional distance when assisting clients without becoming overly involved emotionally themselves.
Classes in high school that can help develop skills of a therapist:
1. Psychology courses: Take psychology classes available at your high school if offered; they will provide fundamental knowledge about human behavior and mental processes.
2. Communication courses: Courses focused on effective communication skills (such as public speaking or debate) can enhance your ability to connect with others effectively.
3. Social science courses:Courses like sociology may help you understand societal factors influencing individuals' lives, which could be beneficial in therapeutic work
4. Volunteering opportunities:Get involved in volunteer programs that allow interaction with diverse populations, like peer mentoring services or helplines; this will provide valuable experiences working with people who may struggle emotionally.
Note that these steps are general guidelines, and specific requirements may vary depending on your country or state. It's important to research the licensing and educational requirements in your area to ensure you are on the right path towards becoming a therapist. Additionally, consider seeking guidance from professionals already working in the field or reaching out to counseling or psychology departments at colleges or universities for more specific advice.
Best wishes.
Becoming a therapist is a noble and rewarding career choice. As you have expressed your interest in pursuing this path, here are several things you can do to prepare yourself.
1. Obtain a Bachelor's degree: Pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology, counseling, social work, or any related field.
2. Earn a Master's degree: After completing your Bachelor's degree, pursue a Master's degree in counseling or therapy-related fields, such as clinical psychology or marriage and family therapy. Ensure that the program you choose is accredited by the appropriate governing body.
3. Engage in supervised clinical experience: To obtain licensure, most states require a certain number of supervised clinical hours. Look for opportunities to gain hands-on experience through internships or volunteer positions at mental health clinics or counseling centers.
4. Obtain licensure: After completing your education and supervised experience requirements, you will need to pass state licensing exams to become a licensed therapist.
5. Continually update your knowledge and skills: Participate in ongoing professional development activities such as workshops, seminars, conferences, and certifications to stay up-to-date with the latest research and therapeutic techniques.
Becoming a therapist comes with some challenges, just like every other profession. Below are some of them.
1. Lengthy educational journey: Becoming a therapist requires years of education and training before being able to practice independently.
2. Emotional demands: Being exposed to clients' emotional struggles can be mentally taxing for therapists; self-care practices are essential for maintaining well-being.
3. Ethical considerations: Therapists must adhere strictly to ethical guidelines governing client confidentiality and professional boundaries while providing effective care.
4. Balancing objectivity with empathy: Therapists need to find the right balance between empathy and maintaining professional distance when assisting clients without becoming overly involved emotionally themselves.
Classes in high school that can help develop skills of a therapist:
1. Psychology courses: Take psychology classes available at your high school if offered; they will provide fundamental knowledge about human behavior and mental processes.
2. Communication courses: Courses focused on effective communication skills (such as public speaking or debate) can enhance your ability to connect with others effectively.
3. Social science courses:Courses like sociology may help you understand societal factors influencing individuals' lives, which could be beneficial in therapeutic work
4. Volunteering opportunities:Get involved in volunteer programs that allow interaction with diverse populations, like peer mentoring services or helplines; this will provide valuable experiences working with people who may struggle emotionally.
Note that these steps are general guidelines, and specific requirements may vary depending on your country or state. It's important to research the licensing and educational requirements in your area to ensure you are on the right path towards becoming a therapist. Additionally, consider seeking guidance from professionals already working in the field or reaching out to counseling or psychology departments at colleges or universities for more specific advice.
Best wishes.
Melissa Alvarez
Therapist
5
Answers
Elkhart, Indiana
Updated
Melissa’s Answer
I'm not sure about specific high school classes but I do know of some outside sources where you can learn for free. I have taken advantage of apps such as Alison that offer free courses. As the first responder said it is important to have certain qualitites about you before becoming a therapist. Sometimes these are natural to us, other times we have to work at it. As far as challenges go I will share some of mine since I am still a brand new therapist. First, I was frightened at the idea of becomming a therapist after schooling was over. I lacked the confidence and felt my schooling was inadequate. I did want to start off in community mental health but was not offered a position. I ended up starting in private practice which offered more challenges as I was faced with thinking about running a business and trying to appear confident. Many people start off in private practice so it's not impossible. Community mental health offers a great wealth of knowledge and experience and is very different from private practice. Both have pros and cons. In private practice you will make more an hour but only get paid if a client shows up and building my schedule has been tough at first. In community mental health you get paid for being there all day but work long, hard hours which can lead to burnout. My practice has a policy in place where I still get paid if the client cancels in less than 24 hours or just does not show up. Clients can be finicky about cancelling which has created resentment for me which I am working though. Since I do not have a second job, this affects me financially. Also always be working on yourself as a person. I still go to therapy and love it. I work from home which I love but also offers many challenges such as feeling isolated. Good luck and keep working hard. You're on the right path!
Christopher Glowacki
Clinical Psychologist
2
Answers
Sacramento, CA
Updated
Christopher’s Answer
Hi Isabel,
Great question! There's definitely some practical things you can do and some intangible things that can help separate you from your cohort (which I'll explain in a second).
Regarding things you can do or classes you can take, each high school is different with curriculum they offer though I remember there being an elective Psychology 101 class when I was in high school. Nowadays some schools even offer AP Psych which is great because it can give you exposure to what current college students are learning at a local college/university.
One thing I did not do in high school was seek out other opportunities aside from classroom learning. I'd probably first make your interests of career choice of wanting to become a therapist known to a trusted mentor/advisor/teacher because they can encourage and support you, as well as inform you of any potential learning opportunities or experiences they might be aware of. I also would consider even reaching out directly to a local undergraduate psychology program via their contact page and share that you're searching for an unpaid internship or involvement in some kind of summer internship program or research project-type thing. At this stage of the game for you, any experience is great experience. I'm of the mindset it doesn’t hurt to ask so why not! I don't know of any specific ones off hand but depending on where you live or plan to go to school, high schoolers showing initiative and asking to be involved for the sake of improving their chances to be accepted into a graduate program can only make you look more competitive!
Some intangible things that will vary by person that can improve your chances of becoming a therapist are personality characteristics specific to the job: empathetic, compassionate, thoughtful, kind, friendly, non-judgmental (amongst others). Most anyone can be taught a specific type of therapy or therapist skill but if you don't have any of these abovementioned traits, psychology might be a tough road ahead!
As for your question about challenges when becoming a therapist, this also can vary. Could be something like not getting into the school you want, the job you want, obtaining a degree and realizing it's not the right fit for you - lots of stuff! Personally, that's why I think it's super important to connect with a mentor or trusted advisor sooner rather than later to help you see what a day-to-day experience of a therapist or psychologist looks like so you can make the most informed decision. 😊
Great question! There's definitely some practical things you can do and some intangible things that can help separate you from your cohort (which I'll explain in a second).
Regarding things you can do or classes you can take, each high school is different with curriculum they offer though I remember there being an elective Psychology 101 class when I was in high school. Nowadays some schools even offer AP Psych which is great because it can give you exposure to what current college students are learning at a local college/university.
One thing I did not do in high school was seek out other opportunities aside from classroom learning. I'd probably first make your interests of career choice of wanting to become a therapist known to a trusted mentor/advisor/teacher because they can encourage and support you, as well as inform you of any potential learning opportunities or experiences they might be aware of. I also would consider even reaching out directly to a local undergraduate psychology program via their contact page and share that you're searching for an unpaid internship or involvement in some kind of summer internship program or research project-type thing. At this stage of the game for you, any experience is great experience. I'm of the mindset it doesn’t hurt to ask so why not! I don't know of any specific ones off hand but depending on where you live or plan to go to school, high schoolers showing initiative and asking to be involved for the sake of improving their chances to be accepted into a graduate program can only make you look more competitive!
Some intangible things that will vary by person that can improve your chances of becoming a therapist are personality characteristics specific to the job: empathetic, compassionate, thoughtful, kind, friendly, non-judgmental (amongst others). Most anyone can be taught a specific type of therapy or therapist skill but if you don't have any of these abovementioned traits, psychology might be a tough road ahead!
As for your question about challenges when becoming a therapist, this also can vary. Could be something like not getting into the school you want, the job you want, obtaining a degree and realizing it's not the right fit for you - lots of stuff! Personally, that's why I think it's super important to connect with a mentor or trusted advisor sooner rather than later to help you see what a day-to-day experience of a therapist or psychologist looks like so you can make the most informed decision. 😊