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What is an educational therapist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Quoted expert
Ron Precht
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an educational therapist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.75 an hour? That's $53,561 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 17% and produce 40,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an educational therapist?

Ron PrechtRon Precht LinkedIn profile

Senior Manager, American Massage Therapy Association

Generally, metropolitan areas have had more openings for massage therapists. This is a report from the end of 2019 that has the most recent data we have available. Report
ScoreEducational TherapistUS Average
Salary
4.2

Avg. Salary $53,561

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
-

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%

Asian 5.28%

Black or African American 12.02%

Hispanic or Latino 16.35%

Unknown 4.77%

White 60.93%

Gender

female 76.90%

male 23.10%

Age - 36
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Educational therapist career paths

Key steps to become an educational therapist

  1. Explore educational therapist education requirements

    Most common educational therapist degrees

    Bachelor's

    56.4 %

    Master's

    31.5 %

    Associate

    7.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific educational therapist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Social Work21.88%
    Substance Abuse9.33%
    Group Therapy8.52%
    Crisis Intervention7.97%
    Autism5.84%
  3. Research educational therapist duties and responsibilities

    • Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
    • Adapt established implementing multi-sensory, kinesthetic, drama and hands-on manipulates to meet IEP goals.
    • Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals to provide outpatient services to those seeking rehabilitation in an ambulatory care center.
    • Conduct CBT therapy under direct supervision of license psychologist.
  4. Prepare your educational therapist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your educational therapist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an educational therapist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable educational therapist resume templates

    Build a professional educational therapist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your educational therapist resume.
    Educational Therapist Resume
    Educational Therapist Resume
    Educational Therapist Resume
    Educational Therapist Resume
    Educational Therapist Resume
    Educational Therapist Resume
    Educational Therapist Resume
    Educational Therapist Resume
    Educational Therapist Resume
  5. Apply for educational therapist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an educational therapist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first educational therapist job

Zippi

Are you an educational therapist?

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Average educational therapist salary

The average educational therapist salary in the United States is $53,561 per year or $26 per hour. Educational therapist salaries range between $35,000 and $80,000 per year.

Average educational therapist salary
$53,561 Yearly
$25.75 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do educational therapists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Educational therapist reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022
Pros

Making a difference in someone's life. Seeing positive changes.

Cons

Late hours after 9 pm or before 9 am


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

I enjoy working with all age groups of children. I want to make sure during the evaluation process I have considered all possibilities. I evaluate children like I would want my own child evaluated. RTI data and work samples are very important.

Cons

Educational staff that has no empathy for children. There is something to love about each student.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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