How To Become A Senior Therapist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior therapist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Ron Precht

Whether it's in psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, family therapy--or pretty much any other type of therapy--the senior therapist is the one holding the reins. From supervising other therapists to developing treatment plans for clients, the senior therapist is there every step of the way, ensuring that the clinic is working like a well-oiled machine.

The senior therapist role, much like any other management position, involves a lot of decision-making, planning, and employee development. They are responsible for training other therapists, planning therapeutic programs, collaborating with other healthcare personnel, and ensuring compliance. That said, being a senior therapist requires great skills in leadership, time management, organization, and communication.

The average annual salary of a senior therapist falls at $50,000. To reach the level of a senior therapist, one must have at least a bachelor's or master's degree in psychology, social work, or something similar. Employers also typically require at least two to four years of experience, preferably in a supervisory role.

What general advice would you give to a senior therapist?

Ron Precht

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

ScoreSenior TherapistUS Average

Salary

5.0

Avg. Salary $63,963

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.8

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.48%

Asian 4.57%

Black or African American 6.97%

Hispanic or Latino 13.94%

Unknown 5.53%

White 68.51%

Gender

female 73.98%

male 26.02%

Age - 38

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 - 38

Stress level

9.8

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior therapist

Explore senior therapist education requirements

Most common senior therapist degrees

Bachelor's

53.2 %

Master's

31.8 %

Associate

6.9 %

Start to develop specific senior therapist skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	11.71%
Autism	8.55%
Mental Health	8.29%
Patients	7.88%
Behavior Analysis	6.99%

Research senior therapist duties and responsibilities

Manage and target behaviors using the ESDM, ABA, PRT and SCERTS model.
Function as a case manager, co-le group therapy and provide psychiatrist supervise individual therapy to adolescent patients.
Work with children, adolescents, adults, couples and families.
Produce detailed quarterly reports on each student, used in IEP meetings to assess student's progress.

Get senior therapist experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior therapist. The most common roles before becoming a senior therapist include therapist, internship team lead and staff therapist.

Prepare your senior therapist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior 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 a senior therapist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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