A therapist is a mental health professional responsible for assisting patients with behavioral, social, and other mental problems. As an effect of having to work closely with patients, the therapist must have excellent interpersonal skills and must be able to have a trusting, friendly but objective relationship with the client. Their duties include talking with the client and meeting with them on a regular basis, analyzing and identifying their symptoms, and ultimately diagnosing their mental afflictions. After this, the therapist creates a personalized healing therapy module and helps the patient by guiding them through it step by step.
How To Become a Therapist
Summary. We reviewed real candidate profiles to learn the best path to become a therapist. We'll guide you through the education, experiences, and skills hiring managers look for in a therapist.
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Most companies require a therapist to have a bachelor's degree degree in a related field, such as psychology or social work.
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It's important to have relevant work experience, with typical job requirements ranging from 6-12 months in related fields.
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Common job titles before becoming a therapist include internship, case manager, and counselor.
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Hiring managers expect a therapist to have soft skills such as detail oriented, dexterity, and physical stamina.
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Once you have all the required skills and experience, it takes an average of less than 1 month of job training to become a therapist.
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Getting a certification as a Certification in Forensic Social Work (CFSW) will help you to earn more as a therapist.
We found that 46.8% of therapists have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 42.0% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While most therapists have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's impossible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every nine therapists were not college graduates.
Those therapists who do attend college, typically earn either a psychology degree or a social work degree. Less commonly earned degrees for therapists include a school counseling degree or a counseling psychology degree.
How to become a Therapist in 5 steps:
- Step 1: Explore therapist education
- Step 2: Develop therapist skills
- Step 3: Complete relevent training/internship
- Step 4: Research therapist duties
- Step 5: Prepare your resume
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Key Steps To Become a Therapist
Explore Therapist Education
If you're interested in becoming a therapist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 46.8% of therapists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 42.0% of therapists have master's degrees. Even though most therapists have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a therapist. When we researched the most common majors for a therapist, we found that they most commonly have psychology, social work and school counseling.
Therapist Major Percentages Psychology 25.00% Social Work 22.00% School Counseling 7.50% Counseling Psychology 7.20% Other Degrees 38.30% Develop Therapist Skills
It'll be a good idea to develop therapist skills before applying for a job. Here are some skills commonly requested in therapist job descriptions:
Skills Percentages Social Work 23.04% Patients 12.05% Group Therapy Sessions 7.75% Crisis Intervention 7.43% Mental Health 3.55% Complete Relevent Training/Internship
Therapists spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. During this time, new therapists learn the skills and techniques required for their specific job and employer. The chart below shows how much time it takes to gain competency as a therapist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real therapist resumes.
Average Amount Of Time At Training
Research Therapist Duties
When you decide to become a therapist, It's important to know what duties and responsibilities are required for this position. Some common responsibilities are a part of most therapist jobs. Here is a list of the main duties that define the role:
- Manage ventilator and BiPAP's and create or update care plans per patient needs.
- Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
- Provide on-call crisis intervention as well as standard treatment, rehabilitation and support services with some interventions requiring specialize therapy services.
- Develop and implement an effective curriculum of DBT inform group and art therapy classes specifically tailor for chemically dependent patients.
- Provide trauma-inform individual psychotherapy, TREM group treatment protocol, and EMDR.
- Utilize current brain base therapeutic techniques to teach clients adaptive skills to utilize in daily lives.
Prepare Your Resume
Finally, when you already have checked the skills and responsibilities for this role, you can start creating your resume. Everything that goes into creating a perfect resume can take hours, days, or even weeks. No worries, we created a resume builder to make this process as easy as possible with tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and a summary.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Therapist Resume templates
Build a professional 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 Therapist resume.Apply For a Therapist Job
Therapist Jobs
Becoming a Therapist FAQs
Can A Nurse Become A Physical Therapist?
Yes, a nurse can become a physical therapist. Becoming a physical therapist can be a great transition as nurses already have a strong background in the medical field and, therefore, can have a higher chance of succeeding as physical therapists.
Can A Radiology Technician Become A Radiation Therapist?
Yes, a radiology technician can become a radiation therapist. The process of doing so is fairly simple.
If you have already graduated from an associate degree program in radiologic technology, which you must have done to become a radiology technician, you can just complete a certification program in radiation therapy to become a radiation therapist.
How Hard Is It To Become A Therapist?
It is difficult to become a therapist. The process involves years of education, licensure, and certification.
Earning a bachelor's degree in a field of study relevant to one of the core areas of therapy is the first step. Mental health counselors, clinical social workers, and psychiatric nurse practitioners represent three of the five core areas of therapy.
How To Become A Therapist Without A Degree
To become a therapist without a degree, follow these steps:
Determine which type of therapy that doesn't require a degree you want to pursue; these include peer counselors, life skills counselors, and drug and alcohol counselors
Do some research on available certification options, these can be obtained through universities or professional institutions
Determine which certification program fits your needs
Think about working or volunteering in a related position during your certification program
After completing your certification, apply to entry-level therapy positions in your field
How To Become A Therapist Without A Psychology Degree
To become a therapist without a psychology degree, follow these steps:
Determine which type of therapy that doesn't require a psychology degree you want to pursue. These include peer counselors, life skills counselors, and drug and alcohol counselors.
Do some research on available certification options; these can be obtained through universities or professional institutions.
Determine which certification program fits your needs.
Think about working or volunteering in a related position during your certification program.
After completing your certification, apply to an internship or entry-level therapy position in your field.
What Degree Do You Need To Be A Child Therapist?
You need a master's degree in counseling to be a child therapist. First, you should seek to obtain your bachelor's degree in psychology, behavioral science, or social science. Some universities offer majors in child therapy, while others do not.
What Degree Do You Need To Be An Equine Therapist?
You need a bachelor's degree in animal science to be an equine therapist. This is the minimum requirement, and many employers in the field prefer candidates with a master's degree in animal science.
What Should I Study To Become A Therapist?
You should study psychology or a related field to become a therapist. Therapists need to earn both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in psychology or a related field.
You can also choose to study social work for your bachelor's degree. A master's degree in psychology is strongly recommended for people who want to become therapists, as this can give you the clinical experience you need to get a license, and it gives you options for high-paying therapy work.
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.