Therapists help patients to cope with emotional difficulties. So, how to become a therapist? You have come to the right place if you want to become a therapist. There are several types of therapists, psychologists, and counselors. So, today, I will discuss how to become a qualified therapist in detail. This article also covers the skills, educational requirements, duties, and areas of specialization of a therapist. Before moving forward, you should first decide what type of therapy you wish to provide. Some specialty areas need more schooling. Without wasting much time, let us study how to become a therapist in brief.
How To Become A Therapist?
To learn how to become a certified therapist, follow these steps.
- Earn A Bachelor’s Degree
- Earn A Master’s Degree
- Complete Relevant Training
- Complete Supervised Clinical Work
- Apply And Pass The Licensing Exam
- Start Practising
You must decide which specialty you’re interested in pursuing. Keep on reading further to understand the complete process of becoming a therapist.
Click here – How To Become A Medical Assistant?
Step By Step Guide To Become A Therapist
In this section, I have given an overview of the steps of becoming a well-known therapist.
-
Earn A Bachelor’s Degree
The first step of becoming a therapist is to earn a bachelor’s degree in Arts or Science. Choose a major or minor course such as counseling, psychology, or sociology. This will help you to choose the right type of field you want to specialize in.
-
Earn A Master’s Degree
Most states ask applicants to earn a master’s degree in addition to specific coursework. You can choose courses like social work, psychology, family, or rehabilitation therapy. Make sure you consider schools that hold regional accreditation as degrees from unaccredited schools are not accepted.
-
Complete Relevant Training
There are some states that allow students to practice therapy under a licensed therapist. In this way, you can complete and receive on-the-job training certification. This also teaches you how to be a therapist while completing your master’s degree.
-
Complete Supervised Clinical Work
If you want to practice without any supervision, then the students must complete 2000 to 4000 supervised clinical hours. During this, you get to apply your new knowledge in a real-world setting with actual clients.
-
Apply And Pass The Licensing Exam
In order to become a certified therapist, you have to pass the licensing examination. This exam is made up of multiple-choice questions. It is designed to assess your knowledge, skills, and abilities in effective counseling services.
-
Start Practising
Once you have completed all the steps, you are now ready to practice as a therapist! This helps you apply all of your knowledge towards a meaningful career helping others. In order to maintain your license, you have to renew it every two years.
Now, you must be wondering how to become a therapist without a degree? Is it even possible? You cannot become a therapist without a degree. There is a reason why people trust these professionals.
Therapist: Areas Of Specialization
Above, we have studied how to become a mental health therapist. Under this field, you’ll find different areas of specialization. Here, I have listed the common types of therapist courses you can pursue to learn how to become a therapist.
-
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist is one who helps ill patients to manage their pain. You must know how to become a physical therapist to join this rewarding career. It requires years of education, mastery of a variety of skills, and national/state licensure.
-
Radiation Therapist
A radiation therapist is one who helps to treat cancer and other diseases by giving radiation treatments. An aspiring candidate must know how to become a radiation therapist to treat people with severe pain. The process is similar of a general therapist.
-
Respiratory Therapist
The main role of respiratory therapists is to treat patients’ lungs and airways. You can start your career by learning how to become a respiratory therapist. As a candidate, you must complete your degree in respiratory care and obtain a state license.
-
Massage Therapist
If you are planning to be a licensed massage therapist, you must know how to become a massage therapist. You simply have to complete a therapeutic massage program and then obtain a license to practice.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Therapist?
Generally, it takes around six to eight years to become a therapist. This includes four years for completing a bachelor’s degree, one to two years for a master’s degree, and clinical training or internship.
Duties Of Therapist
By far you have understood what degree do you need to be a therapist. A certified therapist could have the following duties.
- Work with their clients and schedule a therapy session to address their specific issues.
- Help them to develop skills to succeed in their therapy.
- Conduct a joint therapy session for families and couples.
- Recording ongoing sessions, notes, and documentation of therapy consultations.
- Provide resources and education materials for specific conditions.
Skills Needed To Become A Therapist
Here, I have listed some important soft skills an applicant needs to become a therapist.
- Ability to understand their clients.
- They must pay close attention to what their clients say in order to help them.
- Understand what they think and feel.
- Develop a good connection with the client so that you’ll feel what they’re experiencing.
- They must have excellent communication skills to provide feedback or suggestions to their clients.
- Ability to explain complex concepts more clearly.
- Must have the ability to adjust their communication style according to their clients to have a comfortable session.
How Much Does It Cost To Become A Therapist?
To become a certified therapist, you need to invest a lot of money. The educational courses can cost you between $1,700 and $50,000. This range may vary depending upon the state or country as well as the school.
Click here – How To Become A Travel Nurse?
Salary Of A Therapist
The salary of therapists in the United States is about $73,501 per year. However, the salary of family therapists is expected to grow by about 16% in 2030. On the other hand, mental health therapists are expected to grow 23% on average.
FAQ
How long does it take to become a therapist?
Most therapists need a bachelor’s degree (which takes four years to earn on average), and then a master’s degree (which takes about two to three years on average to earn) or a doctoral degree (which takes about five to seven years on average to earn).
Can You Make Good Money As A Therapist?
Typical therapist salaries range widely – from $30,000 to $100,000. For a therapist (who is not a psychiatrist or a psychologist), salaries depend in part on education and training, as well as clinical specialization. Individual therapists may make anywhere from $30,000 per year to over $100,000.
How Many Years Does It Take To A Therapist?
Those who intend to stop schooling after a master’s degree can typically expect to spend around seven to ten years studying and becoming certified before becoming a therapist. This includes the typical four years and two to three years typically needed to obtain a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree respectively.
You can Find much more topics on LetBecome
Conclusion
In my above post, I have discussed how to become a therapist in Dallas, Texas. It is very essential to find the right type of therapist course that interests you the most! As a candidate, you have to complete your bachelor’s degree, master’s, and complete training and clinical work. Make sure you also pass in licensing examination to practice as a therapist. Every two years you also have to renew your license. The main responsibility of a therapist is to treat the client and help them to deal with emotional difficulties. You are now ready to enroll for therapists by understanding how to become a therapist.
To Know Some Great Stuff Do Visit IncludedNews
To Know Some Great Stuff Do Visit IndiaPlus
To Know Some Great Stuff Do Visit InfoDeath
To Know Some Great Stuff Do Visit JetFamous
To Know Some Great Stuff Do Visit JobEngg