What Does a Career in Therapy Look Like?

Therapists meet with patients regularly, typically in person or over video. They learn about their patients’ mental health and personal histories, assess their well-being, offer coping strategies, develop treatment plans, and document patient progress. Therapists are not legally certified to prescribe medication.

Therapists may specialize in working with specific demographics, like children, or they may work with individuals, couples, and families. Common specializations for therapists include:

Therapists can incorporate a variety of approaches and methods into their work, depending on the needs of patients. The most common methods are:

Therapists also employ these tools and techniques to understand and support their patients.

Therapists are usually employed in a private practice office, healthcare setting, or school. Therapists who have private practices often take on the responsibilities of a small business owner, which requires its own skill sets, like accounting and marketing.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, teletherapy is on the rise. Teletherapy providers offer therapy appointments via video, phone, and/or text. Therapists may even choose to work in a hybrid setting, accepting clients both in person and online.

Therapists can work during the day or at night, or some combination of both. Depending on their clientele, some therapists have on-call or emergency alert hours.

Therapists need strong emotional and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to compartmentalize. Key soft skills include sensitivity, awareness, nonjudgment, and openness to diverse cultures, races, gender expressions, and sexual orientations. Therapists regularly practice active listening and may need to act quickly in high-stress situations.

In addition, therapists — especially those working in private practice — must have good business management skills and ethics, including confidentiality.

Individuals wanting to become a therapist should expect 5-8 years of higher education, including a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, clinical supervision hours, examination(s) for licensing and certification, and continued education to maintain licensure. Some roles, such as psychologist, require a Ph.D.

Specific education requirements to become a therapist vary across states, but the most common education path is as follows.

To become a practicing counseling therapist in the U.S., state licensure is required. Licenses and their exams vary by state, and they also depend on the type of therapy you want to practice. The following counseling titles are the most common.

After students complete a master’s degree in therapy or counseling from an accredited school and earn their clinical supervision hours, they must undergo the following process.

Social workers are similar to therapists, but they focus more on connecting clients — who may be oppressed or living in poverty — with resources in their communities. However, licensed clinical social workers can open private practices to deliver therapy, and they can accept Medicare insurance. They can also more easily access jobs with the federal government than licensed counselors can.

Social workers must earn a bachelor’s degree and graduate degree (master of social work or licensed clinical social worker), complete supervised clinical work, and pass the Association of Social Work (ASWB) exam.

Psychiatrists resemble therapists in that they provide mental healthcare for clients. The difference is that psychiatrists have medical backgrounds, allowing them to consider the physical aspects of mental health in addition to psychological aspects. They can also offer diagnoses and prescribe medication. Unlike therapists, psychiatrists must earn a medical doctorate and complete a psychiatry residency.

Physical therapists are not mental healthcare providers. Instead, physical therapists diagnose and treat individuals with physical pain, functional impairments, and limited mobility. Similar to counseling therapists, they can assess and help patients, but they only address physical or fitness issues — not mental health.

Physical therapists must earn a doctorate in physical therapy (DPT) from an accredited institution, pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE), and meet state-specific licensure requirements before practicing.