What Does It Take To Become A Therapist?

Are you looking for a career that gives you the chance to help others? Well, if so how about becoming a therapist? These days there is a high demand for therapists as more people are now becoming a lot more aware of their mental health needs. By working as a therapist, you will be helping people to face their issues and work through various solutions to help them overcome the various symptoms of mental health conditions. It’s certainly a very rewarding and worthwhile job path.

So, what exactly does it take to become a therapist? Read on to find out more!

Get The Qualifications

The first thing you will need to think about is getting all of the necessary qualifications. There are different routes into working in therapy, but all will require you to have some level of education behind you. One of the most popular routes is to take an undergraduate degree in psychology and then do a graduate course in therapy or counselling. However, you don’t always need to have a college degree, though, and there are some intensive courses that are aimed at people who are looking for a career change later in life. These are usually diplomas that will help you get all of the required certificates.

Think About Your Niche

There are lots of different kinds of therapists out there, each with their own focus and speciality. For instance, you might want to work with children and become a child therapist. Alternatively, you could become a psychotherapist or a behavioural therapist. There are so many different types of therapists, it really is worth taking your time to decide on your preferred niche.

Look For Insurance

Before you start working as a qualified therapist, it is highly advisable that you look for some insurance. If you take a look at the IICT website, then you will see they have some great products that you might be able to benefit from. This insurance will cover you and your clients, so it really is necessary to take some out before you get to work!

Keep On Learning

Once you are qualified, you should continue your learning journey as a therapist. Just because you have all your certificates doesn’t mean you can give up on the books for good! Things are constantly changing in the world of therapy and there are always new practices and treatments being developed. Be sure to keep learning these and try to stay on top of all the latest trends so that you can always offer your clients the best service.

Consider Collaborating With Others

You could open your own private therapy practice, but a lot of therapists prefer to collaborate with others and open up joint businesses. This can be really beneficial as it means you no longer work alone and will have someone to support you every step of the way.

As you can see, there are plenty of things to think about before you decide to become a therapist. Ready for the challenge?