A psychotherapist employs a variety of techniques to establish a deep connection with patients in order to assist them in resolving issues in their lives. Psychotherapy’s primary goal is to alleviate a patient’s perceived discomfort with life in order to help them live a more personally satisfying life. Psychotherapy is not an objective discipline; rather, it relies on the psychotherapist’s ability to connect with the patient and determine the underlying causes of problems, as well as the best way to guide the patient toward a happier state of mind. As a result, people who want to be psychotherapists are usually people who want to help others by relating to them on a personal level.
To become a psychotherapist, you must put in a lot of effort and education over a long period of time. People who think they want to work as a psychotherapist often find the workload too much, and instead choose a helping profession that requires less education. Some people, for example, may decide to pursue a career in social work or as a counselor. Even in these cases, many years of education are required to ensure that the practitioner is capable of dealing with people.
In the United States, the requirements for becoming a psychotherapist vary from country to country and from state to state. A Master’s Degree, usually in Social Work, Counseling, or Psychology, is required. In some states, such as California, obtaining a PhD is the minimum requirement for becoming a psychotherapist. A strong understanding of a number of related disciplines is also required, so those interested in working as a psychotherapist should take classes in neurology, physiology, and chemistry to lay the groundwork for understanding the physiological component of psychotherapy.
After earning a bachelor’s degree, aspiring psychotherapists must pass the National Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology. This exam assesses the candidate’s knowledge of research methodology, psychological assessment, test construction, developmental and social psychology, and psychotherapy. Although most of these topics should be covered during degree completion, there are specialized workshops available to help people who want to become psychotherapists prepare for the test.
The future psychotherapist must then obtain state licensure in order to practice in that state. Different states have different licensing requirements and procedures. Many states require that a person pass a licensing exam before they can practice as a psychotherapist. In some states, the person may be required to spend a certain amount of time in residency with an established psychotherapist in order to gain firsthand knowledge of the field, after which they can become licensed after their mentor has signed off on their time with them.
The person has become a psychotherapist and can work in private practice or for a larger organization once licensed. Although there are many different theories of psychotherapy, there are many opportunities for psychotherapists, and new psychotherapists may find their options limited by the school they choose to attend. Most people take between two and nine years to become a psychotherapist, depending on how much education they already had before they began their certification process.