How to Become a Therapist: Duties, Pay, Degrees and More

Key takeaways

A therapist supports patients by providing treatment, such as mental health counseling or family therapy.

• A few common types of therapy include occupational, physical, addiction, music, art, and spiritual therapy.

• To become a therapist, you’ll need to earn a degree before becoming licensed by your state’s requirements.

• You can start preparing for a career as a therapist by building strong empathy, listening, and communication skills.

Take a closer look at what therapists do, including the skills and qualifications needed to pursue this role. Afterward, if you’re ready to start building emotional intelligence skills, consider enrolling in the Mindfulness and Well-being Specialization. Beginner-friendly, this program includes topics in behavioral health, cognitive flexibility, relationship building, stress management, and more. Upon completion, you can add a shareable credential to your resume or LinkedIn profile.

What is a therapist?

A therapist is a professional trained to provide mental health and behavioral treatment, rehabilitation, and support for those who need it. “Therapist” can be used to describe a broad range of careers, including psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers, and even life coaches.

Therapists are most commonly licensed mental health counselors who provide treatment through talk therapy, using psychological methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy or existential therapy.

In most cases, therapists need a license to practice their services. Requirements for licensure will vary from state to state.

A licensed therapist could focus on a specialization, such as recreational therapy or marriage and family therapy. They may work one-on-one with clients in private practice or on their own (in an office or remote setting), in a hospital, a school, or as part of a social service agency.

Types of therapy

Different types of therapists will use a combination of techniques and methods in their practice. When considering becoming a therapist, there are several types of therapy to choose from. 

Some therapies have a specific focus area:

• Addiction therapy

• Child therapy

• Marriage and family therapy (includes couples therapy)

• Occupational therapy

• Physical therapy

• Psychotherapy

Other therapies center on an activity that helps patients or clients deal with stress, anxiety, and other behavioral or mental disorders:

• Art therapy

• Dance therapy

• Music therapy

• Recreational therapy

• Spiritual therapy

• Yoga therapy

This article will primarily focus on psychotherapy, which uses different types of therapy to treat behavioral disorders, stress and anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and more.

What does a therapist do?

As a therapist, you will help clients who need counseling. You’ll be required to listen to their problems and help them come up with coping strategies. Rather than offering your opinion, you’ll ask them probing questions to enable them to identify ways of overcoming their challenges.

 Here are a few common mental health issues:

• Anxiety disorders (PTSD, OCD, generalized anxiety disorder)

• Autism

• Bipolar disorder

• Depression

• Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia)

• Family trauma or parenting issues

• Marriage or relationship problems

• Personality disorders

• Postpartum mood disorders

• Substance abuse

• Schizophrenia

Therapists can also help people deal with universal stressors, like:

• Grief or loss

• Insomnia

• Job stress

• Life changes like moving, changing jobs, or divorce

• Relationship problems

• Sexual issues

If you suffer from work-related stress, check out: Work-Life Balance: What It Is and 5 Ways to Improve Yours and How to Recover from Burnout.

What degree do you need to be a therapist?

Typically, you need a master's degree in social work, counseling, or psychology to become a therapist. A degree is just the beginning, though. You'll also need a license from the state where you work before you can begin treating patients. While exact requirements differ from state to state, they generally involve passing an exam, applying for a license, and completing supervised experience.

Therapist salary and job outlook

Salaries for therapists have a wide range that reflects the variety of career paths available. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors can make a median salary of $59,190 per year [1]. However, mental health counselors in the top 10 percent earn over $98,210 [2].

For licensed therapists, salaries may vary depending on location, education level, licensure, and specialization. Some niche focus areas could garner a higher salary due to scarcity, while earning a master’s degree or a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) can elevate your career and salary.

The expected job growth rate for mental health counselors between 2024 and 2034 is very promising, at 17 percent [1]. The job outlook for psychologists is 6 percent, but this role has a higher median salary of $94,310 [3]. Psychologists tend to have either a master’s or a doctoral degree. 

Skills needed to be a therapist

To become a therapist, you’ll want to develop your skills and deepen your knowledge in the following areas:

• Empathy: As a therapist, you’re required to put yourself in your clients’ shoes. By developing empathy for their situations, you can ask the right questions that allow clients to reframe their mindset and develop healthy behavioral patterns.

• Active listening: When practicing active listening, you’ll want to be able to paraphrase and listen without judgment. These techniques ensure that you are truly retaining what your client is saying, as well as clarifying that you heard their words and read their body language accurately.

• Effective communication: In addition to listening, you’ll want to speak to clients calmly and respectfully. Practicing effective communication means speaking with clarity and thoughtfulness.

• Knowledge of frameworks and methods: As for technical skills, you’ll be responsible for knowing psychological frameworks and methods so you can help clients develop strategies for navigating disorders or treatments. 

Classes from Yale University

Take advantage of Coursera’s classes in the realm of psychology and well-being. You may be interested in Introduction to Psychology or The Science of Well-Being, both offered by Yale University.

How to become a therapist

You may want to consider becoming a therapist if the above skills come naturally to you and you desire to help people navigate tough times or disorders to improve their mind, body, and overall well-being. Here’s how to get started.

1. Choose a specialization.

Therapy is such a broad career field that it is helpful to choose a specialization or two to pursue. Think through what types of therapy may have been most beneficial for you or that you could envision excelling at. For example, if you’ve gone through couples therapy, you may want to incorporate family and marriage counseling into your future therapist toolbox.

You could also be interested in a specific type of psychotherapy, such as CBT, and center your practice on helping clients overcome stress, anxiety, and depression. Perhaps you’d like to cater to neurodivergent individuals or women’s issues. Knowing what you’d like to specialize in can help narrow down your training or education options.

2. Get a master’s degree.

Most licenses to become a therapist require at least a master’s degree. To get into a master’s program, you’ll typically need a bachelor’s degree to start. Majors that could prepare you for a career as a therapist include psychology, education, communications, and sociology. However, you don’t necessarily need a degree in a related field to get into graduate school for counseling.

When you’re ready to apply for a master’s degree, you’ll want to seek out degrees in social work, psychology, or counseling. If you have a specialization you’re especially passionate about, it would make sense to pursue a school that offers that concentration, has a notable counseling program, or has renowned professors you’d like to learn from. Many therapists choose one of the following degrees.

• Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

• Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology

• Master of Arts in Counseling

• Master of Arts in Education in Marriage and Family Counseling

• Master of Education in Counseling

• Master of Education in Marriage and Family Counseling

• Master of Science in Addiction Counseling

• Master of Social Work

In total, it takes approximately four years to complete a bachelor’s degree and one to two years to finish a master’s in the US. In other countries, such as the UK, a bachelor’s degree typically requires three years, and a master’s can range from one to two years.

Read more: What is a Master of Arts (MA) Degree?

Online vs. in-person therapist degree programs

Say you’re pivoting into counseling from another career or simply want to craft a flexible schedule while pursuing your master’s degree. An online master’s program could be a great fit.

It might help to seek programs that feature live online lectures and discussions so that you can have both the freedom to learn remotely and an engaging classroom experience. While in-person programs certainly deliver a traditional experience, as with most things, what you get out of the program depends on the effort and spirit that you put into it.

3. Obtain a state license to practice.

Once you’ve earned a master’s degree, which tends to include supervised clinical work, you’re ready to start the state licensing process. Typically, your degree program will arrange practice therapy sessions with clients. Then you’ll need to take a licensure exam and pass it before you can start practicing therapy.

The following licenses require a master’s program:

• Licensed professional counselor (LPC)

• Licensed clinical social worker (LCSW)

• Licensed master social worker (LMSW)

• Licensed mental health counselor (LMHC)

• Licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT)

4. Gain experience and grow your client base.

Congrats! You’ve earned your state license and are certified to practice therapy. Now what? There are several paths you can take to begin.

You could start working with a private practice or clinic to work with clients right away. It makes sense to do this because it’s difficult to gain credibility when you’re just starting out. But if you’re feeling confident in our post-pandemic tele-friendly world, then you could register to be on platforms such as Amwell, Teladoc, MDLive, Zocdoc, and Headway to get listed and start working with clients online.

If you’re more interested in working in a school or health care setting, then you can work on teams that could include a school nurse or other specialized counselors in a hospital. 

5. Advance your career.

Maybe you’ve been practicing therapy for a few years and want to embark on becoming a psychologist or psychiatrist to advance your career. Maybe that was your plan all along. Either way, you’ll need to complete more years of school.

To become a psychologist, you’ll need five to seven more years of education and clinical experience to earn a PsyD or PhD. This may be attractive if you are interested in incorporating or contributing to research in your practice.

To become a psychiatrist, you’ll need to complete four years of medical school and four years of residency to obtain a medical degree (MD or DO). Psychiatrists must be board-certified and can prescribe medications to patients.

Discover our free career resources for health care professionals

Subscribe to Career Chat on LinkedIn to get timely updates on popular skills, tools, and certifications. Then, explore free, digital resources to optimize your professional growth:

• Watch on YouTube: How Precision Medicine Is Changing Health Care

• Take a quiz: Career Test: What Career is Right for Me Quiz?

• Read our Career Chat issue: AI in Health Care: Uses, Benefits, and Concerns

With Coursera Plus, you can learn and earn credentials at your own pace from over 350 leading companies and universities. With a monthly or annual subscription, you’ll gain access to over 10,000 programs—just check the course page to confirm your selection is included.  

Build job-ready skills with Coursera Plus

Start 7-day free trial

• 
• 
• 
• 

Start 7-day free trial