What Kinds Of Therapists Are There?

Since therapists can help a wide variety of people, there are several specializations within the profession of a therapist. Some of these types of therapists that we will cover in this article include psychotherapists, behavioral therapists, CBT therapists, recreational therapists, child therapists, marriage and family therapists, and occupational therapists.

Many of these therapist positions have similar educational and career paths, but some have specific requirements as well.

 

How Long Does it Take to Become a Therapist?

In most cases, becoming a therapist will take at least around seven to fifteen years following graduation from high school. Most therapists need a bachelor’s degree (which takes four years to earn on average), some work experience or volunteering experience, 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).

This means that if one already has a bachelor’s degree, it is a matter of two to ten years before they can be licensed as a therapist. Before one can become a licensed therapist they also need hours of supervised clinical work, but most master’s programs include this experience.