How To Become A Therapist Without A Degree In 2024
How To Become A Therapist Without A Degree In 2024. you can not become a full time therapist without a relevant degree. Requirements vary from institution to institution. But there is absolutely no reason to be discouraged. There are plenty of other ways to become a therapist without a degree.
To become a psychologist, you’ll need some qualifications. To work towards those qualifications, you’ll need to study psychology in your undergraduate programme and then continue your further study in an appropriate postgraduate programme. Counselors or Therapist help their clients navigate diverse topics, including family relationships, substance abuse, career challenges, stress and anxiety and other areas that affect health and well-being.
What Is a Therapist?
A therapist is a specially trained mental health professional who is educated in psychotherapy techniques and treats mental health conditions such as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
What Is a Counselor?
A counselor is a specially trained mental health professional who evaluates, provides information, and guides clients in problem-solving, decision-making, and changes in attitude and behavior.
What’s the difference between a counselor and a therapist?
Counselors and therapists are both mental health professionals. Depending on the therapist and counselor and the training and qualifications of the individuals, both can provide talk therapy. Counselors, sometimes called marriage and family therapists, usually hold a master’s degree and help clients with relational, behavioral, and emotional issues while a counseling degree often takes 2-3 years, while a doctorate in psychology typically takes 5-6 years. Becoming a counselor can fast-track a career in mental health.
The differences between therapists and counselors include:
- Counselors often have a set number of sessions, and therapists often work on an ongoing basis.
- Therapists tend to do more in-depth mental health work.
- Therapists are more likely to treat mental health conditions.
- Counselors tend to offer short-term care, while therapists tend to offer long-term care.
- Therapists can be more past focused and counselors more future focused.
- Counselors are more likely to support life challenges such as relationship difficulties, job changes, or adjusting after a move.
What Degrees Do You Need to Be a Counselor or Therapist?
The path to becoming a licensed therapist or counselor starts with earning a degree in counseling, psychology, or human services. A counselor usually needs a master’s degree, and a psychotherapist typically needs a doctorate. Some students may want to accelerate their career paths. Aspiring counselors who already hold a bachelor’s degree might choose to earn a master’s degree and get licensed as a counselor. Prospective students without a degree, however, may want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Steps You Need To Be Taken To Become A Therapist
- Complete a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. While it may be fitting to complete your undergraduate degree in psychology, it is not necessary in order to become a therapist.
- Enroll in a psychology graduate program. It’s at the level of masters and doctoral studies where you need to complete your education in psychology or a similar field in order to become a therapist. The type of graduate degree you need depends on your overall career goals and state licensure requirements.
- Gain work experience. To become licensed as a therapist, you will likely need to complete a specific number of supervised clinical work hours. The exact requirement will vary from one state to the next.
- Take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology. The final step to becoming a licensed therapist is to complete and pass the EPPP.
What does a counselor do?
Counselors have a variety of job responsibilities to ensure they provide effective services to their clients such as:
- Taking detailed notes after each appointment to add to their client’s file.
- Referring their clients to advanced specialists in situations that require medical intervention.
- Helping clients develop coping mechanisms or activities they can perform to handle stressful situations.
- Helping their clients set goals to improve their current situation.
- Meeting with clients throughout the day to conduct counseling sessions.
- Communicating with social workers, medical professionals and their clients’ loved ones about their client’s needs and progress.
- Listening to clients to gather information and help them feel heard.
- Referencing the DSM for potential mental conditions that align with a client’s symptoms.
- Following up with clients to schedule additional appointments and ensure their well-being.
What Does a Therapist Do?
The roles and responsibilities of a therapist can vary depending on the type of work they engage in and the types of individuals or groups they support.
- Therapists work with individuals or groups of people to provide support through emotional, stressful, or traumatic life events.
- Therapists may also evaluate or assess individuals.
- They may work with children who have experienced abuse or have behavioral issues, adults in correctional institutions, or people needing mental health support.
Requirements to Become a Licensed Counselor or Therapist
Candidates interested in becoming licensed therapists should explore the licensing requirements in their state. Before they can earn their licenses, each individual must earn a master’s degree in counseling, psychology, or therapy. Licensure usually requires each candidate to satisfy a minimum of 1,500 hours of professional counseling experience under the supervision of a licensed counselor or therapist.
Once an applicant meets the educational and experience requirements, they can complete and pass a licensing exam to earn their desired credential. Specific licensing requirements differ from state to state. Earning a license to practice as a counselor or therapist typically takes about 5-7 years.
How Much Do Therapists Make?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, careers in therapy tend to earn more per year on average than many other occupations. Some of the highest-paid psychologists earn median annual salaries of $105,780. Industrial-organizational psychologists earn median annual salaries of $92,880.
Careers to follow in Becoming a Therapist
1. Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy
Earning a master’s in marriage and family therapy can help you play an important part in helping individuals, couples, and families cope with stress, conflict, and difficult life circumstances. Marriage and family therapy programs typically require courses in couples and family counseling, human sexuality, and crisis and trauma response.
2. Masters in Psychology Specialty Areas
While pursuing your master’s in psychology, you may have the option to choose from a number of specialty areas to help craft your education into a more concentrated and focused study plan. Potential specialty areas include: Health psychology, Applied psychology, Applied behavioral analysis, Educational psychology.
3. PhD in Psychology or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Earning a PhD in psychology or a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) can help you become a licensed therapist or psychologist in most states. These programs typically require intensive coursework in areas such as cognitive behavioral therapy, developmental psychopathy and treatment, and organizational psychology. Marriage and family psychology, biological bases for behavior, ethical issues in psychology, and approaches to psychotherapy are common topics of study as well.
4. Master of Social Work
Earning a Master of Social Work may not only allow you to break into the field of therapy, but it may also connect you with work in advocacy, policy, and child welfare. Graduate degree programs in social work commonly require studies in the foundations of social work practice, social environment, human rights and social justice, and social policy analysis. Other common topics of study are psychopathology and clinical social work practices.
5. Master’s in Counseling
Earning a master’s in counseling can help you become a therapist in several different professional areas, ranging from mental health to education. While pursuing your master’s in counseling, you may have the option to choose between different specialties. Some options may include clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, substance abuse counseling, and applied behavior analysis.
How to become a counselor without a degree
1. Determine which types of counseling you can pursue without a degree
There are a few key areas that allow you to work as a counselor without obtaining a college degree. The most common options include: Drug and alcohol counselor, Life skills counselor, Peer counselor.
2. Check for available certification options
There are a variety of colleges, universities and professional institutions that offer certifications online for counselors without degrees. These certifications can range from a few days to a year in length. After checking a few certification program options, determine which one aligns with your schedule, finances and professional goals. This can help you narrow your selection and finalize your decision.
3. Consider working in a related position during your program
As you complete a certification program, consider working in an entry-level role that requires a high school level education. This may include working as an office assistant or receptionist for a mental health clinic, or working as a home health aide for the elderly or disabled.
3. Apply to entry-level positions
Market your certification and additional professional experiences on your resume and cover letter before applying to entry-level counseling positions through your state government, social services agencies and non-profit organizations.
Job outlook for counselors
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Job outlook for substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselor occupations will likely see an increase of 23% between 2020 and 2030, which is much faster than the national average for job growth. School and career counselor occupations can expect to see an increase of 11% by 2030, per BLS, and rehabilitation counselor occupations expected to see an increase of 10%.
Accreditation / certifications
- Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP): The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, or CACREP, is the programmatic accreditation for counseling and therapy. CACREP accredits graduate-level programs, including masters and doctoral programming.
- Regional accreditation is a status that verifies the academic quality of various educational programs. Attending an accredited therapy graduate program is an important consideration because it can impact your ability to register for various professional licensing bodies. It can also influence your ability to enroll in future academic programs.
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