Senior Therapist Job Description
Overview
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A Senior Therapist works with patients and their families to diagnose and handle mental health problems. Their role is to assess patients and diagnose mental health issues. Their responsibilities are to create a treatment plan for patients based on the needs of the individual, refer patients to other healthcare professionals if necessary, and work with families or couples to administer family or marital counseling.
Steps to take to start your career as a Senior Therapist and other jobs like it
- While pursuing your initial Bachelor's degree, try to also gain experience in the field through internships, volunteer work, or entry-level positions in mental health settings. There aren’t specific undergraduate major requirements but degrees in psychology, sociology, social work or philosophy are good places to start.
- Obtain a master's degree in counseling, clinical psychology, social work, or a related field. Ensure that the program is accredited by a recognized accrediting body such as the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for counseling programs or the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) for marriage and family therapy programs.
- Most states require a certain number of supervised clinical hours to become licensed. This typically involves completing a practicum and internship as part of your master's program. Make sure to fulfill these requirements under the supervision of a licensed professional.
- After completing your master's degree and supervised experience, you'll need to apply for licensure in your state. Requirements vary by state but generally include passing a licensure exam, such as the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE). You may also need to pass a jurisprudence exam specific to your state's laws and regulations.
- With your education, clinical experience, and licensure in hand, you can begin practicing as a therapist. You may choose to work in various settings such as community mental health centers, hospitals, schools, or private practice. Network with therapists in various fields to determine what the profession is really like.
How to Become A Therapist
You need to complete a math degree in counseling or counseling psychology and complete 3,000 hours of training. Then there are two licensure tests, one law and ethics and once you complete all your hours, you need to do it. It includes both ethics questions and also clinical questions.
Working in Private Practice Therapy
You get to do something that's really useful for people's life and it's very fulfilling.
You get to create your own schedule according to what works for you. For example, I structure my day so that I work early in the morning and I'm able to pick up my kids from school. And I have one evening that I work, but there are others that are working just evenings or weekends or both.
Challenges of Private Practice Therapy
So you get you to be the owner of your own schedule. Once you have a set schedule, you have clients at a certain time, it's very hard to suddenly move a client because you have a sick family member child that you need to take care of. Those last minute changes are much more complicated. Sometimes you need to be available for extra sessions. Someone needs extra support and it requires a lot of boundary setting. But sometimes it's harder.
Tips for Prospective Therapists
I definitely believe that it's important to experience your own, to get a feel of how it's like to be a client. Also talk to other people who are in this profession. It's also different if you work in private practice compared to working in an agency. So maybe getting a sense of how it is, maybe talking to people who do either that or the other. The more you talk to people, the better you'll get a sense of how it actually is.
There are times in the year that clients are seeking more therapy versus others. So if this is the sole income of the household that you rely on, I would definitely get in mind and maybe try to have some sort of reserves on the side and consider the fact that it does fluctuate throughout the year. And it takes time to build some confidence that it will come back even when it's down.
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Quick Facts about this role from the Jobtrees career database
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Education you need to become a Senior Therapist
These are the most common degrees or certificates earned by Jobtrees users prior to becoming a Senior Therapist
There may be other required degrees or certifications needed for this job. The below info shows you the most commonly desired education level from employers when hiring for this job.
- Master Degree In Physical Activity
- Bachelor Of Arts (b.a.) In Psychology
- Bachelor Of Arts (b.a.)
- Master Of Science (m.sc.) In Physical Therapy
- Bachelor Of Science (b.sc.) In Psychology
Career Paths for Senior Therapist
Find data driven insights on the path to get to this role and where it can lead
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