How Do I Become a Psychotherapist?
A psychotherapist uses a series of techniques to enter into a deep connection with patients, in order to help them work through problems they may be having in their lives. Psychotherapy has as its primary aim the alleviation of a patient’s perceived discomfort with life, to help them live a personally more gratifying life. Psychotherapy is not an objective discipline, instead relying on the psychotherapist’s ability to make a connection with the patient and discern underlying causes of problems, and the best way to walk the patient through coming to a happier state of mind. As a result, those who wish to become psychotherapists tend to be those who wish to help other people by relating with them on a personal level. It takes a great deal of work and education to become a psychotherapist, and takes many years. Often, people who think they want to become a psychotherapist find the amount of work to be too much, and so opt to go into a helping field that requires less education. For examp
Q I am currently working in marketing and events but am looking to retrain as a psychotherapist. Firstly, are there any retraining grants available that I could apply for? And secondly, are the job opportunities better for someone who has trained as a counsellor as opposed to a psychotherapist? I currently can’t tell what the main differences are. I would be very grateful if you could advise. BB A There is no clear distinction between counselling and psychotherapy and the terms are often used interchangeably; the differences often relate more to an individual therapist’s theoretical orientation, training and interests. Theoretical approaches are broadly centred on combinations, variations and extensions of core models, which include psychodynamic – based on childhood experiences, dreams, the unconscious and the dynamics of the client-therapist relationship. Behavioural – based on the belief that damaging behaviours can be unlearnt or reconditioned. Cognitive – based on questioning and
1 & 2) Most people study psychology in their undergrad. You need a graduate degree to be a psychotherapist, so you will have to go on after that (most people go 6 to 11 years total). I am in grad school and there is a girl in my class who took English, but has a minor in psych. It’s important that you volunteer like crazy to get experience before applying to grad school. As for which classes you’ll study, that will depend on your school and what they offer. It will likely be intro to psychology, a course on social psych, developmental psych, personality, etc… 3) You get jobs all over the place. Non-profit agencies, private practice, schools… The best thing you can do is to phone your local psychological association. They will tell you what courses you need and what criteria must be filled to be a psychologist in your area. They are also a good resource for finding a job after!
