19 Types of Therapists – Guide to Therapist Careers and Degrees

The fulfilling nature of a career in therapy attracts numerous individuals, as it offers the chance to positively impact the lives of others. A diverse range of therapist specializations allows you to concentrate on a specific mental health domain that aligns with your personal preferences.

Types of Therapists

In this article, we will discuss 19 different types of therapists:

ABA Therapist

A relatively recent type of therapy is Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA. This type of therapy is popular for treating children who are on the autism spectrum. Specifically, ABA focuses on helping kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) develop critical social and emotional skills.

This guide offers insights into this exciting career to help you decide if it’s the right career path for you. Continue to read more about ABA therapist degree programs and career guide.

Addiction Therapist

An addiction therapist is a specially trained counselor with the knowledge, skills, and clinical experience to assist clients in overcoming substance abuse problems. This might take the form of individual therapy in which the therapist helps their client work through traumas related to their addiction.

It might also take place in a group setting in which addicts work together with the therapist to support one another’s recovery.  Continue to read more about addiction therapist degree programs and career guide.

Behavioral Therapist

Behavioral therapists typically work with clients that are experiencing life difficulties as a result of a mental disorder. For example, a behavioral therapist might engage with young client that has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder to help them develop skills and coping strategies that help minimize the impact of their ADHD on their daily life. Continue reading to find out the requirements to become a behavioral therapist.

Child Therapist

Child therapists are highly trained counselors that have the specific skills needed to provide therapy to children 17 years of age and younger. Child therapists address an array of issues, from mental disorders to behavioral disorders to difficulties that arise from emotional problems or anger. Continue reading for child therapist career guide and degree programs.

Clinical Therapist

Clinical therapists are much like behavioral therapists in that they use their training in counseling to provide clients with therapeutic interventions that help them overcome difficulties related to mental health problems.

In addition to working towards identifying the client’s primary issues, clinical therapists work closely with their clients to examine methods of improving the quality of life and treating the underlying issues that cause the client’s concern. Continue reading for clinical therapist career guide and degree programs.

Cognitive Therapist

Cognitive therapy is focused on the thoughts clients have that derail healthy mental functioning. As a result, cognitive therapists work to help their clients identify problematic thought patterns and create new, healthier cognitions that lead to greater functionality and higher satisfaction with life.

Much of a cognitive therapist’s work is done in the context of a traditional psychotherapy setting. Continue reading to find out the requirements to become a cognitive therapist.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CBT)

A cognitive behavioral therapist is a highly specialized counselor that uses psychotherapeutic and behavioral techniques to assist their clients in addressing a wide-range of psychological problems, from depression and anxiety to substance abuse and eating disorders.

Therapists that employ this type of therapy are very focused on education, making achievable goals, and measuring the client’s progress. Continue reading to find out the requirements to become a cognitive behavioral (CBT) therapist.

Divorce Therapist

Naturally, a divorce therapist specializes in working with couples that feel as though their marriage is at an end. Divorce therapists often work with the couple as a unit and sometimes with each person separately. Common themes in divorce therapy include infidelity, communication, inequality, and abuse, among others. Continue reading to find out how to become a divorce therapist.

Eating Disorder Therapist

With eating disorders so common in modern society, eating disorder therapists have an uphill battle to climb. Therapists in this line of work not only have to be concerned about their client’s immediate mental health, but their physical health as well.

Additionally, eating disorder therapists strive to help their clients understand the underlying issues that led to the development of their eating disorder. Continue reading to find out how to become an eating disorder therapist.

Exercise Therapist

Exercise therapists work at the intersection of physical and mental health. Since being physically fit can often improve one’s mental health, these therapists use exercise as a therapeutic tool, assisting their clients in becoming more physically healthy and more mentally and emotionally healthy as a result. Continue reading to find out the requirements to become a exercise therapist.

High School Therapist

Working exclusively with teenagers, high school therapists are often tasked with helping students prepare for the next step in their lives. That means assisting students with making plans for college, technical school, the armed forces, and so forth.

Some high school therapists also provide testing and counseling services. Continue reading to find out the how to become a high school therapist.

Marriage and Family Therapist

Marriage and family therapists are trained in using psychotherapy and other mental health approaches to identify, diagnose, and treat mental disorders that disrupt the marriage and family environment.

Not only do these therapists work with families to help them resolve issues, but they also work with individuals in the family and with couples as well. Continue reading to find out how to become a marriage and family (MFT) therapist.

Nutritional Therapist

A nutritional therapist isn’t a counselor in the traditional sense. Instead, these therapists advise their clients on dietary recommendations that will help improve their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Typically, nutritional therapists work with chronically ill patients, such as those with diabetes. Continue reading to find out the requirements to become a nutritional therapist.

Occupational Therapist

An occupational therapist (OT) is a healthcare professional who specializes in helping people of all ages improve their ability to perform daily activities, particularly those who are experiencing physical, mental, or developmental challenges. OTs focus on enhancing individuals’ skills, abilities, and independence in various aspects of their lives, such as self-care, work, leisure, and social interactions.

Occupational therapists develop customized treatment plans based on the specific needs and goals of their clients. They may recommend and teach adaptive strategies, exercises, or techniques that help clients overcome difficulties or compensate for limitations.

Additionally, OTs may suggest modifications to the environment, like installing grab bars or ramps, or recommend assistive devices to support clients in carrying out daily tasks more easily and independently.

School Therapist

The primary role of a school therapist is to help guide students of all ages toward making positive strides toward their goals. This might take the form of skill building with developmentally delayed students in elementary schools, goal-setting with college-bound high schoolers, or behavioral modification with middle schoolers that have ADHD. Continue reading to find out the requirements to become a school therapist.

Social Therapist

Like sociologists, social therapists are interested in how people’s behavior is influenced by the people around them. In other words, social therapists seek to understand issues like relationships, depression, and grief within the context of different groups (i.e., age groups, ethnic groups) and work towards helping people within those groups cope with such issues. Continue reading to find out how to become a social therapist.

Social Work Therapist

Social work therapists are mostly involved in advocacy for marginalized groups of people. For example, social work therapists might coordinate services for a developmentally disabled individual such that that person can live as independently as possible in the community. In other words, these therapists assist their clients in finding the resources they need to live a healthy, productive lifestyle. Continue reading to find out the requirements to become a social work therapist.

Trauma Therapist

Trauma therapists are specially trained to help people deal with the stressors associated with specific traumas, like being abused, experiencing the death of a loved one, or living through a natural disaster.

Think of trauma therapists as the first responders of the mental health community whose job is to stabilize the client in the immediate aftermath of the trauma. Continue reading for trauma therapist degree programs and career guide.

Youth Therapist

Typically, youth therapists work with children and adolescents that are experiencing difficulties in a particular realm of their life, be that at school or at home or with a specific issue, like a behavioral or emotional disorder.

Using specific training geared towards working with children, these therapists employ strategies that help kids solve life’s problems such that improved mental and emotional health can be achieved. Continue reading for youth therapist degree programs and career guide.

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