Clinical therapists work with patients who have severe mental disorders. With the ability to improve or transform people's lives, many people find a career as therapists very rewarding. Because there are a wide variety of different types of therapists, you can focus on the area of mental health that best suits your specific interests. Reviewing a list of some of the most common types of therapists can help you decide which one you might want to explore further.
An addiction therapist is a counselor who has specialized training to help their clients overcome substance abuse problems. They can help their clients process problems from their past that may have led to their addiction. Some addiction therapists work one-on-one with clients, while others may work as a group with several people struggling with addiction who can share their individual experiences and support each other. This type of counselor works with clients who are experiencing challenges due to a mental disorder.
For example, a behavioral therapist may work with clients who are struggling with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, helping them develop coping strategies so that they can improve their daily lives. A divorce therapist is a counselor who specializes in helping couples who are struggling in their marriage and feel they are approaching divorce. The therapist often works individually with each of the partners, as well as with the couple together. Some of the common topics that divorce therapists discuss in this type of counseling include communication, infidelity, inequality, and abuse.
This type of therapist has specialized training that enables them to treat children 17 and younger with emotional, behavioral, and mental disorders. May work in private practices, schools, or as part of a medical team. Clinical therapists are similar to behavioral therapists in that they help their clients overcome the challenges they have related to mental health problems. However, rather than just helping their clients cope with their problems, clinical therapists also focus on treating the underlying problems that cause their clients to experience problems in other areas of their lives.
A cognitive-behavioral therapist (CBT) is a counselor who uses behavioral and psychotherapeutic techniques to help his clients address a variety of different psychological problems, such as substance abuse, depression, and eating disorders. A dialectical behavioral therapist (DBT) is a therapist who treats patients who have borderline personality disorder (BPD) or other types of serious mental illness. This type of specialization is less common than the other types of therapists mentioned above, as BPD is extremely rare. Licensed social workers usually have at least a master's degree in social work.
Most master's degree programs can be completed in two years, but some allow students to earn their degree with one year of graduate study. Marriage and Family Therapists Treat Mental Disorders and Psychological Problems. But instead of working only with the individual, they work in the context of families and relationships. An addiction therapist is a specially trained counselor with the knowledge, skills, and clinical experience to help clients overcome substance abuse problems.
This could take the form of an individual therapy in which the therapist helps his client overcome the traumas related to his addiction. Clinical therapists are very similar to behavioral therapists in that they use their counseling training to provide clients with therapeutic interventions that help them overcome difficulties related to mental health problems. Cognitive therapy focuses on the thoughts that clients have that derail healthy mental functioning. As a result, cognitive therapists work to help their clients identify problematic thinking patterns and create new, healthy cognitions that lead to greater functionality and greater life satisfaction.
A cognitive behavioral therapist is a highly specialized counselor who uses psychotherapeutic and behavioral techniques to help his clients address a wide range of psychological problems, from depression and anxiety to substance abuse and eating disorders. Probably the most common form of therapy falls on the work of a psychotherapist. Day-to-day tasks often involve regularly scheduled and strategically directed conversations with patients who have emotional problems or barriers. To succeed in this position, psychotherapists must be patient and caring listeners who help clients continually examine their feelings and actions, cope with past mental illness or trauma, and repair damaged or difficult relationships.
There are different types of psychotherapists, but most require a postgraduate degree in the field and experience in some form of counseling. Psychiatrists, who can prescribe psychotropic medications, need a medical degree. If you enjoy working with children and have the ability to communicate in a way that they understand, then a career as a play therapist may be for you. These therapists participate in different types of creative games to give children a familiar environment to express and overcome difficult emotions and situations.
Play therapists use specific activities such as drawing, storytelling, and puppet shows to help children improve communication, solve problems, and constructively adapt their behavior. Play therapists usually have a master's degree and are accredited by national organizations such as The Association for Play Therapy and the British Association of Play Therapists. A PhD will allow you to progress in an academic research role. Speech therapists, also known as speech-language pathologists, help treat and prevent speech and swallowing disorders in both children and adults.
These conditions can result from a wide range of causes, including stroke, brain injury, cleft palate, or developmental delay. Speech therapists help patients to strengthen the necessary muscles, improve their voice and fluency, and expand their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge. Speech therapists often work with a whole treatment group that includes doctors, surgeons, physical therapists and social workers. You may prefer to specialize in a particular age group or speech problem.
While several therapist careers focus on helping with mental health, there are other forms of therapy. Patients who have suffered a chronic injury, illness or condition often require physical therapy to regain function and mobility. Physical therapists (PT) use exercises, stretching, and hands-on manipulation of the limbs, joints and muscles to help rehabilitate patients and mitigate their pain. They also guide patients in the temporary or permanent use of assistive devices, such as crutches and wheelchairs.
Educational requirements may vary by country, with some requiring postgraduate degrees. To succeed in this position, you'll also need good communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills to pursue a career as a physical therapist. Massage therapists use repetitive movements to manipulate the client's muscles and other soft tissues in order to relieve pain and stress, improve circulation, and help heal injuries. May work independently or as employees of a spa or health care provider.
Massage therapists usually combine their treatment with chiropractors and physical therapists. Unlike psychodynamic therapy, behavioral therapy focuses on the present. There is less attention to why a behavior started and more emphasis on barriers to changing it and why that behavior is rewarded. Behavioral therapy is good for treating phobias, substance use disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Cognitive-behavioral therapy combines some of the principles of behavioral therapy with the theory that our thoughts, feelings, or behaviors are connected and influence each other. Dialectical behavioral therapy is useful for people who have suicidal thoughts and other self-destructive behaviors. Despite the large number of practicing hypnotherapists, trained and certified by professional organizations such as the National Council for Hypnotherapy and the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis, the field is still considered to be one of the most experimental types of therapy. Psychologist Dawn Potter, PsyD, discusses the most common types of therapy and what might work best for you.
But what kind of therapy works best for you? A Cleveland Clinic doctor talks about a variety of therapies, all of which can help you perform better in your daily life. These professionals include art therapists, dance therapists, music therapists, and drama therapists, all of whom assist clients by promoting self-awareness, communication, and improving overall well-being, among other goals. Licensing requirements for types of clinical mental health counseling are equivalent to those for clinical social workers and marriage and family therapists, two other disciplines that require a master's degree for the independent state. A trauma therapist, or trauma counselor, is a mental health professional who has specialized training and clinical experience to work with people who have experienced a traumatic event.
It is also important to note that many mental health professionals use an integrative approach, meaning they are trained in a variety of therapies and often use multiple approaches in treating their patients. Social therapists are mental health professionals who specialize in helping patients cope with problems such as depression and anxiety, relationships, stress, grief, marital discord, and trauma. When you start to wonder “what kind of therapist should I see?” , you might be overwhelmed with all your options. Unlike a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT or MFT) is a rigorously trained mental health professional who believes that a wide range of individual issues should be understood within the context of their family and social settings.
Originally developed as a specific treatment for borderline personality disorder, this type of therapy focuses on developing coping skills. People who believe in this type of therapy think that it can help you express underlying thoughts and feelings that traditional talk therapy cannot expose. This type of counselor focuses on addressing the behaviors of individuals in a marriage or the individual behaviors of family members. When therapy starts working may depend on why you see a therapist, the type of person you are, how often you have treatment, and many other factors.
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