How to Become a Psychotherapist?

Also referred to as talk therapy, Psychotherapy mainly aims to help those facing mental illnesses and provides necessary guidance to assist them in combating their issues. Applying the science of Psychology to facilitate therapy, Psychotherapy can be offered by varied kinds of professionals such as psychologists, professional counsellors, psychiatrists or those with specialized training in this field. It is an ideal field for those with excellent communication skills and aspiring to follow a career in counselling psychology. This blog will provide you with all the essentials on how to become a psychotherapist including the courses you can pursue as well as the top universities to choose from.

Check Out: How to Become a Psychologist in India?

Who is a Psychotherapist?

A psychotherapist implements talk therapy to help their patients comprehend and modify their feeling as well as behaviour and thus work towards resolving their mental issues. They generally are employed in healthcare facilities, schools, private practices, organizations and clinics. In order to understand how to become a psychotherapist, the most important educational qualification is that of a doctoral degree in Psychology or Psychotherapy. You can begin with getting your bachelor’s in Psychology and then pursue your master’s in Psychotherapy. Further, you can choose between pursuing a PhD or Psy.D since, a PhD is more concentrated on theoretical aspects while a Psy.D is purely clinical degree. 

Know All About PhD in Psychology!

Specialisations

Since Psychotherapy is more of an umbrella term, there are varied specialisations you can choose from in this field. To assist you in exploring the question of how to become a psychotherapist, we have listed a few prominent specialised profiles under this field: 

• Family Counsellor and Therapist
• Child Therapist
• Educational Counsellor
• Occupational Therapist
• Marriage Counsellor
• Depression Counsellor

Also Read: Occupational Therapy Courses

Difference Between a Psychologist and Psychotherapist

Most of the time people tend to confuse between the career profiles of a psychologist, therapist and a counsellors. The primary difference that divides these professions are educational qualifications. A psychologist is someone who has mainly graduated with a degree in Psychology while a Psychotherapist attains a specialized training in this field. On the other hand, a psychologist can be either trained into the clinical or non-clinical aspects of this field. If you explore the process of how to become a psychotherapist, you will get to know that aspirants need to follow a specific route to gain training on talk therapy and related fields. Moreover, psychotherapy is more of an umbrella term that covers different kinds of psychology professionals, from clinical psychologists to depression counsellor, amongst others.

Check Out: Difference Between Psychologist & Psychiatrist

List of Courses in Psychotherapy

While exploring the process of how to become a psychotherapist, it is important to browse through the different diploma and degree programs available in the field. To help you further in your research, we have listed down some of the major courses in Psychotherapy that you can choose from:

• Diploma in Hypno-psychotherapy
• Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Bachelors in Psychotherapy and Counselling
• BSc (Hons) in Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Masters in Psychotherapy
• MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Masters in Systemic Psychotherapy
• PhD in Psychotherapy and Counselling

Must Read: Clinical Psychology Courses

Top Universities

Once you have decided upon the course you want to pursue, the next step is to find the prospective university that offers your chosen program. Below mentioned are some of the major universities and institutions that are renowned for the aforementioned programs opted by those wanting to become a psychotherapist.

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• National College of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy
• University of East London
• Plymouth Marjon University
• University of Derby
• Auckland University of Technology
• Dublin Business School
• Leeds Beckett University
• Bath Spa University
• University of East London
• Edge Hill University
• University of Central Lancashire
• University of South Wales

Related Read: Career in Depression Counselling

Hence, we hope that this blog has provided you with the necessary details on how to become a psychotherapist. If you are planning to pursue Psychology courses, reach out to our Leverage Edu experts by signing up for an E-meeting and we will help in finding the right program and university that aligns with your interests and aspirations and guides you towards a rewarding career in this field.