Become a Teen Therapist
The term 'therapist' is an informal name that could refer to professional titles including counselor, social worker, or psychologist. Teen therapists may work at in-patient mental health care facilities, hospitals, clinics, or private practices. Dealing with struggling teens can be stressful, and many therapists may need to work in the evening or on weekends, when young people are free to meet. Most of these professionals secure full-time work.
Career Requirements
| Degree Level | Bachelor's degree (minimum), master's degree (often required), doctorate (sometimes required) |
| Degree Field | Counseling, social work, or psychology |
| Licensure and Certification | State licensure is required in every state for various counselors, as well as all clinical social workers and psychologists |
| Experience | Requirements vary by profession, usually 2 years or 3,000 hours for licensure |
| Key Skills | Good listening and communication skills, patience, ability to work with many different types of people |
| Median Annual Salary (2018) | $50,090 (for marriage and family therapists) |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Now let's check out the career steps for teen therapists.
Career Steps
Step 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree
The first step to becoming a teen therapist is earning a bachelor's degree. Students can elect to study psychology or a related field, such as social work or education. Alternatively, a student may choose to study a different, unrelated liberal arts field. Students majoring in an unrelated field should take some electives in psychology. Topics that can help students prepare for graduate school and gain adequate exposure to the field of psychology include abnormal psychology, personality psychology, and adolescent psychology.
You may want to consider volunteering or working in counseling. Work experience gives students the opportunity to specialize their studies and develop relationships with professionals in the field who could supply letters of recommendation, strengthening a student's graduate school application.
You may also want to create an application timeline. Making a list of all potential programs and their corresponding application requirements may help a student stay organized when applying to graduate school. Students should pay special attention to deadlines for taking the GRE, asking for letters of recommendation, and writing personal statements.
Step 2: Earn a Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree
A Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) or a master's degree in counseling may be available in marriage and family therapy, school counseling, clinical counseling, mental health counseling, or substance abuse counseling. Topics of study could include counseling theories, human growth and development, abnormal psychology, psychopharmacology, evaluation of practice, and research methods. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs accredits master's programs in counseling. Coursework includes human behavior in the social environment, social justice, data analysis, clinical practice with groups, and clinical practice with families. Field experience is often integrated into the curriculum, and research may or may not be a requirement. Social work programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Both types of programs include a practicum or internship.
Developmental psychology, counseling psychology, or clinical psychology programs are available in Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) formats. Psy.D. programs traditionally focus more on practice and less on research, while Ph.D. programs have a large research component and always require a dissertation. More serious illnesses, such as schizophrenia, fall more in the territory of clinical psychology. Both Psy.D. and Ph.D. programs may require a pre-doctoral internship.
Step 3: Complete Work Experience or Post-Doctoral Internship
Work experience for master's degree graduates requires approximately 3,000 hours completed over the course of two years. Usually, at least half of these hours must be completed in direct client work. Research state licensing requirements early on in work experience or internship. State requirements for licensure vary, and many states specify how a work experience or post-doctoral internship must be structured. Failure to meet the standards set out by the state could delay or prevent licensure. Researching state regulations during the early stages of one's work experience or internship will help candidates meet all requirements.
Doctoral graduates must complete an approved post-doctoral placement to gain the experience necessary for licensure. During the post-doctoral placement, graduates conduct supervised clinical work and undergo periodic evaluations with an adviser.
Step 4: Pass the Licensing Exam
Passing a licensure examination is a common requirement for licensure as a counselor or psychologist. In the case of counseling, sometimes the state board of counseling will provide the exam, and sometimes states will accept scores from the Association of Social Work Boards Clinical Examination or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination. For psychology, the most commonly accepted exam is the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology.
Licensure applications require a graduate school transcript from an approved institution, documentation of an approved work experience or internship, and a passing score from an appropriate national or state examination. Some states also require an ethics exam.
Step 5: Meet Continuing Education Requirements
State licenses must be renewed on a regular basis. Counselors and psychologists may need to meet continuing education requirements by completing a certain number of hours of coursework in state-approved continuing education programs. For psychologists, a common requirement is 20 hours of continuing education per year, or 40 hours every two years. Failure to comply with these requirements or to renew one's license in a timely manner can lead to a suspension of license.
To recap, with a postsecondary education, licensure, and continuing education, a teen therapist can earn about $50,000 a year to work at in-patient mental health care facilities, hospitals, clinics, or private practices.