1 answer
George
Student
Asheville, North Carolina
4
Questions
1 answer
Michelle M.
Actress
3276
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, George !
If you want to do psychological therapy with students in a school setting, you can become a clinical Social Worker in order to be hired to do so. You should first research to see how many schools - elementary, junior and high schools are actually using therapists inside the school. Sometimes for clinical therapy, the student would be referred out to the community for services. It's less expensive for the school district that way.
School counselors do not provide long term therapy or clinical mental health treatment within schools. It will be helpful to actually pinpoint exactly what position you are thinking about because two careers that you can aim for to do clinical therapy would be Psychologist or Social Worker. Schools utilize nurses and academic counselors who do not give therapy and some schools hire on site social workers but not sure if it's full time. You can first inquire how it is done at your current school.
To become a Social Worker you would Major in Psychology in college and then go for your Masters in Social Work. You will need to be Certified and Licensed. You'll need a heavy background in psychology in order to pass the Social Work Certification exam, that's why I suggest Majoring in Psychology in undergraduate school. To be a Psychologist and do therapy in the community, you'd major in Psychology in college, go for your Masters in Clinical Psychology and find out if your state is one of the states that requires Psychologists to have a Doctorate and follow through with your state's requirement.
I just looked at your question again and I apologize - I misunderstood it. What kind of therapist do you want to be (I thought you were asking about doing therapy in schools). You will really need to specify the exact career you have in mind because there are several different types of "therapist" for mental health and physical health. One thing you can do is hone you skills for being detail oriented as in any therapy setting, details are crucial.
As a psychology major in college, you will need an above average interest or passion for the complex and intricate world of human behavior. You will need to be able to write and present information clearly and in detail. If you love school now, you will find being a psychology major exciting and fascinating. You will be learning the theories and techniques of human behavior, how the brain works and how to interact with clients that have mental health issues ranging from mild to severe and chronic. It will help if you do not focus on one population because when you start working, you will have more of a variety of settings to work in with all populations. This major is demanding, highly intellectual and analytical and it helps if you are a fast learner and understand the work and can retain it. Students should be open minded and unbiased also.
Everything I mentioned above holds true if you have in mind becoming a Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Reparatory Therapist, Massage Therapist, or a Speech Therapist.
Sorry if I misunderstood at first, but my first association with "therapist" is in the mental health realm and you mentioned school. I hope this helps somewhat and I wish you all the best exploring the career that you are interested in !
If you want to do psychological therapy with students in a school setting, you can become a clinical Social Worker in order to be hired to do so. You should first research to see how many schools - elementary, junior and high schools are actually using therapists inside the school. Sometimes for clinical therapy, the student would be referred out to the community for services. It's less expensive for the school district that way.
School counselors do not provide long term therapy or clinical mental health treatment within schools. It will be helpful to actually pinpoint exactly what position you are thinking about because two careers that you can aim for to do clinical therapy would be Psychologist or Social Worker. Schools utilize nurses and academic counselors who do not give therapy and some schools hire on site social workers but not sure if it's full time. You can first inquire how it is done at your current school.
To become a Social Worker you would Major in Psychology in college and then go for your Masters in Social Work. You will need to be Certified and Licensed. You'll need a heavy background in psychology in order to pass the Social Work Certification exam, that's why I suggest Majoring in Psychology in undergraduate school. To be a Psychologist and do therapy in the community, you'd major in Psychology in college, go for your Masters in Clinical Psychology and find out if your state is one of the states that requires Psychologists to have a Doctorate and follow through with your state's requirement.
I just looked at your question again and I apologize - I misunderstood it. What kind of therapist do you want to be (I thought you were asking about doing therapy in schools). You will really need to specify the exact career you have in mind because there are several different types of "therapist" for mental health and physical health. One thing you can do is hone you skills for being detail oriented as in any therapy setting, details are crucial.
As a psychology major in college, you will need an above average interest or passion for the complex and intricate world of human behavior. You will need to be able to write and present information clearly and in detail. If you love school now, you will find being a psychology major exciting and fascinating. You will be learning the theories and techniques of human behavior, how the brain works and how to interact with clients that have mental health issues ranging from mild to severe and chronic. It will help if you do not focus on one population because when you start working, you will have more of a variety of settings to work in with all populations. This major is demanding, highly intellectual and analytical and it helps if you are a fast learner and understand the work and can retain it. Students should be open minded and unbiased also.
Everything I mentioned above holds true if you have in mind becoming a Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Reparatory Therapist, Massage Therapist, or a Speech Therapist.
Sorry if I misunderstood at first, but my first association with "therapist" is in the mental health realm and you mentioned school. I hope this helps somewhat and I wish you all the best exploring the career that you are interested in !
thanks for the feed back when i said school wise i meant stuff like degrees in school but thank you for the feed back
George
You are very welcome ! My third paragraph talks about the education needed.
Michelle M.