如何成为一名治疗师
By Dr. 伊丽莎白·布罗坎普博士，LPC, ACS, NCC, BC-TMH
格温内斯默西大学助理教授兼咨询项目主任
渴望一份能有所作为的职业? People with strong communication skills and a desire to help others can find rewarding careers as mental health therapists. 根据美国职业前景手册(2022)出版.S. 劳工统计局，心理健康方面的职业预计 到2032年增长18%这一比率是全国平均水平的六倍. COVID-19大流行进一步增加了对咨询服务的需求, 推动了对技术人才的需求, 富有同情心的, 心理健康服务提供者应对日益严重的抑郁症, 焦虑, 以及其他精神疾病.
这篇文章涵盖了如何成为一名治疗师，包括:
什么是治疗师?
A therapist is a mental health professional who is trained to work with persons with emotional challenges, 帮助他们优化心理健康. 有时也被称为心理治疗师或咨询师, 治疗师通常是专业人士，他们获得了 心理咨询硕士学位 或社会工作，为客户提供治疗服务. Therapists are not the same as psychologists (who have earned a doctorate in Psychology) or psychiatrists (who attended medical school and can prescribe psychiatric medications) but may work with similar 人口s of people and sometimes in the same clinical settings, 像医院, 门诊治疗中心, 或者私人执业.
有哪些类型的治疗师?
治疗师可以选择几种不同的职业道路, 这取决于年龄组, 人口, 处理问题, 或者他们感兴趣的工作环境. 治疗专业可能包括以下选择:
- 儿童心理治疗师
- 夫妻治疗师
- 团体治疗师
- 私人从业者
毕业后, therapists may also seek advanced training in specialties like cognitive-behavioral therapy, 创伤治疗, 此种疗法, 内部家庭系统(IFS), 动物辅助治疗, 接受与承诺疗法(ACT). 同样的, some therapists specialize in working with specific issues or disorders such as grief, 生殖创伤, 药物滥用, 或注意缺陷多动障碍(ADHD).
一旦他们进入这个领域, the plethora of advanced training and specialization choices open to therapists can make for a vibrant, 引人注目的职业.
治疗师是做什么的?
A therapist’s day can look very different depending on the treatment setting in which they are working. A therapist in private practice may have a schedule full of individual therapy appointments with clients in an office setting, whereas a therapist who works in community mental health may be paired up with a partner throughout the week to conduct in-home therapy sessions with 家庭.
治疗师所治疗的人群也可以决定他们的日常活动. A child therapist may spend the morning playing therapeutic games with elementary school students, while a therapist who works with elderly clients may spend equivalent time providing psycho教育 to a client about how to cope with job loss, 例如.
大多数治疗师的一些典型职责包括:
- 进行入学面试
- 制定治疗计划
- 参加治疗课程
- 撰写案例笔记
- 为客户提供心理教育
- 与其他治疗提供者或社区服务互动
- 参与案件咨询或监督
成为治疗师所需的技能
治疗师是高度协调、熟练的帮助者. In order to be effective in their work, therapists need to possess several different attributes.
- 同理心, Clients come with a variety of problems, some of which may involve their own choices or behaviors. It’s important for therapists to be able to feel compassion, rather than passing judgment.
- 自我意识 -了解自己的情绪, 的想法, 偏见, behaviors enables therapists to set aside their personal opinions and help clients to attune to their own wants and needs.
- 〇良好的倾听能力 Listening is a foundational skill that allows therapists to learn about their clients, 了解客户问题, 并决定如何最好地支持他们.
- 尊重他人 -客户来自不同的背景，拥有不同的经验. Therapists need to approach their work with a deep sense of respect for these differences.
成为治疗师的步骤
治疗师必须取得 心理咨询硕士学位 或社会工作，包括学术课程，以及实地工作的要求. 虽然这两种课程都可以导致心理健康方面的职业, 他们在职业认同方面彼此不同. 根据美国咨询协会(ACA), 为专业咨询师服务的最大组织是哪个, 咨询赋予“不同的个体”力量, 家庭, 和团体来完成心理健康, 健康, 教育, 职业目标.” This emphasis on empowerment and 健康 leads most counselors to refer to their consumers as “clients,“非”病人,” as may be more common in fields originating from a medical model of psychological care.
咨询专业的硕士课程通常持续2年.5至4年. The experiential requirement is dictated by state licensing laws so it is generally consistent from school to school, 程序对程序. GMercyU的咨询项目只有2个.5年的时间，帮助你更快地开始你的职业生涯.
第一步:获得本科学位
获得学士学位是成为治疗师的第一步. 专业的像 心理学、社会学、 社会工作, 教育 are closely aligned with the counseling field and will typically provide many of the prerequisites required to apply for a master’s degree program in counseling.
在GMercyU，硕士课程的先决条件包括:
- 普通心理学，发展心理学或类似的课程
- 研究方法和/或统计
如果你对先决条件或其他问题有任何疑问， 请伸出援手. 我们很乐意帮助您规划您的道路，以获得咨询学位.
第二步:选择硕士学位课程
Choosing a program is a big decision and it can be a hard one to make when all the programs seem to blend together and look alike. Take time to evaluate these aspects of the programs you are considering so you can join one that best meets your needs both as a student and a future therapist. 一定要问以下问题.
程序是否:
- 有灵活的学习选择，包括在线学习或混合学习? GMercyU’s Counseling Program blends online coursework with in-person field experience. 两个周末的住院实习充实了你的经历, 帮助你了解你的老师和同学.
- 在时间上满足我的需求? 全年注册的话，你只需要2美元.还有5年就要完成在GMercyU的咨询课程了.
- 提供严格的学术和经验培训? 我们的大学获得了中部州高等教育委员会的认可. Content for our courses is aligned with the core curriculum designed by the Council for 认证 of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
- 关注当今学生的重要问题? GMercyU重视批判性思维、参与社会问题和倡导. 相应的, 我们的咨询硕士学位包括社会公正的内容, 股本, 以及一个多样化和不断变化的世界的需求.
- 导致获得专业证书? 我们的米.S. in counseling program allows students early eligibility to sit for the National Counselor Exam (NCE). Taking the NCE is a prerequisite for becoming credentialed as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and meeting the licensure requirements to become a licensed professional counselor in the state of Pennsylvania.
第三步:完成学术和经验要求
我们的60学分学位课程包括核心课程, 选修课, 实习和实习机会. 这些要求为毕业后寻求执照提供了坚实的准备.
Practicum and Internship placements are driven by your own interests, experiences, availability. As is typical in most programs, students are in charge of securing their own placements. GMercyU确实, 然而, have a dedicated fieldwork coordinator whose role includes answering any questions you may have about the process of securing placements and supporting you along the way.
第四步:通过国家参事考试
因为GMercyU达到了它的高标准, the National Board of Certified Counselors has approved our graduates to take the National Counselor Examination (NCE) on an expedited schedule post-graduation, 而不是等着满足毕业后的工作经验要求. This is good news for our students because they get to take the exam while the content from their Master’s program is still fresh in their minds!
第五步:开始找工作
当你到了找工作的阶段, 你会在GMercyU学到很多东西! 你会在个人和专业方面有所成长, – with the assistance of your 教师 mentor – have identified what kind of therapist you want to be. Many of our students have to look no further than their fieldwork site for a job; our graduates regularly receive offers of employment from their placement sites.
在GMercyU开始治疗职业生涯!
成为一名治疗师是一项丰富而有益的努力，它可以从今天开始. 既然你已经学会了如何成为一名治疗师， 看看我们的节目吧 有任何问题都可以联系我. 我们很乐意帮忙! 准备好出发了? 适用于今天!