How to Become a Child Therapist

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While some might refer to a child therapist as a psychologist, the requirements are the same. A child therapist must be licensed after the doctoral degree has been obtained. Although there may be some positions available at the master’s degree level, there are many more available at the doctoral degree level and it is required that a therapist is licensed through testing. The testing required can be different from state to state and more information can be obtained through the American Psychology Association (APA) along with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which can also give you salary information and the overall job market outlook for the psychology career of choice.

How to Become a Child Therapist in Today’s Market

A child therapist will study the mental, social, and emotional development and issues that a child might be going through. These studies will include introduction to psychology, healthcare, mental health components, research and many other classes. There are different components that can come into play when helping children deal with many different issues such as disorders, learning disabilities, developmental issues and other psychological issues.

The field of child therapy or psychology is truly complex and is expected to grow at 22% from 2012 and 2022 with a median salary of around $68,000 per year.

Qualities Involved in How to Become a Child Therapist

As a therapist at any level, even as a child therapist, you are not only dealing with the children, you are also dealing with the family members who are also involved with the coping and healing of the child involved in the treatment.

As a therapist, one must have communication skills that make it possible to communicate with all ages, not just the children, because they will be dealing with all family members. There needs to be an understanding at all levels when trying to help someone cope with all the different types of issues that children go through. It is not always easy for any child to communicate what they might be going through and know how to communicate it. They may also be afraid to tell anyone what kind of issues they might be going through. Sometimes when abuse is involved or they think they or a family member can get in trouble or they were made to believe they should be ashamed, they may not want to talk to anyone.

It is the job of the therapists to be able to make them feel like they can talk about anything to them and they will be safe and their conversation will be just between them. Confidentially is crucial between patience and this is why there are now HIPPA rules and regulations in place to protect patients.

Communication is critical, but having the capability to analyze, observe, critical thinking skills, business administration, biology, psychology, anthropology, research skills and many other skills are also essential. When dealing with people, there are different types of personalities that one can come across and being able to communicate with calmness and being trustworthy is important in order to effectively treat each client.