How to Become a Licensed Therapist

Mental health provider shortages are challenging communities across the United States. According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA), more than 122 million people in the U.S. (about one-third of the nation’s population) lived in areas designated as mental health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) as of August 2024.

Because of the strong demand for professionals in mental health, now is a good time to become trained as a licensed therapist. By helping clients address the issues they face, licensed therapists have the opportunity to help people improve their lives and realize their potential.

Having high-quality graduate training in Mental Health and in Psychotherapy matters. If you have been considering enrolling in a Psychology degree program with the goal of working as a mental health professional, it is important to become familiar with working in the field and what it takes to become a licensed therapist.

What Does a Licensed Therapist Do?

Working as a licensed therapist involves helping individual clients, groups of people, or families address the mental health, behavioral, psychological, or emotional issues they face.

In assisting clients, licensed therapists rely on their expertise in techniques that can help strengthen their clients’ quality of life and allow clients to cope with their challenges. Licensed therapists also advocate for their clients and work to promote awareness of the importance of mental health in their communities.

A licensed therapist’s typical responsibilities include the following:

Assessing clients and diagnosing clients’ mental health conditions

Creating client treatment plans with specific goals

Offering therapy services to clients

Building relationships of trust with clients

Overseeing the progress that clients make and, when necessary, modifying client treatment plans

Performing crisis intervention duties

Collaborating with other members of clients’ healthcare teams

Maintaining up-to-date records related to clients’ mental health

Educating clients and their families regarding mental health conditions

In becoming a licensed therapist, an individual can choose to specialize in a particular aspect of mental health. For example, an individual can do the following:

Work as a clinical mental health counselor

Focus on helping individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Focus on providing marriage and family therapy

Provide services to people experiencing addiction

Choose to work primarily in crisis counseling

When working as licensed therapists, people benefit from developing strong skills in areas such as the following:

Communication

Demonstrating empathy and compassion

Exhibiting patience

Listening

Critical thinking

Licensed therapists can work in various settings, including outpatient centers, offices of mental health practitioners, residential mental health facilities, substance abuse facilities, and hospitals.

Steps to Becoming a Licensed Therapist

To qualify as a licensed therapist, an individual needs to satisfy certain requirements, which are summarized below.

1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree to Start Building Knowledge

The first step in becoming a licensed therapist is to complete a bachelor’s degree program in a discipline that is relevant to the position. The time it takes to get a Psychology degree, for example, is worthwhile because it can establish a solid foundation of knowledge in human behavior on which individuals can rely as they continue to build their expertise.

2. Earn a Master’s Degree in a Relevant Discipline

People who aspire to work as licensed therapists also need to earn a relevant graduate degree, such as a Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Psychology. These degree programs typically enable students to specialize in areas such as Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Counseling, or Trauma Counseling.

Earning a master’s degree typically requires two to three years of studying. Working full-time while obtaining a master’s is achievable with convenient evening courses that meet as little as once a week. With various graduate programs from which to choose, it is important to carefully examine which program best satisfies your professional objectives and personal situation. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each program, and keep in mind that many online programs require the same self-discipline, involvement, and planning as conventional, in-person programs.

In addition to courses in topics such as Family Systems, Psychopathology, and Psychopharmacology, graduate programs offer students the chance to get clinical training and experience that is invaluable in becoming a licensed therapist.

3. Work Under Supervision

In considering how hard it is to become a therapist, it is important to remember that licensed therapists also need to acquire a certain amount of supervised experience. Specifically, before they can work independently, aspiring licensed therapists need to work under the supervision of other mental health professionals for a certain number of hours. The licensing requirements can vary by state and type of license, but a typical requirement is 3,000 hours (or two years).

4. Obtain State Licensure

People who want to become licensed therapists need to become familiar with the specific requirements for licensing in the states where they want to practice. For example, the California Board of Behavioral Sciences requires people who apply for licensure as licensed professional clinical counselors to:

Comply with minimum education requirements and requirements for supervised clinical experience

Submit fingerprints and pass a criminal background check

Pass the California Law and Ethics Exam

Pass the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination developed by the National Board for Certified Counselors

Licensed Therapist Salary and Job Outlook

Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors earned a median annual salary of $59,190 as of May 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those in the top 10% of the salary range earned more than $98,210. Salaries can vary based on factors such as location, employer, and years of experience.

The bureau also projects 19% job growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors through 2033. That growth rate significantly exceeds the projection of 4% job growth across all occupations during the same time period.

Becoming a Licensed Therapist Is an Opportunity to Help Others Improve Their Lives

People who work as licensed therapists get to conduct fulfilling work that enables them to make a difference in the lives of others. Licensed therapists have the expertise to help clients address a wide range of challenges and strengthen their mental health.

Individuals who want to acquire the education necessary to become licensed therapists can explore the Psychology degree programs that Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) offers to learn how those programs can help them achieve their career goals.

The NDNU School of Psychology teaches you the fundamentals of clinical psychology and guides you through the application process to become a licensed therapist. Our clinical psychology department emphasizes the interdependence of the psychological, developmental, relational, affective, cognitive, behavioral, cultural, social, neurobiological, and spiritual dimensions of human behavior as the foundation for our program.

We offer programs in:

Master of Science in Clinical Psychology (MSCP): This program offers training for professional careers in clinical psychology, including as unlicensed clinicians, and preparation for doctoral studies.

MSCP Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT): On top of obtaining your master’s, this program fulfills all requirements for licensure as a marriage and family therapist, with an emphasis on treating couples, families, and relationship issues.

MSCP MFT Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC): In addition to obtaining your master’s, this program enables students to fulfill all requirements for licensure as professional clinical counselors and marriage and family therapists.

Start your journey toward a career as a licensed therapist today. Fill out the form below to get in touch with our Admissions team.

Recommended Readings

Is Psychology a Good Major?

Master of Arts vs. Master of Science: What’s the Difference?

Where Do Clinical Psychologists, Therapists, & Counselors Work — NDNU

Sources:

California Board of Behavioral Sciences, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

Human Resources & Services Administration, State of the Behavioral Health Workforce, 2024

Indeed, “How to Become a Mental Health Counselor in 5 Steps”

National Board for Certified Counselors, Candidate Handbook for State Licensure

Teal, How to Become a Mental Health Counselor

Teal, What Is a Mental Health Counselor?