What qualifications do you need to become a psychotherapist?

Embarking on a career in psychotherapy can be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, as you work with clients from various backgrounds to help them to overcome a range of mental obstacles and conditions that may be having a debilitating effect on their life.

However, becoming a fully qualified psychotherapist requires a lot of work and dedication and, of course, you must be passionate about pursuing this career route.

If you’re considering a career in this field, you have certainly landed in the right place. We’ve created a helpful guide outlining everything that you need to know about exploring a career in psychotherapy.

What is a psychotherapist?

A psychotherapist’s role involves identifying techniques and prescribing medication that can help patients to overcome a whole host of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and PTSD.

Focusing on the study of the mind and behaviour, this discipline encompasses a wide range of branches including educational, forensic, and neuropsychology. Also known as "talk therapy," there are lots of different techniques used within this form of therapy to treat a broad range of conditions, meaning there are lots of opportunities to put your skills into practice.

What forms of psychotherapy are there?

As we have already mentioned, there are lots of different types of psychotherapy that can be used to address a wide range of mental health concerns, meaning effective, long-term solutions can be identified.

These include:

Interpersonal psychotherapy – this is the practice of focusing on the relationships between the patients and the people in their life that are causing them issues. The main goal is to help patients rebuild healthier relationships by altering their thought processes.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy - Psychodynamic therapy involves delving into the patient’s past to unearth experiences that are responsible for altering their thoughts, feelings and actions. Focusing on bringing the unconscious into the conscious, this form of therapy can also help to bring repressed fears to the surface so that they can be addressed accordingly.

Cognitive psychotherapy – This form of therapy has been designed to address how we think about different elements in our life and how we feel about the people and places around us. Ultimately, the main aim of this therapy is to modify thoughts and feelings so that healthier relationships can be formed.

Transference-focused psychotherapy - Designed to address a range of different personality disorders, this form of therapy analyses ideas and images that have been built up over time that may not be rational, conscious, or accurate.

What qualifications do you need to become a psychotherapist

Students need specialist training in psychotherapy, which they get through our Psychotherapeutic Counselling program. They then must be part of an accredited register such as the National Counselling Society, which has counsellors and psychotherapists.

If you're interested in becoming a psychotherapist, check out our Level 5 Professional Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling. Get in touch with us today to see how you can make a difference.