How To Become a Therapist

The pathways to becoming a therapist can feel confusing and overwhelming, with all the different requirements and regulations. This page distills the most important information to help you move forward into a therapy career, including:

  • Education requirements

  • Licensure pathways

  • Therapy practice types

We regularly update this page to reflect the latest changes in education and licensure laws. Last updated: June 2025.

Educational Requirements:

There’s a lot of confusion and misinformation online about what education you need to become a therapist.

To legally call yourself a therapist, you need at least a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, Counseling, or a related mental health field. We offer an online, 18-month Master’s degree in Integrative Psychology for those who want to begin their path to becoming a therapist.

I have a professional certification. Can I call myself a therapist?

No. Professional certifications qualify you as a mental health coach, not a therapist. If you want to call yourself a therapist, you must complete at least a master’s degree.

I don’t want to pursue a master’s degree, but I still want to work with clients. Can I do so legally?

If you’re not pursuing a master’s degree but still want to see clients, you can become a mental health coach. In this case, the education you need is a professional certification, of which there are many.

We offer certification programs in somatic therapy, parts work, and other integrative methods designed to prepare you to work as a coach with real clients ethically, effectively, and confidently.

If you want to know more about how to run a legally compliant mental health coaching business, check out this article.

Helpful Articles on the educational requirements:

Navigating The Types of Master’s Degree’s In Psychology

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Certifications vs. Degrees vs. License: What’s The Difference?

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How To Run a Legally Compliant Mental Health Coaching Business

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Top Holistic / Somatic Mental Health Certification Programs

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Navigating Therapy Licensure

Licensure can be a confusing and complex process, but understanding it early is key, especially before you commit to a specific degree or training path.

Licensure is optional, but it opens up important career opportunities. A license allows you to:

  • Bill insurance companies

  • Getting employement in clinical settings

  • Treat and diagnose mental health conditions

Is a License Required to Practice?

No. You do not need a license to work in mental health. As an unlicensed professional, you can still support clients as a coach, somatic practitioner, or alternative therapist—but there are a few legal boundaries:

  • You can call yourself a therapist, but not a “licensed” therapist or counselor

  • You cannot diagnose or treat mental health conditions

  • You cannot bill insurance directly

Many people choose not to pursue licensure, especially if their work focuses on holistic, somatic, or non-diagnostic approaches. Still, having the option to pursue a license later can be useful when choosing a degree program.

Why Licensure Is Complicated

There are a few reasons the licensing path can feel overwhelming:

  1. Multiple License Types

    There are over 200 types of mental health licenses in the U.S., including LPC, LMFT, LPCC, LCSW, and more. Each has different rules around education, clinical hours, and supervision.

  2. State-by-State Rules

    Each U.S. state—and each Canadian province—has its own licensing board with unique requirements. What qualifies you in one state may not be enough in another. You’ll need to look up the licensing board in your state to understand the exact path.

  3. Post-Degree Supervision

    Most licenses require thousands of hours of supervised clinical experience after graduation—typically 1,500 to 3,000 hours, spread over 2–3 years, before you’re eligible to sit for a licensing exam.

Licensure isn’t required to build a thriving career in mental health, but it does open doors, especially if you want to work in insurance-based or clinical settings.

If you’re unsure, we recommend choosing a degree that leaves the door open. That way, even if you don’t pursue a license right away, you can always come back to it later.

Your best next step: look up your state’s licensing board and read through their specific requirements. The earlier you understand the path, the more confident you’ll feel as you move forward.

Helpful articles for navigating therapy licensure:

LPCC Licensure: A Deep Dive

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Licensed vs. Unlicensed Therapy Practice

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Types of Therapy Practice: Choosing a Niche

After earning your master’s degree, you’ll have several different directions you can take your career. One of the first and most important decisions to make is what kind of practice you want to build, and what your niche is. We recommend our students to use data to make this decision, as that single choice will radically shift the course of your career.

Most In-Demand Practice Areas (Updated June 2025)

We track current Google search trends to help our students understand where public interest is growing. As of June 2025, these are the most in-demand client populations:

  • Addiction therapy

  • Marriage and couples therapy

  • Grief counseling

  • Kids and teen therapy

The most popular modalities across these niches include:

  • Trauma-informed therapy

  • Somatic therapy

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

  • Narrative therapy

Helpful Articles on choosing a practice type:

How to Choose Your Therapy Niche: Data-Informed Career Positioning for Therapists

Read Article >

Marcus Albright, MA Marcus Albright, MA

LPCC Licensure: A Deep-Dive Guide for Future Counselors

Curious about how to become an LPCC? This in-depth guide covers everything you need to know—education, supervised clinical hours, earnings under supervision, licensing exams, and practical tips to navigate the full licensure process with confidence.

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Marcus Albright, MA Marcus Albright, MA

Navigating The Types of Master’s Degrees in Psychology 🎓

Explore this practical guide to psychology master’s degrees, covering clinical, counseling, research, and applied specializations. Learn about program types, costs, duration, career outcomes, and essential tips for evaluating programs effectively.

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