A mental health therapist, also known as a mental health counselor or psychotherapist, is a trained professional who offers therapeutic support to individuals, groups, couples, or families. They can specialize in different areas and use various approaches, such as active listening or cognitive-behavioral therapy, to help clients solve mental health problems. They typically hold a master’s degree and licenses, and their work can take place in various settings.
Ask any two mental health therapists to define their profession, and different answers may come up. Also sometimes called a mental health counselor, therapist or psychotherapist, the definition of what these professionals are can vary and based on many different types of factors. In general terms, the mental health therapist is a trained professional who could offer a wide range of therapeutic support to individuals or groups and to couples or families. The focus is usually on the problems identified by the person or group and the ways in which discussing or thinking about these problems can promote change.
Virtually anyone called a mental health therapist holds at least a master’s degree and associated licenses. People can become a Marriage Family Therapist (MFT), a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Some psychologists also specialize in therapy, although your degree may not designate this. However, a psychologist with a Psy.D degree may have a more specific focus on mental health issues and counseling while in school.
There are several things a mental health therapist can do. They tend to listen and talk to people who are having a variety of problems. These problems could be mental illnesses; in this case, the therapist may also work with a psychiatrist who prescribes medication for a patient. Many other core issues can be the focus of therapy, including dealing with trauma, having difficulty controlling emotions, trying to make important decisions, feeling sad or angry all the time, and many others. Often, in individual sessions, the therapist and client will discuss issues that are currently challenging, and through this discussion and/or other techniques employed, may find ways to resolve issues.
As mentioned, mental health therapy is not necessarily individual therapy. Therapists can run problem-specific groups, inviting clients or others to join. Couples or family therapy can also be mental health therapy. All of these types are aimed at helping resolve mental issues.
While this description sounds simplistic, it shouldn’t be. Problem solving can be difficult work, and as the client talks, the mental health therapist is involved in active listening. He or she can spot recurring problems before the customer does. Depending on the type of therapy being practiced, the therapist may bring these issues to the client’s attention.
This is the part where things get exceptionally complicated. There are many different schools of thought that can underpin the performance of a mental health therapist. Some of them, like psychoanalysis, suggest that the therapist say very little and allow problems and problems to always come from the client. Other forms of therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, are more teaching-oriented, and a client may even take homework homework each week. What may be major differences in approach can greatly underscore the difficulty of defining what a mental health therapist does. To confuse matters, many therapists endorse an eclectic approach, which may draw on many different schools of thought as appropriate for each client.
In the end, it can be said that the mental health therapist works with clients in a variety of settings to solve problems of any nature, from the puzzling to the deeply serious in nature. How this work unfolds depends on the therapist’s training and preferences. Likewise, some therapists choose to work with specific groups and may not work with children, couples or avoid working with adults. This work usually takes place in an office setting, but things like group work can take place in conference rooms, and occasionally therapists travel to their clients’ locations rather than patients meeting with them.
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