If you’ve been considering a career as a therapist, you envision a path where heart and professionalism intersect. You want more than credentials to succeed as you work toward a sustainable, values-aligned practice.
Let's examine the steps many mental health professionals take and highlight where The Thriving Practice Academy supports that journey through becoming a therapist
Begin With a Strong Undergraduate Foundation
Your journey typically starts with a bachelor’s degree. While your major can vary, choosing something like psychology, social work, human services, or another social science gives you meaningful preparation.
This phase lays the groundwork that your graduate school will expect. During your undergraduate years, seek out volunteering, assistant roles, or internships in mental health settings to begin accumulating early experience and confirming your passion.
Choose the Right Graduate Program That Matches Your Vision
The next major step in becoming a therapist is enrolling in a graduate program that aligns with your desired license path. If you want to become a licensed therapist (which can also be called a counselor or social worker, depending on the path you choose), a master’s-level counseling or social work degree is what you need. You can also pursue a doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) if you’re interested in that route! In The Thriving Practice Academy, we cover all the different options that can get you to your end goal.
Some of the key filters to evaluate what graduate school to attend include:
Accreditation
For counseling, look for CACREP. For marriage and family therapy, consider COAMFTE. For social work, CSWE. If you aim for psychology, look for APA-accredited doctoral programs. Accreditation will impact your licensure requirements and the portability of your license across states.
Curriculum Strength
Make sure your program includes courses in clinical assessment, ethics, multicultural counseling, intervention techniques, and experiential training.
Supervised Placement Opportunities
A strong program connects you with quality practicum and internship sites.
Build In-Program Clinical Experience: The Core of Your Training
As you progress through your graduate program, expect to complete in-program clinical experience via practicum and internships. These placements give you real exposure to client work under supervision. That hands-on training bridges the gap between theory and practice, ensuring you learn to apply skills in real-world settings.
Accumulate Post-Degree Supervised Practice
Graduation isn’t the finish line in the process of becoming a therapist. After your degree, most licensure paths require you to log formal supervised practice hours under a licensed supervisor. For many counseling paths, that means around 2,000 to 3,000 hours.
Psychologists often fill part of that in doctoral internships and then continue with postdoctoral work. Social workers, too, complete a post-master’s clinical phase. This supervised period is essential for sharpening clinical judgment, deepening your skill set, and gaining readiness for independent work.
Master Exams and Satisfy Licensure Requirements
Once your supervised hours are in, the next hurdle is licensure. You must satisfy the exam, application, and credential filings. For example:
- Counselors often take the NCE or NCMHCE.
- Social workers take an ASWB clinical exam.
- Psychologists take the EPPP (Part 1 and sometimes Part 2) per ASPPB standards.
Alongside passing exams, you’ll submit your supervised hours, transcripts, background checks, and other documentation to your licensing board. Once approved, you officially become licensed to practice independently.
After licensure, you must also maintain your credential through continuing education, ethics training, and renewal processes.
We provide courses that walk you through every step of this process.
Launching Your Private Practice With Integrity
Many therapists dream of running a private practice. The leap from clinician in an agency to private practitioner involves business acumen that's typically outside the scope of your formal education. Just a few of the key elements involved in the business side of a therapy practice include:
- Deciding on your business structure (sole proprietor, LLC, etc.)
- Carrying malpractice insurance
- Building HIPAA-compliant record systems and privacy policies
- Establishing your billing model: private-pay, insurance, or hybrid
- Securing an NPI and completing credentialing with insurance panels, if needed
- Setting up financial systems, client policies, and risk management
Private practice gives you autonomy and amazing freedom. However, you’ll need both clinical and business confidence to sustain it long term.
You Don’t Have To Walk It Alone
Becoming a therapist is a richly rewarding but demanding path. That’s why The Thriving Practice Academy provides step-by-step, trauma-informed support tailored for therapists.
If you want personalized guidance on how to become a therapist, whether as a counselor, social worker, MFT, or psychologist, we can help you build a clear, aligned plan. You don’t have to guess your next steps. Join The Thriving Practice Academy and step confidently toward your future and building your practice as a thriving therapist.