There are many types of therapists. Whether you hope to work at a school, in an office with a chaise lounge, or in a social work office, therapists are there for people in need. While there are several steps to becoming a therapist, it’s never too early to start planning. Let’s break down what you can start doing/taking in high school.
Psychology
While there is no one thing to major in to become a therapist, most people who go on to get their master's study psychology or a related field as an undergrad. Taking psychology in high school is a great foundation for those who hope to major in it in college. Not all high schools have a psychology elective but it's becoming increasingly more popular. If yours doesn’t however, you can still explore psych outside of class. More on that later.
STAT stat
Taking higher-level math classes is a good call in general for anyone hoping to get into a great college program. However, a great class to add to your math roster is AP Stat. Not a ton of students take it, but Stat is the basis of a lot of research including research into fields like psychology. Having a strong understanding of how research in the sciences and social sciences are conducted will help you in college, your master's, and your career.
Science
Why would a therapist need to know biology and chemistry? Well, to understand things like “brain chemistry,” you are going to need it. While therapy is not a hard science field, having some familiarity with high-level science will help you when you take classes like Neurology or abnormal psychology. Plus these classes (especially if they are AP or IB,) look great on any transcript.
Sign up for Peer Counseling or Mental Health Clubs
OK, so this isn’t technically a class but there are several clubs that you should consider joining if you are dreaming of becoming a therapist. A great one is peer-to-peer counseling. It’s a great way to learn about counseling and usually comes with some training in talk therapy. If your school doesn’t do peer counseling or if you are looking for more to do, you could also volunteer for a helpline. Usually, these are tied to suicide prevention so they can get a little heavy, but there are others that deal with mental health and LGBTQ+ issues as well. There are often teen mental health groups both inside and outside high schools. These are also great places to get involved. If you are more interested in the social work side of therapy, you could also look into volunteering with mutual aid groups or other community organizations.
Related electives
Not every high school has these, but if your school offers Anthropology, Child Development, Ethnic and Gender Studies, Parenting, and or Sociology, they are all great courses to take. They can give you great context and background knowledge for your college career.
Take a class outside of class
This is an especially great idea if your school has a limited offering of classes, but we recommend this to every student. There are a couple of different ways to do this. Among the two most popular are summer programs at colleges and online courses. Pre-college summer programs are available at many different colleges and universities. While we haven’t seen any called “Pre-Therapy” you can take courses at many of them in Psychology or related fields. You can also take an online course. Online courses are great for all students because they are flexible and affordable. Some ones we love for those interested in therapy include: Yale’s the Science of Well Being or Intro to Psych, Wesleyan's Abnormal Psych, and U Chicago’s Intro to Neurobiology. There are a lot of courses out there. Find one that interests you.
College is just one step on the way to becoming a therapist, but it’s an important one. If you are sure that you want to become a therapist, starting to plan early can be a great asset. Taking the right classes, joining the right clubs, and following your passions can take you far.
Need some help planning for college? The next steps? We can help. Contact us here.