Therapists: Providers, schools, questions and answers

To train as a therapist, you should fulfill the following personal requirements:

• Empathy
• Communication skills
• Physical strength
• Mental resilience
• Ability to self-reflect
• Good powers of observation
• Networked thinking and action
• High flexibility
• Willingness to undergo continuous further training

As a therapist, you can opt for different types of therapy. The most important therapists are

• Occupational therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Cranio Sacral Therapists
• Psychotherapists
• Complementary therapists
• Respiratory therapists
• Movement therapists
• Talk therapists
• Learning therapists
• Design therapists
• Social therapists
• Behavioral therapists

The following is important in therapy:

• The relationship between therapist and client must be right
• Empathy and openness of the therapist
• Competence of the therapist
• Trust on the part of those seeking help
• Understanding of the therapists
• Self-disclosure: clients should speak openly and honestly about their feelings, thoughts, memories, experiences and problems
• Therapists listen and do not impose an opinion
• Causes of the complaints should be better understood
• Clients must learn to deal better with negative thoughts and challenges
• Therapists respond to clients and take sufficient time
• Client must understand the meaning and purpose of the therapy measures

Systemic therapy is a psychotherapeutic method. Problems are not seen by systemic therapists as a disorder of an individual, but as a consequence of a disorder in the social environment of that individual (the system). The family, school or work environment can be a system. As systemic therapists focus on strengths, solutions and resources, the therapy works relatively quickly. In systemic therapy, patients are encouraged to quickly take life back into their own hands.

Therapist training takes different lengths of time depending on the direction and type of degree. However, good and well-founded therapist training usually takes three to six years. In general, a mixture of theory and practice is required to get to know people, their health, various disease diagnoses and therapeutic approaches. Depending on the direction, the medical basics must first be learned. Building up knowledge as a therapist takes time and is important in order to be able to provide good therapeutic work.

In Switzerland there are the following therapist professions at different levels:

• Certificate
  • Learning therapist
  • Psychotherapist
  • Riding instructor
• Professional examination
  • Work educator
• Higher professional examination
  • Work educator
  • Counselor in the psachosocial field
  • Complementary therapist
  • Art therapist
  • Animal physiotherapist
• Higher technical college
  • Activation specialist
• University professions
  • Occupational therapist
  • Speech therapist
  • hysiotherapist
  • Psychomotor therapist
• Various specialization professions

In addition to the therapy method, therapist training also teaches you general therapy knowledge and more about practice management. Therapeutic know-how includes:

• Building appreciative and trusting relationships
• Recording of complaints, illnesses and performance impairments
• Recognizing resources
• Development of therapy goals and therapy plans
• Shaping the self-perception and awareness process
• Promote resources
• Promote new ways of seeing and acting
• Supporting the implementation of solution- and motivation-based reorientation in everyday life

Of course, word of mouth usually helps when looking for a good therapist. Otherwise, there are usually professional registers or directories of therapists that can help. When choosing a therapist, it is also important to clarify in advance whether the health insurance company will pay for the therapy and whether the therapist can bill the health insurance company. Otherwise, recommendations from doctors or therapists from other areas, online reviews or a preliminary phone call or trial appointment can also help.