Psychotherapist
What the work is
Provides diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders using psychotherapeutic methods, such as behavioural therapy, biofeedback, relaxation therapy and other techniques.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Conducts assessments and diagnoses mental and emotional disorders
- Works with clients to explore and understand conscious and unconscious aspects of their lived experience
- Develops and implements individualised treatment plans for clients
- Delivers psychotherapy sessions to clients using various therapeutic techniques to help change thinking patterns and improve coping skills
- Provides support and guidance to clients in managing their mental and emotional wellbeing
- Provides education and resources to clients and their families on mental health issues
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a community counselling service with small, quiet rooms and a busy front desk. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A client who struggled to speak in the first session laughs about something in the fifth
- Someone leaves with a plan and a small, real sense of relief
- A referral you made connects a person with exactly the help they needed
Hard days
- Carrying other people's heavy stories home in your head after a long day
- A client stops coming and you never learn how things turned out
- A full caseload, a waiting list and a person who needs more time than you have
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 261134, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.