Therapists are mental health professionals who help improve their clients' lives, and they must be licensed where they practice. Many Therapists focus on different sub-specialties, such as Family Therapists, Cognitive Behavioral Therapists, Music Therapists, and more. Their overarching goal is to use practical techniques and life skills to help their patients better their lives. These techniques can include both cognitive and emotional elements. Therapists work directly with their clients to redirect or change behaviors, improve relationships, resolve problems, and provide support by talking through issues from an unbiased perspective.    
   
A Therapist is a professional listener, offering support to their clients and providing appropriate and meaningful feedback. People see Therapists for many different reasons, such as anxiety, grief, addiction, stress, relationship problems, and more.      
   
Therapists are sometimes confused with Psychotherapists, Counselors, or Psychologists, but their qualifications can differ. While Therapists work directly with clients to treat them, Psychology is more strongly associated with research, theory and requires an advanced degree in psychology.     
 
Characteristics of a Therapist

• Trustworthy  

An essential quality that any Therapist requires is trustworthiness. Not only do Therapists need to sign a confidentiality disclosure, but they need to be trusted by their clients. Therapists help their clients deal with various issues, and many of these can be very personal or sensitive.   

• Strong Listener  

Therapists help provide solutions for their clients, so they must be patient and strong listeners. Therapists' work strategies vary between clients. To determine the best solutions, they need to be active listeners.   

• Caring  

The work that Therapists conduct comes from their passion for helping improve the client's overall wellbeing. Therefore, any practicing Therapist needs to be genuinely caring. Empathy and understanding are a vital part of creating a connection between Therapist and client.  Having a strong sense of behavior management tools and a compassionate nature are key characteristics for any successful Therapist.