A private therapist may focus on working with couples.
A private therapist counsels patients as part of his private practice. This type of therapist is not associated with a specific hospital, clinic, or practice. The responsibilities of private therapists are similar to those who work in a clinic in that they deal with the treatment and therapy of the mind and emotional state of their patients.
The private therapist’s duty is to help find out what is causing the problem.
Those seeking a career in private therapy can choose to be a generalist or a specialist who works with specific types of patients. A therapist who chooses to work as a general practitioner can help patients deal with anything from the death of a family member or eating disorders, to couples therapy and anxiety issues.
If a private therapist chooses to specialize, they usually work with a specific type of patient. For example, a therapist may choose to work only with children, adolescents, or adults. In this case, the therapist is specializing in one age group.
Another way a private therapist can specialize is in the type of issue or problem the patient needs help with. For example, a private therapist who works with couples only works with married couples and people who are in a serious relationship.
The private therapist’s duty is to help the patient find out what is causing the problem. The therapist will work through many sessions to uncover the problem, even if patients come to sessions thinking they know what the problem is. Over the course of the sessions, the therapist and the patient discover the problems that need to be addressed.
Working together, the private therapist and the patient then arrive at a course of action to overcome or treat the problem at the appropriate level. a private therapist is more equivalent to a counselor or psychologist. These types of therapists are not like psychiatrists in that they cannot prescribe medication as a course of action as part of therapy.
Typically, a private therapist rents their own office space. Some therapists may practice outside the home, depending on the zoning regulations of the state, county, or city where the therapist lives. No matter where the private therapist chooses to conduct his practice, the therapist is required to have the proper counseling business license and the proper license to operate a business in the state and county where he practices.