Maryland Child Therapy Degrees and Education

Maryland residents who think they might like to pursue careers as child therapists will be very happy to know that there a wide variety of different colleges within the state offering degree programs in the field. Many people mistakenly think that there is only one way to become a child therapist—by pursuing a doctoral degree. While this is the only way to become a "doctor of child therapy," not all or even most professionals currently working successfully in the field have such a degree. Therefore, there is no need to assume you have to have a vast amount of schooling to achieve your career goals; it all depends on what they are!

The only degree that really won't do you much good toward becoming a successful child therapist is an associate's degree, and even that degree can be a good starting off point. Associate's degrees, which can be earned in only four years, are very affordable, especially if earned from an online college or university or from a local community college. As long as you go into them knowing they aren't much good on their own and planning to transfer the credits you will earn to an accredited bachelor's degree program, you will be off to a great start!

A bachelor's degree is basically the minimum level degree you will need in order to enjoy success in the field. These degrees typically take around four years to earn, and they provide you with a general overview of the field or perhaps even of your area of interest. Since many colleges do not offer degree programs in child therapy specifically, many people choose to major in more general areas like child psychology or even general psychology, sociology or social work, or even child development. If you pair one of these degrees with a certification, you can start doing entry level work in the field right away.

The majority of child therapists, however, will have a master's degree. While many people think of this as a very lofty and difficult degree to obtain, it actually is not. A master's degree can be completed in only one to three years after earning a bachelor's degree. Best of all, you do not need to have a related bachelor's degree in order to get into a master's degree program in the field. This means that if you majored in something else as an undergraduate, perhaps long before you ever knew you wanted to become a child therapist, you absolutely do not have to start from scratch! So many programs value diverse academic backgrounds for the unique perspectives they bring to a program.

As mentioned above, you absolutely do not have to have a master's degree in order to find success in the field. However, this may be something that you ultimately choose to do. Most people decide to pursue doctoral degrees after they have been working successfully in a child therapy related area for quite some time or after they have obtained statewide certification or licensure. The main reasons for pursing these degrees include a desire for a better position or, most commonly, for a higher salary either at a new position or at the same position. These degree programs can take up to seven years to complete, depending upon your own availability, your school, and your program of choice, but most people feel that they are well worth the effort put in.

In the end, only you can decide what the right educational path for you is. What that is, of course, will depend upon your own personal and career goals. Once you choose that, however, and embark upon it, then you're well on your way to having the success you always dreamed of.