Therapist in Spanish

Who offers psychotherapy

The National Institute of Mental Health says many types of professionals offer psychotherapy; its examples are psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatric nurses. Of the provider types MedlinePlus describes, psychiatrists are medical doctors who can prescribe medicine, while licensed clinical social workers and licensed professional counselors can't prescribe medicine but may work with providers who can.

Questions NIMH suggests asking

NIMH says a preliminary conversation with a possible therapist can help a person understand how treatment will proceed. The questions it lists include what the therapist's credentials and experience are, whether the therapist has a specialty, and what approach the therapist will use. It also suggests asking about treatment fees and whether the therapist accepts insurance.

What it means

In mental health care, a therapist is a professional a person goes to see for psychotherapy, also called talk therapy: a variety of treatments that aim to help a person identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Many types of professionals offer psychotherapy, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatric nurses, and therapists have different professional backgrounds and specialties. MedlinePlus notes that licensed professional counselors may also be called clinicians or therapists, and that states have different names for these licenses, such as licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT). The approach a therapist uses depends on their training and experience and the disorder being treated. Most psychotherapy takes place one-on-one with a licensed mental health professional or with other patients in a group setting.

Therapist in Spanish

Spanish term: Terapeuta
Gender and article: common gender (same form for both): el terapeuta (masculine) / la terapeuta (feminine); plural los / las terapeutas
Pronunciation: teh-rah-PEH-oo-tah

Terapeuta is the word MedlinePlus en español uses where the English pages say therapist: its teen depression page describes psychotherapy as going to see un terapeuta, such as a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a social worker or a counselor. The mental health evaluation page translates the license name LMFT as terapeuta matrimonial y familiar con licencia, and where the English page says licensed professional counselors may be called "clinicians or therapists", the Spanish page says médicos o terapeutas.

Do not confuse terapeuta (the person) with terapia (the treatment): MedlinePlus en español calls psychotherapy psicoterapia or terapia de conversación, and also apoyo psicológico. The neighboring provider words on the same pages are psiquiatra (psychiatrist), psicólogo (psychologist), trabajador social (social worker), consejero (counselor) and profesional de salud mental (mental health professional).

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I would like to see a therapist.	Quisiera consultar a un o una terapeuta.
Clinician	Have you ever worked with a therapist before?	¿Ha trabajado alguna vez con un terapeuta?
Patient	Is the therapist a psychologist, a social worker, or a counselor?	¿El terapeuta es psicólogo, trabajador social o consejero?
Patient	Can the therapist prescribe medicine?	¿El terapeuta puede recetar medicamentos?
Patient	Does the therapist speak Spanish, or is an interpreter available?	¿El terapeuta habla español o hay un intérprete disponible?
Patient	Does the therapist accept my insurance, and how much does each session cost?	¿El terapeuta acepta mi seguro y cuánto cuesta cada sesión?
Clinician	I can refer you to a therapist for talk therapy.	Puedo referirle a un terapeuta para terapia de conversación.
Clinician	How many sessions have you had with your therapist so far?	¿Cuántas sesiones ha tenido con su terapeuta hasta ahora?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Therapist
Spanish (Español)	Terapeuta
Chinese (中文)	治療師
Korean (한국어)	치료사
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Nhà trị liệu
Filipino (Tagalog)	Therapist
Portuguese (Português)	Terapeuta
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	นักบำบัด
Japanese (日本語)	セラピスト

Where you'll see it

chartintake formEOBtreatment plan

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Mental health

All terms in this area: Mental health — Salud mental

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.