Behavioral therapist salary (around the world)

In this blog post, we talk about the yearly behavioral therapist salary. We talk about what a behavioral therapist does, what is cognitive-behavioural therapy. We also answer the following questions: What happens during a behavioral therapy session? What should I expect from the first consultation? Who should try cognitive-behavioural therapy? And what are the stages in cognitive-behavioural therapy? 

What is a Behavioral Therapist salary per year?

In cognitive-behavioural therapy, the therapist has the role of an educator who teaches the patient the basic elements of a healthy thinking model. The relationship between the two is one of collaboration. Patients need to be aware of the problems they have and actively participate in changing their thinking and behaviour.

Cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy combines the techniques of cognitive therapy (cognitive restructuring) with those of behavioural therapy (exposure techniques) and emphasizes the role of thinking, decision-making, doubt and action, according to the psychoeducational model in which therapy is a learning process. 

Cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy starts from the idea that the way we think determines the way we feel and the behaviour we adopt. Distortions of thinking produce behavioural and emotional disorders. 

The patient must focus on identifying erroneous elements in the system of values and attitudes, replacing them with beliefs and useful, adaptive actions. The therapist will present evidence to address the patient’s distorted thinking.

If you are interested in becoming a behavioral therapist, you are probably interested in knowing what your salary as a behavioral therapist would be. Below, with the help of payscale.com, we present to you 7 countries with top 7 behavioral therapists salaries. 

Behavioral therapist salary in the UK – The average salary for a Behavioral Therapist is £39,384 per year in the United Kingdom. 

Behavioral therapist salary in the Republic of Ireland –  The average salary for a Behavioral Therapist is €50,000 per year in the Republic of Ireland.

Behavioral therapist salary in Canada – The average salary for a Behavioral Therapist is $22.32 per hour in Canada.

Behavioral therapist salary in the USA – The average salary for a behavioral therapist is $19.36 per hour in the United States.

Behavioral therapist salary in Australia – The average salary for a behavioral therapist is AU$49,579 per year in Australia.

Behavioral therapist salary in India – The average salary for a behavioral therapist is   ₹310,396 in India.

Behavioral therapist salary in New Zealand –  The average salary for a behavioral therapist is NZ$ $84,853 per year in New Zealand. 

Hopefully, now you can get an idea of what a behavioral therapist salary consists of. But, what does a behavioral therapist do anyway?

Cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is a form of integrative psychotherapy that is based on the theory that there is a reciprocal relationship between cognitive processes (what we think), emotions (what we feel) and behaviours. 

Cognitive-behavioural therapies have developed through the combination of two major forms of psychotherapy:

• Behavioural therapies, based on the clinical application of behavioural theories, such as learning principles (the role of classical conditioning and operant conditioning prevails)

• Cognitive therapies, based on the clinical application of research on the role of cognitive structuring of experiences in determining emotions and behaviours.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy is a form of therapy limited in time, which involves a detailed assessment by the therapist to determine the problem to be addressed and achieve a structured treatment plan. 

The client and the therapist collaborate in this approach, to identify and understand the problems in terms of the relationship between thoughts, emotions and behaviours. The approach is focused on the “here and now” and involves the development of strategies and therapeutic goals that are monitored and evaluated during therapy. 

The emphasis is on acquiring and using new skills in an active way, through the practical application of what has been learned between sessions (“homework”).

 In fact, over time, clients learn to apply the principles of CBT in their daily lives, requiring less and less guidance from the therapist. The assumption of this role by the client means that the benefits registered during the CBT are maintained even after the actual end of the therapy.

The use of cognitive-behavioural therapy

Cognitive-behavioural therapy has been used successfully to treat a wide range of problems, including anxiety disorders (panic disorder, specific phobias, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder), depression, eating disorders, sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction, dependence on psychoactive substances, personality disorders.

It can be applied in the form of individual, group, couple or family psychotherapy.

What exactly happens during cognitive-behavioural therapy?

In cognitive-behavioural therapy, patients will learn to identify, ask and change thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and assumptions about emotional and behavioural problems in certain situations. 

By monitoring and recording thoughts in various situations that lead to emotional disorders, they will learn that the way they think can contribute to various emotional problems such as depression and anxiety. 

Therapy practically teaches them to reduce these emotional problems by identifying distortions in thinking; to see thoughts as ideas about what is happening, rather than as facts; how to look objectively at thinking to see situations from different points of view.

What will happen at the first cognitive-behavioural therapy session?

At the first cognitive-behavioural therapy session, patients will discuss with the psychologist the nature and causes of the difficulties and factors that could maintain the problem, how the therapist will apply the therapy model for specific problems, how the tasks they will perform in within the therapy they can work to change different aspects of the problems. 

Also, what the client wants to get after the treatment, if this kind of therapy is appropriate for the problem they have and if they could do other treatments besides the cognitive-behavioural one.

Ways of evaluating the patient during cognitive-behavioural therapy and their advantages

Evaluation of patients treated with cognitive-behavioural therapy can be done in several ways:

• interview about their behaviour;
• self-monitoring;
• self-evaluation through questionnaires, evaluation scales, obtaining information from other people, interviewing people with a “key” role in the subject’s life;
• direct observation of the subjects ‘ behaviour in various situations: role plays, behavioural tests, analysis of patients’ activity or psychophysiological records.

Evaluating and measuring changes in the four areas mentioned above has a number of advantages:

• facilitates accurate knowledge of the frequency and intensity of problematic behaviour;
• allows the psychotherapist to make changes in the therapeutic strategy;

What type of problems is cognitive-behavioural therapy useful for?

Cognitive-behavioural therapy is useful for a number of problems such as:

• Anger
• panic attacks and anxiety
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• chronic pain
• Depression
• bipolar disorder
• drug or alcohol problems
• eating behaviour problems
• general health problems
• bulimia nervosa and eating disorder
• Tics
• mood disorders
• obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Phobias
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• relationship and sexual problems
• sleep problems

At the same time, cognitive-behavioural therapy can help people with:

• Psychosis
• habits such as hair pulling or nails biting
• sexual and relationship problems
• Insomnia
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• chronic pain
• long-term interpersonal problems

It should be noted that the approach and strategies vary and are adapted to work each issue in a way that is as specific as possible.

But, for cognitive-behavioural therapy to give positive results, the most important thing is for patients to be honest and open to the psychologist with whom they do therapy. Be willing to discuss their thoughts, beliefs and behaviours and be active in the exercises done during therapy sessions.

Cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy starts from the idea that the way we think determines the way we feel and the behaviour we adopt. Distortions of thinking produce behavioural and emotional disorders. 

The patient must focus on identifying erroneous elements in the system of values and attitudes, replacing them with beliefs and useful, adaptive actions. The therapist will present evidence to address the patient’s distorted thinking.

Empirical evidence shows that cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy is effective in treating a multitude of mental disorders: panic attacks, child and adolescent-specific disorders, social phobia and other types of phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating, difficulties related to anger and aggression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders. This type of therapy is widely used for children and adolescents.

Stages in cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy

This type of therapy is considered to be short-lived, with 5 to 20 sessions for treatment. A session lasts about 45 to 50 minutes. In more complex cases, however, several hundred sessions may be required.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy is based on the following principles: emotional states and behaviour are determined by the way of thinking; emotional and behavioural disorders are produced by negative thinking and inconsistent with reality, and the amelioration and elimination of these disorders can be achieved by changing thinking.

The first step in cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy is the awareness of distorted beliefs, beliefs, thoughts, motives, desires, perceptions, representations and evaluations that produce maladaptive behaviour. 

Once identified, the therapist reveals how distorted thinking produces emotional and behavioural problems; negative thoughts need to be evaluated and restructured to be more rational.

The techniques used are Socratic dialogue and counter-argumentation, with the help of which the patient will test the veracity of his thoughts and beliefs. If they prove to be real and justified they must be accepted and the patient must learn to deal with the situation, but otherwise, they are rejected. 

A distinction must be made between normal and pathological conditions – for example, sadness or worry are normal states, but despair or panic is not.

The second component of cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy is the modification of unwanted behaviours.  To achieve this, the action is taken at the level of triggering situations or by manipulating the consequences that strengthen the behaviour. Through cognitive and / or behavioral techniques, the therapist teaches the patient to change his thinking and to acquire effective skills to organize his life.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques and strategies help the therapist guide the patient to solve their own problems. The two work together to overcome the difficulties, but patients are taught in some way to become their own therapists and to apply the principles of this psychotherapy themselves. It is for this reason that psychotherapists offer homework. The skills learned during therapy must be maintained and even improved after the end of treatment.

Side Note: I have tried and tested various products and services to help with my anxiety and depression. See my top recommendations here, as well as a full list of all products and services our team has tested for various mental health conditions and general wellness.

What we recommend for Counselling

Professional counselling

If you are suffering from depression or any other mental disorders then ongoing professional counselling could be your ideal first point of call. Counselling will utilize theories such as Cognitive behavioural therapy which will help you live a more fulfilling life.

FAQ about Behavioral therapist salary

How much do behavioral therapists make in California?

The average behavioral therapist salary in California is $64,393 per year.

Conclusions

In this blog post, we talked about the yearly behavioral therapist salary. We talked about what a behavioral therapist does, what is cognitive-behavioural therapy. We also answered the following questions: What happens during a behavioral therapy session? What should I expect from the first consultation? Who should try cognitive-behavioural therapy? And what are the stages in cognitive-behavioural therapy? 

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is a form of integrative psychotherapy that is based on the theory that there is a reciprocal relationship between cognitive processes (what we think), emotions (what we feel) and behaviours. 

Cognitive-behavioural therapy is a form of therapy limited in time, which involves a detailed assessment by the therapist to determine the problem to be addressed and achieve a structured treatment plan. 

The client and the therapist collaborate in this approach, to identify and understand the problems in terms of the relationship between thoughts, emotions and behaviours. The approach is focused on the “here and now” and involves the development of strategies and therapeutic goals that are monitored and evaluated during therapy. 

If you have any questions or comments, please let us know!

Further reading

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple: Effective Strategies to Rewire Your Brain and Instantly Overcome Depression, End Anxiety, Manage Anger and … in its Tracks, by Charles P. Carlton 

Brief Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Non-Underweight Patients, by Glenn Waller (Author)

Assessment and Case Formulation in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, by Sarah Corrie 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple: 10 Strategies for Managing Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Panic, and Worry, by Seth J Gillihan 

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Second Edition, by Valerie L. Gaus 

References

Payscale.com

Indeed.dom

Glassdoor.com

Mayoclinic.org

Healthline.com