Meaning & use
therapist
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A trained professional who treats mental or emotional problems, usually by talking with patients.
Grammar: Countable: a therapist, therapists. Often used with 'see' or 'go to'.
Patterns
- see a therapist
- go to a therapist
- a therapist for something
After the accident, she started seeing a therapist to cope with anxiety.
He talked to his therapist about his fear of public speaking.
The therapist helped them improve their communication as a couple.
nouncountable
A trained professional who treats physical conditions using exercises, massage, or other methods.
Grammar: Countable; often used with a modifier like 'physical' or 'occupational'.
Patterns
- physical therapist
- occupational therapist
- work with a therapist
The physical therapist showed him exercises to strengthen his knee.
After the stroke, she needed an occupational therapist to relearn daily tasks.
The therapist massaged the injured shoulder to reduce stiffness.
Word forms
| plural | therapists |
|---|
Common combinations
- see a therapist
- Many people see a therapist when they feel overwhelmed.
- physical therapist
- The physical therapist helped him walk again after surgery.
- speech therapist
- A speech therapist worked with the child on pronunciation.
- marriage therapist
- They consulted a marriage therapist to resolve their conflicts.
Synonyms and how they differ
- counselor
- Often similar, but a counselor may focus more on advice and less on clinical treatment.
- psychologist
- A psychologist has a doctorate and can do testing; a therapist may have different training.
- psychiatrist
- A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe medication; a therapist usually cannot.
Word family
- therapy noun
- Treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder.
- therapeutic adjective
- Having a healing effect; relaxing.
Commonly confused: therapist or therapist vs. the rapist?
therapist vs therapist vs. the rapist
A common joke plays on the fact that 'therapist' can be misheard as 'the rapist'. In writing, the space changes the meaning completely.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'therapist' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A therapist treats mental or physical conditions, often through talk or exercise. Prescribing antibiotics is done by a doctor, repairing cars by a mechanic, and arguing in court by a lawyer.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “therapist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.