therapist

[ ther-uh-pist ]

noun

1. a person trained in the use of physical methods, as exercises, heat treatments, etc., in treating or rehabilitating the sick or wounded or helping patients overcome physical defects.
2. a person trained in the use of psychological methods for helping patients overcome psychological problems.
3. Also ther·a·peu·tist [] a person, as a doctor, skilled in therapeutics. therapeutics.

ˈtherapist

/ ˈθɛrəpɪst /

noun

1. a person skilled in a particular type of therapy

   a physical therapist

Word History and Origins

Origin of therapist¹

First recorded in 1885–90; therap(y) + -ist

Example Sentences

“It’s really challenging to grieve living people,” said Nedra Tawwab, a therapist, content creator and author of “Set Boundaries, Find Peace.”

From Washington Post

Whereas a therapist might question the usefulness of identifying oneself as permanently aligned with whatever struggle one is experiencing, engagement-driven platforms help frame conditions as points of identity, badges of honor.

From Vox

It was not uncommon for her to be delivering food or taking someone to a doctor or a therapist.

From Washington Post

On a rainy October night in Kentucky, a recently divorced therapist is on her way home when she spots a man standing precariously on the edge of a bridge.

From Fortune

I suspended judgment about the physical concern, spoke to my therapist, and investigated what lay beneath the fear, which was making a decision about sending my children back to in-person school in the context of accelerating risk.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• adviser
• analyst
• clinician
• doctor
• physician
• psychiatrist
• psychoanalyst
• psychologist
• psychotherapist