Is it Possible to Earn A Degree in Behavioral Psychology by Way Of Test-Out Method?

[sanantone]

Occupational therapists do not practice counseling psychology; you need to be licensed as a psychologist or psychological associate/assistant/technician to practice psychology. Whether or not occupational therapists can provide psychotherapy depends on the state, but I doubt this is one of their main duties.

There aren't registered behavioral psychologists. There are registered behavior technicians; this is a credential that only requires a high school diploma. In 2014, the average salary for a behavior analyst with a graduate degree was $55k, so they make more than $20 per hour. Yes, occupational therapists make a lot more. Becoming an occupational therapist is a lot more expensive, but the difference in salary gets you a better ROI.

https://online.sage.edu/applied-behavior...herapists/

Being a behavioral psychologist simply means that you subscribe to behaviorism. Behaviorism is a school of thought that believes that people can never fully understand thoughts and feelings, so they should focus on conditioning to change behavior. Think of the Pavlov dog study. Pavlov believed that psychologists should focus on what's observable. Behavioral psychology is an area of research and an approach to treating psychological disorders.

---

Here's an example of legal limitations for occupational therapists. Unlike clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors/mental health counselors, and psychologists, occupational therapists cannot diagnose mental health problems or provide psychological services in my state. Your friend will have to look at the laws for her state.

© The practice of occupational therapy does not include diagnosis or psychological services of the type typically
performed by a licensed psychologist.

https://www.ptot.texas.gov/idl/8E9BFE41-...F368422D7C