Weave Therapist

Weave Therapists are professionals trained in both magic and psychotherapy. Some Weave Therapists start as magical practitioners who retrain mid-career, while others begin as psychotherapists who expand their portfolio. Either way, Weave Therapists are usually required to have completed a Certification of Competence before they are allowed to practice. These certifications are required to practice Weave Therapy in any official medical or healing establishment, or to open a private practice.

Uncertified Weave Therapists who practice their work on real patients can be severely punished as it is considered highly dangerous to play with the mental health of others when magic is involved.

Having started as a psychologist or magical practitioner, Certified Weave Therapists generally start working within sanctioned establishments, such as Temples, Houses of Healing, Practical Medicine Centres, or specially built Psychotherapy Clinics. These positions are highly respected and Weave Therapists are often treated with a degree of reverence.

A Certified Weave Therapist can move on to private practice once they have achieved a Mark of Excellence, which usually requires further study. Private practice can be significantly better paid than working within establishments, but it also carries a greater degree of risk as the practices are more closely monitored to ensure they are operating safely.

Wages for Weave Therapists can vary greatly depending on their experience and location of practice. Most Therapists operating in sanctioned establishments can expect somewhere in the region of 30-50 Gold per month, and those within private practice could earn as much as 75 Gold per month.

The most elite of practitioners, generally those hired to serve wealthy Nobles, have the potential to bring is as much as 120 Gold per month through private contracts.

The primary purpose of Weave Therapy is to facilitate healing, personal growth, and improved mental well-being through the use of magic. It provides a safe space for individuals to explore emotions, develop self-awareness, and build coping mechanisms, often when verbal communication is difficult. Additionally, it allows the facilitation of Mana System healing/repair by providing gentle, often repeated exercises to help strengthen Cores, Weave Channels and Mana In/Outflow systems.

Weave Therapists appear in all social levels in society, which can lead to some discrimination from Upper Classes. While the occupation is considered a noble one, some Upper Classes will insist on only being treated by a Therapist that comes from the same social class as them.

Magical Therapy as a registered general practice came into being around the mid-500s Y6A, though the concept of using magic as a focus for spiritual and psychological healing existed long before the rise of the 6th Age. Weave Therapy evolved as an experimental sub-division of the practice around the late 800s, along with Divine Therapy and Spiritual Therapy. The decision to focus on separate aspects of Magical Therapy opened many doors for experimentation and development of new techniques to better support those afflicted with the various Mana-related conditions.

Professional practice surrounding Weave Therapy began to gain legislation in 1092 Y6A, with full legislation coming into effect three years later. While the specifics surrounding the legislation have evolved over the years to better account for and manage the complicated requirements of the role, it is still considered a fairly new profession and is under constant review.