I think being intelligent is an asset in any job, and I'm sure that therapy is one of them. I'm not sure I can accurately tell whether other people are more or less intelligent than me, and I doubt that very many people can. People can know their own intelligence and if they are self aware, they can understand how this translates into their strengths and weaknesses in their work and lives. Many bright people have deficits in some kind of cognitive area as well as top scores in others. Some people think that knowing certain facts or information is a sign of intelligence, or not. I know some stuff about law that I learned in law school, and I'm often surprised that many people don't have a grasp of some of the basics, such as that only the government can violate your constitutional rights, not private organizations or individuals.

I haven't found in my one-time interivews or experience working with therapists that they seem much different in intelligence than any other professional; there's a range. I think intelligence would generally help a therapist identify themes of an individual's experience and promote understanding of a client's world view. Perceptiveness and empathic understanding and insight seem related to intelligence although some bright people are lacking, especially when it comes to ourselves. I find my perspective on myself, which is different than knowing what is right for me, is often less accurate than I'd like it to be.

I think when people say that a person needs an intelligent therapist to match or exceed their own, it's just an observation or a compliment on his/her intelligence. And perhaps some awareness than many intelligent people are more capable than others of using creative defenses to avoid working on their issues, and perhaps a more intelligent therapist can "break through" these defenses.