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Mental Health Counselors: Career Overview

Counsel and advise individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health, with an emphasis on prevention. May help individuals deal with a broad range of mental health issues, such as those associated with addictions and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; or aging.

The Daily Work of Mental Health Counselors Do?

The core tasks performed by mental health counselors cover:

• Maintain confidentiality of records relating to clients' treatment.
• Encourage clients to express their feelings and discuss what is happening in their lives, helping them to develop insight into themselves or their relationships.
• Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes.
• Perform crisis interventions to help ensure the safety of the patients and others.
• Fill out and maintain client-related paperwork, including federal- and state-mandated forms, client diagnostic records, and progress notes.
• Assess patients for risk of suicide attempts.
• Perform crisis interventions with clients.
• Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems.

Skills and Knowledge

Effective mental health counselors combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Types of Mental Health Counselors Jobs

Common job titles for this role include:

• BSS (Behavior Support Specialist)
• Behavior Analyst
• Behavioral Health Clinician
• Behavioral Health Consultant
• Behavioral Health Counselor
• Behavioral Health Therapist
• Bereavement Counselor
• Case Manager

Job Outlook

The U.S. employs around 240,276 mental health counselors working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +2.8% over the projection horizon.

Salary for Mental Health Counselors

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$72,983
Hourly median	$35.09
10th percentile	$45,038
25th percentile	$59,010
75th percentile	$86,956
90th percentile	$100,929

Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.

Tools and Technology

• Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software: Oracle PeopleSoft (hot technology)

Work Environment

The on-the-job environment of mental health counselors is shaped by the following characteristics:

• E-Mail
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Spend Time Sitting
• Contact With Others
• Freedom to Make Decisions

Education and Training

Typical mental health counselors positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Related Careers

Similar Occupations

• Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (Primary-Short)
• Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors (Primary-Long)
• Marriage and Family Therapists (Primary-Short)
• Rehabilitation Counselors (Primary-Short)
• Child, Family, and School Social Workers (Primary-Long)
• Healthcare Social Workers (Primary-Short)
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers (Primary-Short)
• Health Education Specialists (Supplemental)

Degree Programs

Aspiring mental health counselors often complete programs in:

Health Professions and Related Programs

5 programs across 1 majors

• Mental & Social Health Services

Psychology

1 programs across 1 majors

• Clinical & Counseling Psychology

Sources

Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 21-1014.00 (Mental Health Counselors).