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infant/toddler mental health services

What infant/toddler mental health services Majors Need to Know

Programs in infant/toddler mental health services build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that infant/toddler mental health services graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in infant/toddler mental health services emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a infant/toddler mental health services program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to infant/toddler mental health services careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, infant/toddler mental health services graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Documenting/Recording Information	4.7 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.6 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by infant/toddler mental health services professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
eMDs Medisoft	Medical software	—
Synergistic Office Solutions SOS Case Manager	Medical software	—
TheraManager	Medical software	—
Microsoft Teams	Project management software	—
Blueberry Harbor Software Clinical Record Keeper	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for infant/toddler mental health services graduates include:

• Behavior Specialist
• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
• Group Counselor
• Community Organization Worker
• Adoption Counselor
• Case Worker
• Children’s Counselor
• Case Manager
• Human Relations Counselor
• Military and Family Life Counselor
• Couples’ Therapist
• Licensed Therapist
• Child and Adolescent Therapist
• Play Therapist
• Relationship Counselor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to infant/toddler mental health services graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	54.4%
Bachelor’s degree	31.7%
First professional degree	5.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.6%
Doctoral degree	2.7%
Post-master’s certificate	1.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

How Much Do infant/toddler mental health services Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of infant/toddler mental health services graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$46,066
4 years	$46,824
5 years	$52,641

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,641 — roughly 14% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in infant/toddler mental health services Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, infant/toddler mental health services graduates earn a median of $46,824 four years after completion — roughly 23% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	51.15
Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling	51.1506
Clinical/Medical Social Work	51.1503
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling	51.1504
Genetic Counseling/Counselor	51.1509
Hospice and Palliative Care	51.1512
Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling	51.1505
Medical Family Therapy/Therapist	51.1511
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other	51.1599
Mental Health Counseling/Counselor	51.1508
Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician	51.1502
Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy	51.1507

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.