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Mental Health Counseling

Types of Degrees Mental Health Counseling Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Mental Health Counseling may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	12
Associate’s Degree	115
Bachelor’s Degree	22
Master’s Degree	10,656
Doctor’s Degree	35

What Mental Health Counseling Majors Need to Know

Programs in Mental Health Counseling emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Mental Health Counseling graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Mental Health Counseling emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 5 / 5; level 7.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 5.0 / 5; level 6.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Mental Health Counseling program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 5 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 5 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Mental Health Counseling careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Mental Health Counseling graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.9 / 7
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.2 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Mental Health Counseling professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Management information systems MIS	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Netscape Navigator	Internet browser software	—
Office suite software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Statistical software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Google Classroom	Project management software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Patient electronic medical record EMR software	Medical software	—
Scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Mental Health Counseling graduates include:

• Mental Health Counselor
• BSS (Behavior Support Specialist)
• Mental Health Professional
• Licensed Mental Health Therapist
• EAP Consultant (Employee Assistance Program Consultant)
• Direct Care Counselor
• Behavioral Health Consultant
• Group Home Counselor
• Clinician
• Corrections Caseworker
• Mental Health Clinician
• Clinical Counselor
• Licensed Therapist
• Behavior Analyst
• Elder Counselor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Mental Health Counseling graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	89.3%
Post-master’s certificate	7.1%
First professional degree	3.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Mental Health Counseling?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 82.2% of Mental Health Counseling degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	8,921	82.2%
Men	1,934	17.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Mental Health Counseling graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6,387	58.8%
Asian	302	2.8%
Hispanic or Latino	1,425	13.1%
Black or African American	1,546	14.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	52	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	12	0.1%
Two or More Races	362	3.3%
Race Unknown	578	5.3%
International Students	191	1.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Mental Health Counseling Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Mental Health Counseling graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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.}

Online Mental Health Counseling Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Mental Health Counseling. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	4
Bachelor’s	3	2
Master’s	54	20
Doctoral (Research)	4	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Mental Health Counseling Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Mental Health Counseling 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
Infant/Toddler Mental Health Services	51.1510
Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling	51.1505
Medical Family Therapy/Therapist	51.1511
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other	51.1599
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.