Mental Health Counselors
Human ServicesO*NET 21-1014.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $60,137
- Projected change
- +22.2%
- Typical education
- Master's or Professional degree
- Employment
- 546.77K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
100% of the workforce
Growing to 668.23K by 2035
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Build the skills
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What mental health counselors do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Assess patients for risk of suicide attempts.
- Fill out and maintain client-related paperwork, including federal- and state-mandated forms, client diagnostic records, and progress notes.
- 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.
- Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems.
- Perform crisis interventions with clients.
- Prepare and maintain all required treatment records and reports.
- Develop and implement treatment plans based on clinical experience and knowledge.
- Collect information about clients through interviews, observation, or tests.
- Modify treatment activities or approaches as needed to comply with changes in clients' status.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling programs on clients' progress in resolving identified problems and moving towards defined objectives.
- Evaluate clients' physical or mental condition, based on review of client information.
- Supervise other counselors, social service staff, assistants, or graduate students.
- Refer patients, clients, or family members to community resources or to specialists as necessary.
- Discuss with individual patients their plans for life after leaving therapy.
- Act as client advocates to coordinate required services or to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations.
- Collaborate with mental health professionals and other staff members to perform clinical assessments or develop treatment plans.
- Learn about new developments in counseling by reading professional literature, attending courses and seminars, or establishing and maintaining contact with other social service agencies.
- Plan, organize, or lead structured programs of counseling, work, study, recreation, or social activities for clients.
- Gather information about community mental health needs or resources that could be used in conjunction with therapy.
- Monitor clients' use of medications.
- Counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, or supporting clients or patients.
- Plan or conduct programs to prevent substance abuse or improve community health or counseling services.
- Meet with families, probation officers, police, or other interested parties to exchange necessary information during the treatment process.
- Coordinate or direct employee workshops, courses, or training about mental health issues.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $38,037
- 25th percentile
- $46,986
- 50th percentile
- $60,137
- 75th percentile
- $78,781
- 90th percentile
- $103,446
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $60,137 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+22.2%much faster than average
2025546,773 jobs
2035 projected668,229 jobs
121,456 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Master's or Professional degree
- 100%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Mental Health Therapists11,089 postings
- 02Licensed Mental Health Therapists6,605 postings
- 03Licensed Mental Health Counselors4,532 postings
- 04Licensed Professional Counselors4,110 postings
- 05Mental Health Counselors2,600 postings
- 06Mental Health Clinicians2,426 postings
- 07Counselors2,301 postings
- 08Mental Health Professionals1,969 postings
- 09Licensed Therapists1,706 postings
- 10Licensed Clinical Social Workers1,375 postings
- 11Behavioral Health Counselors1,330 postings
- 12Therapists1,112 postings
- 13Licensed Mental Health Professionals1,017 postings
- 14Family Support Specialists940 postings
- 15Clinicians923 postings
- 16Outpatient Mental Health Therapists899 postings
- 17Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists870 postings
- 18Child and Adolescent Therapists807 postings
- 19Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors705 postings
- 20Group Facilitators683 postings
Top employers
- 01Headway7,161 postings
- 02LifeStance Health5,423 postings
- 03Sondermind4,587 postings
- 04American Public Human Services Association993 postings
- 05Thriveworks560 postings
- 06State of South Carolina486 postings
- 07Uhs474 postings
- 08CVS Health434 postings
- 09Amergis433 postings
- 10UnitedHealth Group409 postings
- 11Centurion Health386 postings
- 12Telecare342 postings
- 13CH MH Services (AK)322 postings
- 14Wellpath311 postings
- 15Clarvida306 postings
- 16Optum305 postings
- 17Health Connect America304 postings
- 18Supportive Care304 postings
- 19Centerstone285 postings
- 20Compass Health Network281 postings
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