Mental Health Counselors
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.
Also known as: Behavior Analyst, Behavioral Health Clinician, Behavioral Health Consultant, Behavioral Health Counselor, Behavioral Health Therapist, Bereavement Counselor, BSS (Behavior Support Specialist), Case Manager, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Outlook data not available.
What You'd Do
- 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.
- Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems.
- Prepare and maintain all required treatment records and reports.
- Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes.
- Collect information about clients through interviews, observation, or tests.
- Act as client advocates to coordinate required services or to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations.
- Develop and implement treatment plans based on clinical experience and knowledge.
- Evaluate clients' physical or mental condition, based on review of client information.
- Meet with families, probation officers, police, or other interested parties to exchange necessary information during the treatment process.
- Refer patients, clients, or family members to community resources or to specialists as necessary.
- Counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, or supporting clients or patients.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling programs on clients' progress in resolving identified problems and moving towards defined objectives.
- Plan, organize, or lead structured programs of counseling, work, study, recreation, or social activities for clients.
- Modify treatment activities or approaches as needed to comply with changes in clients' status.
- Learn about new developments in counseling by reading professional literature, attending courses and seminars, or establishing and maintaining contact with other social service agencies.
- Discuss with individual patients their plans for life after leaving therapy.
- Gather information about community mental health needs or resources that could be used in conjunction with therapy.
- Monitor clients' use of medications.
- Plan or conduct programs to prevent substance abuse or improve community health or counseling services.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
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In-Demand Technologies
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Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
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Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.