Occupation · SOC 21-1014
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.
Median wage
$57,480
$37,830–$96,620
Projected growth
—
—
Annual openings
—
per year
Employed (US)
2,477,920
Job Zone 5
Typical preparation
Extensive preparation
Stackable credential programs
550 mapped
Core skills
Social PerceptivenessActive ListeningSpeakingReading ComprehensionWritingJudgment and Decision MakingCritical ThinkingService Orientation
Knowledge areas
Therapy and CounselingPsychologyCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageSociology and Anthropology
Technology & tools
Medical softwareData base user interface and query softwareElectronic mail softwareProject management softwareEnterprise resource planning ERP software
Representative tasks
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.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.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.Discuss with individual patients their plans for life after leaving therapy.Refer patients, clients, or family members to community resources or to specialists as necessary.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.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Client confidentiality obligations — apply by maintaining secure records and adhering to HIPAA and facility privacy protocols under supervisor review in an outpatient mental health setting.Active listening techniques — demonstrate by reflecting client statements and paraphrasing concerns during initial intake sessions under licensed clinician supervision.Client diagnostic records — complete standardized intake forms and progress notes accurately using electronic health record software with oversight from a senior counselor.Suicide risk screening tools — administer validated instruments such as the Columbia Protocol under direct supervision to assess patient safety in a clinical outpatient environment.Therapeutic rapport — initiate by engaging clients in open-ended dialogue to encourage expression of feelings during supervised individual counseling sessions.Crisis intervention protocols — follow established agency procedures to support client safety during acute distress situations with real-time supervisory guidance.Evidence-based counseling frameworks — identify and describe approaches such as CBT and motivational interviewing as introduced during graduate-level clinical training.Client progress notes — draft session summaries aligned with federal and state documentation requirements under the review of a licensed clinical supervisor.Social perceptiveness — apply by recognizing verbal and nonverbal cues that signal emotional distress during structured supervised sessions with individual clients.Case management software — navigate electronic medical record and database systems to retrieve and log client information accurately within an agency's documentation workflow.
developing
Individual and group counseling sessions — facilitate routinely for clients managing dependency, life adjustment, or co-occurring disorders with reduced direct oversight in a community mental health center.Confidential client records — maintain and update federal- and state-mandated documentation independently, ensuring accuracy and compliance across an active caseload.Risk of suicide — assess systematically using clinical judgment and validated tools, formulating safety plans collaboratively with clients in both outpatient and crisis stabilization settings.Crisis intervention strategies — implement structured de-escalation and safety planning with clients in acute distress, coordinating with multidisciplinary teams as needed.Coping skill development — guide clients in identifying and practicing individualized strategies for managing anxiety, depression, or interpersonal conflict during ongoing therapeutic relationships.Treatment goals — collaboratively establish measurable objectives with clients, adjusting interventions in response to progress or setbacks across a routine caseload.Written clinical communications — compose clear and professionally structured progress notes, referral letters, and treatment summaries using word processing and office suite software.Reading comprehension of clinical literature — apply updated research findings to refine counseling approaches for clients presenting with complex mental health concerns.Time management — organize scheduling, documentation, and follow-up tasks efficiently to meet agency productivity standards while maintaining quality of care.Inductive reasoning — synthesize client-reported experiences and behavioral patterns to form preliminary diagnostic impressions within a supervised clinical framework.
proficient
Full-scope individual and group therapy — deliver autonomously across diverse presenting concerns including trauma, addiction, and grief in community, hospital, or private practice settings.Complex suicide and homicide risk assessments — conduct comprehensive clinical evaluations, document findings, and initiate appropriate level-of-care decisions independently in high-acuity environments.Crisis intervention — lead real-time response for clients in acute psychiatric crisis, coordinating involuntary hold procedures and community resources without supervisory direction.Diagnostic formulation — integrate psychological, sociological, and cultural factors to develop nuanced case conceptualizations and individualized treatment plans for non-routine presentations.Client insight development — employ advanced therapeutic techniques to help clients recognize unconscious patterns, relational dynamics, and behavioral drivers across extended treatment arcs.State and federal compliance documentation — manage all mandated clinical records, audit-ready progress notes, and reporting obligations independently across a complex and varied caseload.Negotiation and persuasion — apply clinical communication skills to engage resistant or ambivalent clients in treatment planning and behavioral change within motivational interviewing frameworks.Complex problem solving — analyze multifactorial client situations involving legal, medical, housing, and relational variables to design integrated intervention strategies.Telehealth and technology platforms — utilize medical software, ERP systems, and secure electronic communication tools to deliver and document services across in-person and remote care environments.Learning strategies — select and apply differentiated psychoeducational approaches tailored to clients' literacy, culture, and cognitive capacity within community mental health and specialty care contexts.
advanced
Clinical supervision framework — design and implement structured supervision models that develop the competencies of emerging and developing counselors across a mental health agency or training program.Organizational treatment standards — establish evidence-based counseling protocols and quality benchmarks that shape practice across departments or multi-site behavioral health organizations.Crisis response systems — architect agency-wide crisis intervention procedures, training curricula, and community coordination agreements to ensure organizational readiness and client safety.Ethical and legal policy leadership — interpret evolving federal, state, and licensure board regulations to set institutional confidentiality and documentation standards and guide staff compliance.Program evaluation — design outcome measurement systems using data management and spreadsheet software to assess the effectiveness of counseling programs and drive continuous improvement.Workforce development — mentor interdisciplinary teams, lead professional development initiatives, and cultivate a culture of reflective practice and empathy across behavioral health departments.Strategic caseload and resource planning — apply project management and ERP software to allocate counseling staff, optimize service delivery capacity, and address community mental health gaps.Stakeholder engagement — represent the organization's clinical mission to boards, funding agencies, and community partners, translating complex mental health data into compelling presentations.Research and knowledge translation — lead systematic review of emerging therapeutic modalities and integrate validated innovations into organizational training and service delivery frameworks.Equity and access advocacy — develop and champion policies that address systemic barriers to mental health services for underserved populations at the organizational, regional, or policy level.
Also known as
111 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
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