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Mental Health Counselors
counsel with emphasis on prevention. Work with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health. May help individuals deal with issues associated with addictions and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; and aging.
Mental Health Counselors
Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and More
Table of Contents
In this career summary, you will find out what the job of a Mental Health Counselor is about and what it is like.
After reading this, you will have a good idea on what the job is about and decide if this is the right career for you.
Job description
Mental Health Counselors counsel with emphasis on prevention. Work with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health. May help individuals deal with issues associated with addictions and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; and aging.
Become one
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Read moreSalary
Mental Health Counselors with little to no experience tend to make between $28240 and $34950 while the more experienced ones can earn over $57580 per year.
| Top 5 paying states | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| UT | $32 | $66,330 |
| AK | $30 | $62,920 |
| DC | $29 | $59,850 |
| OR | $29 | $59,390 |
| NJ | $28 | $58,410 |
One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Mental Health Counselor is to move to a higher paying state like UT. Right now, the highest paying states for Mental Health Counselors are UT, AK, DC, OR and NJ.
However a higher pay at UT doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at UT might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.
Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Mental Health Counselor is the degree you hold, the industry you work in and lastly the company you work for.
Requirements
We asked other Mental Health Counselors what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a Master’s Degree followed by a Bachelor’s Degree.
Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.
| Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling |
| Clinical/Medical Social Work |
| Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling |
| Mental Health Counseling/Counselor |
Pros and Cons
Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Mental Health Counselor.
| PROS |
|---|
| Suitable for people who likes to help and teach others |
| Suitable for people who values relationships between co-workers and customers and wants to work in a friendly non-competitive environment |
| This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors. |
| One of the fastest growing careers |
| CONS |
|---|
| Not suitable for people who likes practical and hands-on work |
| Salary is below average |
| It is very hard to get into this career. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience is required for this career. |
What is the job like
70% of Mental Health Counselors said they were satisfied with their job and 89% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.
Is this right for me
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..
They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
How we can help
Start your journey to be a Mental Health Counselor
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counsel and advise individuals with alcohol, tobacco, drug, or other problems, such as gambling and eating disorders. May counsel individuals, families, or groups or engage in prevention programs. | Salary $51920 |
assist individuals and communities to adopt healthy behaviors. Conduct outreach for medical personnel or health organizations to implement programs in the community that promote, maintain, and improve individual and community health. May provide information on available resources, provide social support and informal counseling, advocate for individuals and community health needs, and provide services such as first aid and blood pressure screening. May collect data to help identify community health needs. | Salary $43480 |
diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems. Apply psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques in the delivery of services to individuals, couples, and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed nervous and mental disorders. | Salary $54150 |
Learn more about Mental Health Counselors
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Related career information
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