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Mental Health Counselors

What they do

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.

Recommended education
Recommended education
For this career, most jobs require this level of education. It may be possible to qualify for some jobs without this level of education. Recommendation provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Master's or doctorate degree
Explore programs for this career
Career cluster
Projected growth
Projected growth

This is the expected change in employment for this career in the selected county or state. For example, if a career is expected to double from 100 jobs to 200 jobs, this would show 100%. Due to how projected growth is reported, similar careers may show the same percentage.

These numbers represent the latest 10-year projection period (2018-2028). Data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.

N/AN/A

Expected pay range

Expected pay range

This represents the median earnings for this career in the selected county or state. In the range shown, 25% of workers earned less than the bottom salary and 25% earned more than the top salary. Data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.

About mental health counselors

Other titles

Behavior Analyst, Behavior Support Specialist (BSS), Case Manager, Clinician, Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Mental Health Counselor, Mental Health Program Specialist, Mental Health Specialist, Mental Health Therapist

Tasks they perform

  • 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.

Skills they need

  • 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.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • 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.
  • Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Licenses and Certifications

How to decide which one is right? That depends on an individual’s career path, specialty, and resources.

Certifications

Certifications may be available for this career and can help build knowledge and skills in specific job roles. Explore available certifications

Similar careers

View careers in the same field as mental health counselors.

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In demand careers have high-growth, high-demand, and emerging jobs critical to Texas. They are based on economic indicators like in demand industries, labor market trends, and economic conditions, provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.

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Better pay

Median salary for this career is higher than the median salary of all careers in the county selected. Salary data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.

In demand

In demand careers have high-growth, high-demand, and emerging jobs critical to Texas. They are based on economic indicators like in demand industries, labor market trends, and economic conditions, provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.

Learn more
Child, Family, and School Social Workers
In demand

In demand careers have high-growth, high-demand, and emerging jobs critical to Texas. They are based on economic indicators like in demand industries, labor market trends, and economic conditions, provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.

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Additional career information and resources

Learn more about mental health counselors with these helpful sites.