What is the salary of a Mental Health Counselor?

The typical salary range is $41,433 - $82,866 per year.

Medical & WelfareGrowingBright Outlook

Mental Health Counselor

Senior-level

Also known as: Behavior Analyst, Behavioral Health Clinician, Behavioral Health Consultant, Behavioral Health Counselor

Medical & WelfareBachelor's Degree

Job Description

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.

Mental Health CounselingAddiction CounselingFamily TherapyPsychotherapyPsychologySocial WorkHealthcareSocial SciencesMental HealthMedical Care & Welfare

Skills employers are looking for in 2027

Software and technologies flagged by O*NET as Hot or In-Demand for this role.

Hot technologies

Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word Oracle PeopleSoft

Job Outlook 2025–2035

Bright Outlook

O*NET flags this career as a Bright Outlook occupation: grows rapidly over the next decade.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections; O*NET Bright Outlook.

Work Environment

How this work is typically performed, based on O*NET work context data.

Email & digital communication

High

Working in a team

Moderate

Contact with others

High

Freedom to make decisions

High

Time pressure

High

Time spent sitting

High

Working outdoors

Low

Indoor, climate-controlled

High

Dealing with customers

High

Level of competition

Moderate

Source: O*NET Work Context (v31.0)

Future Perspective

Growing Job Market

This field is experiencing expansion with increasing job opportunities and career advancement potential. Market demand is rising, with new positions being created.

Career ladder

Often before this role

Assistant social
Spécialiste du soutien par les pairs
Gestionnaire de cas

Mental Health Counselor

Where it can lead

Directeur clinique
Thérapeute spécialisé
Superviseur clinique

Impact of AI on this Job

AI will primarily augment the role of mental health counselors, automating administrative tasks, analyzing data for insights, and providing clients with personalized support resources. This integration will free counselors to focus on complex therapeutic interventions requiring human empathy and judgment, while also evolving their role to ethically oversee and leverage AI tools for preliminary assessments and treatment plan optimization.

Salary

$41,433 - $82,866 per year

Estimated for US-wide average

Required Education

Bachelor's Degree

Minimum educational requirement for this position