Community and Social Service · Holland code SIC
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 called: Clinician, Counselor, Mental Health Counselor, Mental Health Therapist, Behavior Analyst, Behavioral Health Counselor, Case Manager, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC).
O*NET 21-1014.00
At a glance
- Most common education
- Master's Degree
- 89% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- 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.
- Perform crisis interventions to help ensure the safety of the patients and others.
- Fill out and maintain client-related paperwork, including federal- and state-mandated forms, client diagnostic records, and progress notes.
- Assess patients for risk of suicide attempts.
- Perform crisis interventions with clients.
- Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening5.0 / 5
- Speaking4.3 / 5
- Reading Comprehension4.1 / 5
- Writing4.1 / 5
- Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
- Active Learning3.8 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Therapy and Counseling5.0 / 5
- Psychology5.0 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service4.5 / 5
- English Language4.3 / 5
- Sociology and Anthropology4.2 / 5
- Education and Training3.8 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic5
- Investigative57
- Artistic34
- Social97
- Enterprising33
- Conventional41
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- psychologist · DE Psychologe/Psychologin · FR psychologue
- clinical psychologist · DE Klinischer Psychologe/Klinische Psychologin · FR psychologue clinicien/psychologue clinicienne
- psychotherapist · DE Psychotherapeut/Psychotherapeutin · FR psychothérapeute
- social counsellor · DE Sozialberater/Sozialberaterin · FR assistant de service social/assistante de service social
- drug and alcohol addiction counsellor · DE Sucht- und Drogenberater/Sucht- und Drogenberaterin · FR addictologue
- marriage counsellor · DE Ehe- und Familienberater/Ehe- und Familienberaterin · FR conseiller conjugal/conseillère conjugale
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Social workers (2461)139,800 employed
- Probation officers (2462)11,900 employed
- Youth work professionals (2464)10,200 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.34. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (21-1014).
Related careers
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