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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.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: Master's Degree

Related Work Experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Up to and including 1 month

On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months

Detailed Work Activities

Maintain client information or service records.
Maintain client records.
Counsel clients or patients regarding personal issues.
Teach life skills or strategies to clients or their families.
Write reports or evaluations.
Complete documentation required by programs or regulations.
Counsel clients or patients with substance abuse issues.
Collect information about clients.
Interview clients to gather information about their backgrounds, needs, or progress.
Advocate for individual or community needs.
Intervene in crisis situations to assist clients.
Develop treatment plans for patients or clients.
Evaluate characteristics of individuals to determine needs or eligibility.
Confer with family members to discuss client treatment plans or progress.
Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments.
Refer clients to community or social service programs.
Counsel family members of clients or patients.
Monitor clients to evaluate treatment progress.
Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or educational programs.
Plan programs to address community mental wellness needs.
Modify treatment plans to accommodate client needs.
Maintain professional social services knowledge.
Develop working relationships with others to facilitate program activities.
Collect information about community health needs.
Provide basic health care services.
Plan programs to address community health issues.
Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health.
Supervise workers providing client or patient services.
Lead classes or community events.
Train staff members in social services skills.
Respond to emergencies to provide assistance.
Provide first aid or rescue assistance in emergencies.
Develop health assessment methods or programs.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

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.
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.
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.

Work Styles

Innovation

A tendency to be inventive, to be imaginative, and to adopt new perspectives on ways to accomplish work.

Innovation

Achievement Orientation

Intellectual Curiosity

Tolerance for Ambiguity

Initiative

Adaptability

Self-Confidence

Perseverance

Leadership Orientation

Humility

Sincerity

Empathy

Cooperation

Optimism

Social Orientation

Cautiousness

Attention to Detail

Dependability

Integrity

Stress Tolerance

Self-Control

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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