Mental Health Counselors

Also called: Clinician, Counselor, Mental Health Specialist

Career Cluster: Human Services
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.
On the job, you would:
  • 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.
KNOWLEDGE

Health
  • therapy and counseling
Math and Science
  • psychology
  • sociology and anthropology
Arts and Humanities
  • English language
Business
  • customer service
  • management
SKILLS

Social
  • understanding people's reactions
  • looking for ways to help people
Basic Skills
  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • talking to others
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
ABILITIES

Attention
  • pay attention to something without being distracted
Ideas and Logic
  • notice when problems happen
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Verbal
  • listen and understand what people say
  • communicate by speaking
PERSONALITY

People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.

They do well at jobs that need:
  • Concern for Others
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Integrity
  • Self Control
  • Social Orientation
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
TECHNOLOGY

You might use software like this on the job:

Internet browser software
  • Netscape Navigator
  • Web browser software
Presentation software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • Oracle PeopleSoft
EDUCATION


master's degree or bachelor's degree
usually needed
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JOB OUTLOOK


Bright
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.


Salary:
High: $98,210.00
Median: $59,190.00
Low: $39,090.00
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