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Mental Health Counselors

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth

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.

What you’d do

  • 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 that matter

  • Active Listening
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Writing
  • Critical Thinking

How to get there

Extensive preparation: most need graduate school, such as a master's degree or higher

Also called

  • Clinician
  • Counselor
  • Mental Health Counselor
  • Mental Health Therapist
  • Behavior Analyst
  • Behavioral Health Counselor

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