Mental Health Counselor

Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:

• Provide basic health care services.
• Refer clients to community or social service programs.
• Complete documentation required by programs or regulations.
• Develop working relationships with others to facilitate program activities.
• Maintain client records.
• Write reports or evaluations.
• Maintain professional social services knowledge.
• Collect information about clients.
• Collect information about community health needs.
• Interview clients to gather information about their backgrounds, needs, or progress.

Typical Working Conditions

• The freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals.
• Frequent contact with others.
• Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
• Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
• Sitting.
• Meeting strict deadlines.
• Working with a group or team.

Tools & Technology used by Mental Health Counselor

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Most Important Skills for Mental Health Counselor

• Being Aware of Others—Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Listening—Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Persuading Others—Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Monitoring Performance—Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Learning New Things—Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Making Decisions—Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Writing—Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Most Important Knowledge Areas for Mental Health Counselor

• Therapy and Counseling—Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Psychology—Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Customer and Personal Service—Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Education and Training—Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Sociology and Anthropology—Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Clerical—Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Philosophy and Theology—Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Law and Government—Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Computers and Electronics—Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Interests
Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:

• Social—Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Investigative—Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Low indicates 25% of workers earn less and 75% earn more. Median indicates 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more. High indicates 75% of workers earn less and 25% earn more.

Demand
This career is seeing very high growth compared to other careers. There will be a 7.6% growth new for Mental Health Counselors to meet market demand between 2018-2028. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.

Source: ONetOnline

Education & Training
This career is best for those with at least an Associates degree, but most professionals earn a Bachelors or higher. This job requires a license  and certifications could aid in showcasing knowledge.

View the local post-secondary education options from our partners: Central Lakes College & MSTATE.

Helpful High School Courses
Examples of helpful classes that help you prepare for this career:

• Child Development
• Computer Applications
• Cultural/Ethnic Studies
• English Composition
• Health Education
• Personal Finance
• Political Science
• Public Administration
• Public Speaking
• Safety and First Aid
• Sociology
• World Languages

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise