Treat patients with mental and emotional disorders using therapy. Work with individuals and groups on coping with stress, relationships, and other mental health concerns. Develop treatment plans, monitor progress, and coordinate referrals or crisis support when needed.
Pay
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Lower reported wage
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Not available in our data
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Upper reported wage
Annual U.S. salaries. Actual pay varies by location, employer, and experience. The lower and upper figures do not represent starting and senior salaries.
A verified range is not available in our data. A missing figure does not mean that the source does not publish it.
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About this data
Mental Health Counselor is a specialty within the combined BLS wage occupation Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors (21-1018). The former displayed median described that combined population. The specialty task description is supported by O*NET Mental Health Counselors (21-1014.00); this descriptive taxonomy does not supply a separate OEWS wage.
Annual median review, October 27, 2026: The stored BLS occupation includes a broader population than this specialty, title, or credential. No separate annual median for this role has been verified in the reviewed source, so the broader occupation median is not presented as its own. Sources: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2025/may/oes_stru.htm ; https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1014.00 . Existing employment and projection figures were not refreshed.
SOC 21-1018BLS EP 2025-35Verified 2026-04-28View on BLS
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