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.
Sample of reported job titles:
Behavior Analyst, Behavior Support Specialist (BSS), Case Manager, Clinician, Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Mental Health Counselor, Mental Health Program Specialist, Mental Health Specialist, Mental Health Therapist
Occupation-Specific Information
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.
- Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems.
- Prepare and maintain all required treatment records and reports.
- Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes.
Technology Skills
- Analytical or scientific software:Statistical software,Test interpretation software
- Calendar and scheduling software:Scheduling software
- Data base user interface and query software:Database software,Microsoft Access
- Electronic mail software:Email software,Microsoft Outlook
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software:Management information systems MIS,Microsoft Dynamics,Oracle PeopleSoft
Occupational Requirements
Work Activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others:Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships:Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
- Getting Information:Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates:Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work:Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Detailed Work Activities
- Advocate for individual or community needs.
- Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments.
- Collect information about clients.
- Collect information about community health needs.
- Complete documentation required by programs or regulations.
Work Context
- Face-to-Face Discussions:98% responded"Every day"
- Contact With Others:90% responded"Constant contact with others"
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled:80% responded"Every day"
- Telephone:72% responded"Every day"
- Electronic Mail:71% responded"Every day"
Worker Requirements
Skills
- Social Perceptiveness:Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Active 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.
- Speaking:Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension:Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Service Orientation:Actively looking for ways to help people.
Knowledge
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- English Language:Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- 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.
Education
How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:
- 64%Master's Degree
Worker Characteristics
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension:The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression:The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity:The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Speech Clarity:The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Written Comprehension:The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Interests
- 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.
- Artistic:Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Work Values
- Relationships:Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
- 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.
- Independence:Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Work Styles
- Concern for Others:Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
- Stress Tolerance:Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
- Integrity:Job requires being honest and ethical.
- Self-Control:Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
- Social Orientation:Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
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