# 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.
- **Entity Type:** role
- **Schema Version:** role.v1
- **Soc Code:** 21-1014.00
- **Summary:** 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.

## Aliases

- Clinician
- Counselor
- Mental Health Counselor
- Mental Health Therapist
- Behavior Analyst
- Behavioral Health Counselor
- Case Manager
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
- Mental Health Specialist
- BSS (Behavior Support Specialist)
- Behavioral Health Clinician

## Tasks

| Text | Type | Iwa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Maintain confidentiality of records relating to clients' treatment. | Core | 4.A.3.b.6.h |
| Encourage clients to express their feelings and discuss what is happening in their lives, helping them to develop insight into themselves or their relationships. | Core | 4.A.4.b.6.j |
| Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes. | Core | 4.A.4.b.6.j |
| Assess patients for risk of suicide attempts. | Core | 4.A.1.a.1.l |
| Fill out and maintain client-related paperwork, including federal- and state-mandated forms, client diagnostic records, and progress notes. | Core | 4.A.3.b.6.k |
| Perform crisis interventions to help ensure the safety of the patients and others. | Core | 4.A.4.a.5.e |
| Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems. | Core | 4.A.4.b.3.a |
| Perform crisis interventions with clients. | Core | 4.A.4.b.6.j |
| Prepare and maintain all required treatment records and reports. | Core | 4.A.3.b.6.c |
| Develop and implement treatment plans based on clinical experience and knowledge. | Core | 4.A.2.b.2.a |
| Collect information about clients through interviews, observation, or tests. | Core | 4.A.1.a.1.l |
| Modify treatment activities or approaches as needed to comply with changes in clients' status. | Core | 4.A.2.b.2.a |

## Emerging Tasks

| Text |
| --- |
| Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems and coping with triggering factors. |
| Respond to client communications by monitoring voicemail and email, returning phone calls, and making follow-up calls for missed appointments. |

## Activities

| Name | Iwa |
| --- | --- |
| Maintain client information or service records. | 4.A.3.b.6.h |
| Maintain client records. | 4.A.3.b.6.k |
| Counsel clients or patients regarding personal issues. | 4.A.4.b.6.j |
| Teach life skills or strategies to clients or their families. | 4.A.4.b.3.a |
| Write reports or evaluations. | 4.A.3.b.6.c |
| Complete documentation required by programs or regulations. | 4.A.3.b.6.n |
| Counsel clients or patients with substance abuse issues. | 4.A.4.b.6.j |
| Collect information about clients. | 4.A.1.a.1.l |
| Interview clients to gather information about their backgrounds, needs, or progress. | 4.A.1.a.1.w |
| Advocate for individual or community needs. | 4.A.4.a.6.a |
| Intervene in crisis situations to assist clients. | 4.A.4.b.6.j |
| Develop treatment plans for patients or clients. | 4.A.2.b.2.a |
| Evaluate characteristics of individuals to determine needs or eligibility. | 4.A.2.a.1.a |
| Confer with family members to discuss client treatment plans or progress. | 4.A.4.a.1.e |
| Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments. | 4.A.4.a.2.d |
| Refer clients to community or social service programs. | 4.A.4.a.5.a |
| Counsel family members of clients or patients. | 4.A.4.b.6.j |
| Monitor clients to evaluate treatment progress. | 4.A.1.a.2.e |
| Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or educational programs. | 4.A.2.a.1.b |
| Plan programs to address community mental wellness needs. | 4.A.2.b.2.n |
| Modify treatment plans to accommodate client needs. | 4.A.2.b.2.a |
| Maintain professional social services knowledge. | 4.A.2.b.3.a |
| Develop working relationships with others to facilitate program activities. | 4.A.4.a.4.a |
| Collect information about community health needs. | 4.A.1.a.1.s |
| Provide basic health care services. | 4.A.4.a.5.c |
| Plan programs to address community health issues. | 4.A.2.b.2.n |
| Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals. | 4.A.1.a.1.l |
| Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health. | 4.A.2.a.1.f |
| Supervise workers providing client or patient services. | 4.A.4.b.4.a |
| Lead classes or community events. | 4.A.4.b.3.b |
| Train staff members in social services skills. | 4.A.4.b.3.d |
| Respond to emergencies to provide assistance. | 4.A.4.a.5.e |
| Provide first aid or rescue assistance in emergencies. | 4.A.4.a.5.g |
| Develop health assessment methods or programs. | 4.A.2.b.2.i |

## Capabilities

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Active Listening | essential_skill | 5 |
| Social Perceptiveness | transferable_skill | 5 |
| Therapy and Counseling | knowledge | 5 |
| Psychology | knowledge | 4.96 |
| Oral Comprehension | ability | 4.88 |
| Oral Expression | ability | 4.62 |
| Customer and Personal Service | knowledge | 4.5 |
| English Language | knowledge | 4.32 |
| Speaking | essential_skill | 4.25 |
| Problem Sensitivity | ability | 4.25 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | knowledge | 4.15 |
| Reading Comprehension | essential_skill | 4.12 |
| Writing | essential_skill | 4.12 |
| Written Comprehension | ability | 4.12 |
| Written Expression | ability | 4.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | ability | 4.12 |
| Inductive Reasoning | ability | 4.12 |
| Speech Recognition | ability | 4.12 |
| Speech Clarity | ability | 4.12 |
| Critical Thinking | essential_skill | 4 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | transferable_skill | 4 |
| Service Orientation | transferable_skill | 3.88 |
| Active Learning | essential_skill | 3.75 |
| Monitoring | essential_skill | 3.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | transferable_skill | 3.75 |
| Education and Training | knowledge | 3.75 |
| Persuasion | transferable_skill | 3.62 |
| Fluency of Ideas | ability | 3.62 |
| Information Ordering | ability | 3.62 |
| Category Flexibility | ability | 3.62 |
| Administrative | knowledge | 3.61 |
| Originality | ability | 3.38 |
| Selective Attention | ability | 3.25 |
| Learning Strategies | essential_skill | 3.12 |
| Near Vision | ability | 3.12 |
| Telecommunications | knowledge | 3.11 |
| Coordination | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Negotiation | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Instructing | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Systems Analysis | transferable_skill | 3 |

## Skills

| Name | Type |
| --- | --- |
| Social Perceptiveness | Common Skill |
| Active Listening | Common Skill |
| Psychology | Specialized Skill |
| English Language | Common Skill |
| Writing | Common Skill |
| Speech Recognition | Specialized Skill |
| Reading Comprehension | Common Skill |
| Inductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Deductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Critical Thinking | Common Skill |
| Complex Problem Solving | Common Skill |
| Active Learning | Common Skill |
| Information Ordering | Specialized Skill |
| Learning Strategies | Specialized Skill |
| Telecommunications | Specialized Skill |
| Time Management | Common Skill |
| Systems Analysis | Specialized Skill |
| Negotiation | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Word | Common Skill |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Outlook | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Excel | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Access | Specialized Skill |
| Instructing | Specialized Skill |
| Foreign Language | Common Skill |
| Biology | Specialized Skill |
| Mathematics | Common Skill |
| Visualization | Specialized Skill |
| Statistical Software | Specialized Skill |
| Netscape Navigator | Specialized Skill |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Dynamics | Specialized Skill |
| Google Classroom | Specialized Skill |
| Email Software | Specialized Skill |
| Database Software | Specialized Skill |
| Geography | Specialized Skill |
| Finger Dexterity | Common Skill |
| Chemistry | Specialized Skill |
| Physics | Specialized Skill |
| Project Management Software | Specialized Skill |

## Tools

| Example | Category | Hot | In Demand |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Microsoft Access | Data base user interface and query software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | yes | no |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | yes | no |
| Oracle PeopleSoft | Enterprise resource planning ERP software | yes | no |
| Client information database systems | Medical software | no | no |
| Database software | Data base user interface and query software | no | no |
| Email software | Electronic mail software | no | no |
| Google Classroom | Project management software | no | no |
| Management information systems MIS | Enterprise resource planning ERP software | no | no |
| Microsoft Dynamics | Enterprise resource planning ERP software | no | no |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer | Internet browser software | no | no |
| Netscape Navigator | Internet browser software | no | no |
| Patient electronic medical record EMR software | Medical software | no | no |
| Scheduling software | Calendar and scheduling software | no | no |
| Statistical software | Analytical or scientific software | no | no |
| Test interpretation software | Analytical or scientific software | no | no |
| Web browser software | Internet browser software | no | no |

## Work Context

| Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| E-Mail | 4.96 |
| Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams | 4.88 |
| Spend Time Sitting | 4.82 |
| Contact With Others | 4.79 |
| Freedom to Make Decisions | 4.64 |
| Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals | 4.61 |
| Telephone Conversations | 4.56 |
| Indoors, Environmentally Controlled | 4.54 |
| Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results | 4.07 |
| Frequency of Decision Making | 4.07 |
| Written Letters and Memos | 3.93 |
| Time Pressure | 3.86 |
| Deal With External Customers or the Public in General | 3.82 |
| Conflict Situations | 3.79 |
| Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People | 3.64 |
| Consequence of Error | 3.46 |
| Importance of Being Exact or Accurate | 3.46 |
| Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team | 3.11 |
| Physical Proximity | 3.07 |
| Level of Competition | 2.93 |
| Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities | 2.82 |
| Health and Safety of Other Workers | 2.79 |
| Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People | 2.64 |
| Public Speaking | 2.46 |
| Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers | 2.21 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | 2.21 |
| Importance of Repeating Same Tasks | 2.21 |
| Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable | 2 |
| Spend Time Standing | 1.93 |
| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions | 1.89 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | 1.85 |
| Spend Time Walking or Running | 1.54 |
| Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled | 1.37 |
| Degree of Automation | 1.32 |
| In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment | 1.29 |
| Outdoors, Under Cover | 1.25 |
| Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body | 1.21 |
| Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling | 1.18 |
| Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance | 1.15 |
| Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions | 1.14 |

## Preparation

- **Job Zone:** 5
- **Job Zone Name:** Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- **Education:** Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- **Experience:** Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
- **Svp Range:** (8.0 and above)

### Education Distribution

| Label | Percentage |
| --- | --- |
| Master's Degree | 89.29 |
| Post-Master's Certificate | 7.14 |
| First Professional Degree | 3.57 |

## Person Fit

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Attention to Detail | work_style | 10 |
| Integrity | work_style | 9 |
| Cooperation | work_style | 8 |
| Social Orientation | work_style | 7 |
| Social Service | specific_interest_area | 6.83 |
| Social | career_interest_type | 6.79 |
| Health Care Service | specific_interest_area | 6.09 |
| Professional Advising | specific_interest_area | 6 |
| Self-Control | work_style | 6 |
| Social Science | specific_interest_area | 5.88 |
| Stress Tolerance | work_style | 5 |
| Investigative | career_interest_type | 4.42 |
| Empathy | work_style | 4 |
| Conventional | career_interest_type | 3.43 |
| Personal Service | specific_interest_area | 3.25 |
| Teaching/Education | specific_interest_area | 3.1 |

## Related Roles

| Soc Code | Slug | Title | Tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 21-1023.00 | role-21-1023-00 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | Primary-Short |
| 21-1013.00 | role-21-1013-00 | Marriage and Family Therapists | Primary-Short |
| 21-1022.00 | role-21-1022-00 | Healthcare Social Workers | Primary-Short |
| 19-3033.00 | role-19-3033-00 | Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | Primary-Short |
| 21-1015.00 | role-21-1015-00 | Rehabilitation Counselors | Primary-Short |
| 21-1021.00 | role-21-1021-00 | Child, Family, and School Social Workers | Primary-Long |
| 21-1011.00 | role-21-1011-00 | Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors | Primary-Long |
| 29-1141.02 | role-29-1141-02 | Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses | Primary-Long |
| 21-1093.00 | role-21-1093-00 | Social and Human Service Assistants | Primary-Long |
| 29-1223.00 | role-29-1223-00 | Psychiatrists | Primary-Long |
| 29-2053.00 | role-29-2053-00 | Psychiatric Technicians | Supplemental |
| 31-1133.00 | role-31-1133-00 | Psychiatric Aides | Supplemental |

## Career Clusters


## Study Programs

| Title | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Health Professions and Related Programs | health-professions-and-related-programs |
| Psychology | psychology |

## Market


## Industries


### Top


### Concentrated


## Ai Signals

| Source | Label | Score | Scale | Release |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| frey_osborne | Computerization probability | 0.0048 | 0-1 probability | 2013-baseline-2016-employment-snapshot |
| felten_aioe | AI occupational exposure | 1.34239 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_image_generation_aioe | Image generation occupational exposure | 0.6489279 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_language_modeling_aioe | Language modeling occupational exposure | 1.536944 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |

## Ai Outlook


### Index

- **Value:** 66
- **Percentile:** 66
- **Band:** Moderate
- **Version:** ai-exposure-index-v1

#### Components

| Percentile | Source |
| --- | --- |
| 91 | felten_aioe |
| 40 | openai_gpts_are_gpts |
- **Component Count:** 2

### Exposure

| Source | Label | Value | Percentile | Band | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| felten_aioe | Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) | 1.34239 | 91 | High | How much this job's abilities overlap with what AI systems can do, across many AI capabilities. A relative research score, not a forecast of job loss. |
| eloundou_gamma | LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) | 0.43137254901960786 | 40 | Moderate | Share of this job's tasks where a large language model plus simple tools could cut the time to do them by at least half. γ is capped at 1.0 and many jobs reach that ceiling, so treat a top score as 'in the top group', not a precise rank. |

### Frey Historical

- **Source:** frey
- **Label:** Computerization probability (Frey & Osborne, 2013)
- **Value:** 0.0048
- **Percentile:** 4
- **Band:** Low
- **Note:** A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
- **Teleworkable:** no

### Eloundou

- **Alpha:** 0.0784313725490196
- **Beta:** 0.2549019607843137
- **Gamma:** 0.43137254901960786

### Usage Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Importance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems. | 0.4024091138782872 | 4.75 |
| Encourage clients to express their feelings and discuss what is happening in their lives, helping them to develop insight into themselves or their relationships. | 0.015611583795176022 | 4.93 |
| Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes. | 0.01304388909202207 | 4.81 |
| Plan, organize, or lead structured programs of counseling, work, study, recreation, or social activities for clients. | 0.007805791897588011 | 3.77 |
| Assess patients for risk of suicide attempts. | 0.007703084109461853 | 4.79 |
| Collect information about clients through interviews, observation, or tests. | 0.005648928346938691 | 4.54 |
- **Usage Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

### Sources

| Source | Version |
| --- | --- |
| dingel_neiman | dingel-neiman-workathome |
| felten_aioe | felten-raj-seamans-aioe |
| frey_osborne | frey-osborne-automation |
| openai_gpts_are_gpts | gpts-are-gpts |

## Ai Playbook

- **Trusted Task Count:** 7
- **Task Count:** 9
- **Total Sample:** 5971
- **Autonomy Median:** 4
- **Dominant Collaboration:** learning
- **Automation Share:** 19.8
- **Augmentation Share:** 70.61
- **Work Use Percent:** 11.45

### Collaboration

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| learning | 40.76 |
| task iteration | 21.6 |
| directive | 15.09 |
| none | 8.4 |
| validation | 8.25 |
| feedback loop | 4.71 |

### Use Case

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| personal | 82.79 |
| work | 11.45 |
| coursework | 5.05 |

### Delegated Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Collaboration | Autonomy Median | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems. | 0.4434554319289912 | learning | 4 | 4434 |
| Encourage clients to express their feelings and discuss what is happening in their lives, helping them to develop insight into themselves or their relationships. | 0.07250906363295412 | learning | 4 | 725 |
| Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes. | 0.0365045630703838 | learning | 4 | 365 |
| Assess patients for risk of suicide attempts. | 0.02020252531566446 | none | 4 | 202 |
| Collect information about clients through interviews, observation, or tests. | 0.009601200150018752 | directive | 3 | 96 |
| Plan, organize, or lead structured programs of counseling, work, study, recreation, or social activities for clients. | 0.0086010751343918 | directive | 4 | 86 |
| Prepare and maintain all required treatment records and reports. | 0.0031003875484435553 | task iteration | 3 | 31 |

### Boundary Tasks

| Task | Human Needed Percent | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plan, organize, or lead structured programs of counseling, work, study, recreation, or social activities for clients. | 95.34883720930233 | 86 |
| Collect information about clients through interviews, observation, or tests. | 94.79166666666666 | 96 |
| Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems. | 94.09111411817773 | 4434 |
| Prepare and maintain all required treatment records and reports. | 87.09677419354838 | 31 |
| Assess patients for risk of suicide attempts. | 86.63366336633663 | 202 |
| Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes. | 80.54794520547945 | 365 |

### Seed Prompts

| Prompt | Collaboration |
| --- | --- |
| Teach me how to guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems, then check my work as I try it myself. | learning |
| Teach me how to encourage clients to express their feelings and discuss what is happening in their lives, helping them to develop insight into themselves or their relationships, then check my work as I try it myself. | learning |
| Teach me how to counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes, then check my work as I try it myself. | learning |
| Help me with this part of my job: assess patients for risk of suicide attempts | none |
| Do this for me: collect information about clients through interviews, observation, or tests. Give me a finished draft I can review and adjust. | directive |
- **Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

## Counts

- **Tasks:** 27
- **Skills:** 46
- **Capabilities:** 120
- **Tools:** 20
- **Related Roles:** 20

## Source

- **Dataset:** gold.onet_role_starter_surface
- **Version:** 30.3
- **Generated At:** 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00
- **Content Hash:** 504fc96a2426391e