Mental Health Jobs in the United States

Mental Health Jobs Overview

If you’re looking for a career where you can make a direct impact on people’s lives, you might want to search for mental health jobs. The field of mental health is vast and ranges from entry-level positions to jobs that require a doctorate degree. As a mental health worker, you can either work directly with patients or support a practice´s office with administrative tasks.

Most jobs in mental health involve offering talk therapy to patients. Although you might not be able to help everyone, helping patients overcome their challenges can be very rewarding. The most common patient-facing jobs in mental health include the following:

• Counselors provide talk therapy focused on problem-solving and decision-making, often with a focus on short-term, solution-focused care.
• Psychologists offer both counseling and therapy, but for more challenging patients, as they have a doctorate degree. They can also use their degree for other purposes, such as academic research, market research, education, criminal investigations, and more.
• Therapists are educated in psychotherapy techniques and mental health disorders. They tend to offer long-term care and focus more on past experiences than counselors.
• Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental health and help their patients by offering psychotherapy, medications, and other treatments.
• Psychotherapists encompass a range of professions that offer talk therapy, including counselors, psychologists, therapists, and psychiatrists.

If you want to work in administration, consider looking for a job in healthcare support. You can also search for other healthcare jobs, for example:

• doula jobs
• speech therapist jobs
• OT jobs

Education and Skills for Jobs in Mental Health

Education requirements vary for different mental health jobs. For jobs in healthcare administration, a degree in administration, billing, or office management might be required. For jobs that focus on treating patients, you’ll typically need:

• A bachelor’s degree for a job as a counselor
• A master’s degree to become a therapist
• A doctorate degree if you want to become a psychologist or psychiatrist

People skills are paramount when working so closely with patients. You’ll need to be able to communicate well and have a calm and comforting personality to work in mental health. Here are a few other soft skills that are essential in this field:

• attention to detail to notice body language and other significant details
• the ability to manage stress well so that you can unplug from work at the end of the day
• problem-solving skills to apply both to specific circumstances and general treatment plans

Some psychotherapists manage their own offices and handle a range of administrative tasks, including scheduling and billing, while others are employed by a larger practice. You can see patients in person or move part or all of the sessions online by becoming a virtual therapist. If you anticipate opening your own practice, you’ll need excellent organizational skills. You can find more examples of typical job requirements in Monster’s job description of mental health counselors.

Treat Your Resume With Monster’s Advice

When it comes to the job hunt, Monster is an expert in the field. To help you get the most of your job search, we prescribe you a daily dose of our articles on creating the perfect job application. Since the success of mental health counseling is at least partly dependent on the personal character of the therapist, make sure to describe what motivates you and why you want to work for the practice you’re applying to.

Browse our collection of resume writing advice and advice for writing cover letters to get started.

Interviewing for a Mental Health Job

Excel at your job interview by preparing for potential interview questions in advance. Explore Monster’s collection of articles to get ready. We have information on both potential interview questions that are common across all industries, and articles on interview question for different professions. These are some common interview questions for psychologists:

• Which assessment instrument do you prefer?
• How do you stay informed of trends in the field?

How Much Do Mental health Jobs Pay?

Salaries for mental health professionals vary, with psychiatrists being the highest-paid patient-facing position. These are some examples of salaries for jobs in mental health:

• The median salary for a psychologist is $74,225.
• The median salary for a behavioral therapist is $24.57 an hour.
• The median salary for a substance abuse counselor is $43,036.
• The median salary for a psychiatrist is $166,458.

Use Monster’s Salary Tools to compare pay in different areas and for similar jobs.

Learn More in Our Company Profiles

Browse Monster’s company profiles to learn more about potential employers in advance of your job interview. Becoming familiar with company information can help you prepare questions for the employer, as well as answer the common interview question, “Why do you want to work for us?”

In our profiles you can find information on health facilities and their:

• practice focus
• patient population
• office locations

Chart Your Job-Search Progress With Monster

Are you looking for an easy way to organize your search for mental health jobs? Send your applications through Monster. By creating a free profile you can upload your resume to Monster and start applying directly to jobs you see here. This enables you to keep track of which jobs you applied to and when, as well as to get notifications when new positions become available.