What Does a Counselor Do?
Counselors help individuals overcome emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges through therapeutic conversations and evidence-based interventions. They work with clients dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, grief, and life transitions. Counselors practice in community mental health centers, private practices, hospitals, and employee assistance programs.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Behavior Analyst, Behavioral Health Counselor, Case Manager, Clinician, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Mental Health Counselor, Mental Health Specialist.
Counselor Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a counselor include:
- Conduct intake assessments to evaluate clients presenting concerns, mental health history, and treatment needs.
- Provide individual, couples, family, and group counseling using evidence-based therapeutic approaches.
- Develop treatment plans with specific goals, interventions, and measurable outcomes for each client.
- Apply therapeutic modalities such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy, and motivational interviewing.
- Assess clients for risk of self-harm, suicide, or harm to others and implement appropriate safety protocols.
- Monitor client progress through ongoing assessment and modify treatment plans as needed.
- Maintain confidential clinical records in compliance with HIPAA and state mental health regulations.
- Refer clients to psychiatrists, social workers, or community resources when additional services are needed.
- Participate in clinical supervision, peer consultation, and continuing education to maintain professional competency.
- Provide psychoeducation to clients on topics such as stress management, coping skills, and healthy communication.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a counselor, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Therapeutic relationship building
- Evidence-based counseling techniques
- Assessment and treatment planning
- Crisis intervention and safety planning
- Active listening and empathy
- Cultural sensitivity and awareness
- Clinical documentation
- Ethical and legal compliance
Education and Training
Licensed professional counselors must earn a master degree in counseling, clinical mental health counseling, or a closely related field from a CACREP-accredited program. Programs typically require 60 credit hours of graduate coursework plus a supervised clinical internship. After graduation, candidates must complete a state-specified number of supervised clinical hours, usually 2,000 to 4,000, and pass the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) to obtain licensure. Continuing education is required for license renewal in all states.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: varies widely for this role, and BLS does not publish pay for it separately. In the wider BLS group it belongs to (Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors), the middle half of earners made $47,100 to $76,530 a year, and the median was $59,350.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors.
Growing awareness and reduced stigma around mental health have significantly increased the number of people seeking counseling services. Insurance parity laws and expanded coverage for mental health treatment also contribute to demand. Counselors specializing in trauma, addiction, child and adolescent issues, or underserved populations will find particularly strong opportunities.
Counselor Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $38,940 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $47,100 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $59,350 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $76,530 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $97,590 |
Highest-Paying States for Counselors
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Alaska ($80,770), Oregon ($74,590), New Mexico ($74,100), Washington ($68,910), North Dakota ($68,630). Pay is lowest in Alabama ($47,310), Mississippi ($46,990), Louisiana ($37,910).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $47,310 |
| Alaska | $80,770 |
| Arizona | $65,300 |
| Arkansas | $51,580 |
| California | $59,250 |
| Colorado | $62,390 |
| Connecticut | $63,590 |
| Delaware | $56,020 |
| District of Columbia | $60,450 |
| Florida | $56,790 |
| Georgia | $58,960 |
| Hawaii | $60,090 |
| Idaho | $63,360 |
| Illinois | $60,730 |
| Indiana | $53,760 |
| Iowa | $60,880 |
| Kansas | $59,470 |
| Kentucky | $54,190 |
| Louisiana | $37,910 |
| Maine | $59,970 |
| Maryland | $59,530 |
| Massachusetts | $59,890 |
| Michigan | $61,690 |
| Minnesota | $58,780 |
| Mississippi | $46,990 |
| Missouri | $56,910 |
| Montana | $59,000 |
| Nebraska | $63,770 |
| Nevada | $57,210 |
| New Hampshire | $54,840 |
| New Jersey | $62,820 |
| New Mexico | $74,100 |
| New York | $59,450 |
| North Carolina | $55,490 |
| North Dakota | $68,630 |
| Ohio | $58,360 |
| Oklahoma | $59,350 |
| Oregon | $74,590 |
| Pennsylvania | $52,010 |
| Rhode Island | $65,120 |
| South Carolina | $52,370 |
| South Dakota | $53,650 |
| Tennessee | $49,580 |
| Texas | $62,630 |
| Utah | $63,890 |
| Vermont | $61,810 |
| Virginia | $59,880 |
| Washington | $68,910 |
| West Virginia | $49,430 |
| Wisconsin | $62,220 |
| Wyoming | $62,980 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as mental health counselors about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 100% spend more than half the workday sitting
- 96% use email every day
- 86% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 68% have a lot of freedom to make decisions
- 61% deal with rude or angry people at least once a week
- 59% are on the phone every day
- 50% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Master's degree | 89% |
| Post-master's certificate | 7% |
Tools and Software Counselors Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy helping, teaching or caring for people as well as analyzing problems and working with ideas.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking.
Knowledge areas used most: Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Sociology and Anthropology.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 5 of 5, which means extensive preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 21-1014.00 (Mental Health Counselors). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.