An official website of Washington State government
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.
What a mental health counselor does
Become a mental health counselor
If you enjoy doing these activities, you might make a good mental health counselor
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
- Talking to others.
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
- Understanding people's reactions.
- Looking for ways to help people.
Discover what you could earn in Washington
- Half of workers earn between $30 and $46 per hour.
- Half of workers earn an annual salary between $20,700 and $72,700 per year.
- 55% of individuals in this occupation have been employed in every quarter of the past year.
Part-time
- The average hourly rate for part-time workers is $49 per hour with an average salary of $50,500 per year.
Mental Health Counselor job outlook
Multiple Jobs
- 2% of individuals in this occupation worked for more than one employer.
- 24% of individuals in this occupation held a position in another.