How to hire a mental health aide

How to hire a mental health aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step mental health aide hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a mental health aide job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new mental health aide
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a mental health aide do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The mental health aide hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a mental health aide to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a mental health aide that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of mental health aides.

   Type of Mental Health Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   Mental Health Aide	Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. One group of social workers—clinical social workers—also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.	$12-18
   Program Counselor	A Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum... Show more	$15-27
   Family Therapist	A Family Therapist works with couples and families to help ameliorate marital and family issues. They can work in hospitals, treatment programs, government agencies, health organizations, and private practices.	$17-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Mental Illness
   • Rehabilitation
   • CPR
   • Direct Services
   • Patient Care
   • Emergency Situations
   • Administer Medications
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Recreational Programs
   • Direct Care
   • Vital Signs
   • Patient Safety
   • Social Work

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Respond to and assist in behavioral codes working as a team member to successfully manage patient using methods obtain in CPI training
   • Facilitate client ADL's and assist patients with attending any therapeutic requirements, as well as educational and recreational activities.
   • Certify in CPR and first aide
   • Possess current CPR certification as well as current training in restraint/ control.
   • Follow daily schedules and record in the ADL and observation notes, provide and implement treatment programs and daily living plans.
   • Assist consumers in residence with ADL s and skill building; write ISP s, billable notes; monitor medication compliance.

   More mental health aide duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your mental health aide job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A mental health aide salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, mental health aides' average salary in arkansas is 56% less than in new hampshire.
   • Seniority. Entry-level mental health aides earn 33% less than senior-level mental health aides.
   • Certifications. A mental health aide with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a mental health aide's salary.

   Average mental health aide salary

   $15.42hourly

   $32,074 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level mental health aide salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average mental health aide salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$39,042	$19
   2	New York	$37,406	$18
   3	Minnesota	$36,124	$17
   4	North Dakota	$35,438	$17
   5	Washington	$34,980	$17
   6	Virginia	$33,776	$16
   7	Ohio	$32,734	$16
   8	Colorado	$32,222	$15
   9	Louisiana	$25,798	$12
   10	Pennsylvania	$25,613	$12
   11	Georgia	$24,705	$12
   12	Arizona	$22,066	$11

   Average mental health aide salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	New York State Restaurant Association	$39,832	$19.15
   2	Polaris	$35,530	$17.08
   3	Physician Affiliate Group of New York	$34,927	$16.79	9
   4	International Rescue Committee	$34,422	$16.55
   5	Touro College	$33,790	$16.25	4
   6	State Of South Dakota	$33,508	$16.11	42
   7	MLK Community Healthcare	$33,186	$15.95	1
   8	City of El Dorado	$32,090	$15.43
   9	Lehigh Valley Health Network	$31,966	$15.37	1
   10	Trinity Health	$31,808	$15.29	265
   11	St. Luke's Hospital	$31,711	$15.25	7
   12	Crestwood Behavioral Health	$31,649	$15.22	66
   13	The GEO Group	$31,277	$15.04	14
   14	Mental Health Center Of Denver	$31,150	$14.98	4
   15	Sanford Health	$31,109	$14.96	117
   16	LCMC Health	$31,096	$14.95	4
   17	Mille Lacs Health System	$30,888	$14.85	2
   18	Compass Health	$30,768	$14.79	13
   19	NaphCare	$30,684	$14.75	61
   20	Universal Health Services	$30,439	$14.63	459

4. Writing a mental health aide job description

   A mental health aide job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a mental health aide job description:

   Mental health aide job description example

   Part-Time
   *Minimum qualification for Mental Health Aide: *
   
   * Able to pass competency test
   * High School Diploma/GED
   * Must be over 18 years of age
   * Good physical health, pass physical/t.b. skin test
   * Three references
   * Suitable to meet the physical, emotional, intellectual, and social needs of each resident
   * Be capable of handling emergency situations
   *Direct Care Staff must be competent in the following areas before performing assigned tasks, training classes will be provided: *
   
   * Reporting Requirements
   * First Aid
   * CPR
   * Personal Care, supervision, protection
   * Resident Rights
   * Safety & Fire Prevention
   * Prevention & Containment of communicable disease
   *Mental Health Aide Job Functions consist of but are not limited to the following: *
   
   * If stated in Plan of Service; provide or assist person served with hygiene, including bathing, dressing, shaving, oral care, ear and nail care, etc. This may include toileting residents according to their plan or service, and/or checking for wetness or soiling every hour.
   * Completing daily programs, including documentation.
   * Acting as a strong advocate for the rights of person served. Following all treatment plans as outlined in the Person's Served Plan of Service.
   * REPORT ANY ABUSE/NEGLECT IMMEDIATELY.
   * Assist with medical appointments as needed with proper documentation.
   * Assisting with shopping assigned for home maintaining accuracy with petty cash.
   * Assisting person served with outings, documenting outings as neededy. All outings are for people served; no personal business will be conducted while on shift.
   * Signing all logs and service charts on a daily basis.
   * Communicate with support service personnel and parent/guardians.
   * Use gentle teaching
   * Stay calm and professional at all times.
   *Communication*
   Verbal, visual, and written communication skills are essential requirements for MHA's.
   
   * Participation in all staff meetings, program meetings, and other special meetings.
   * Reporting delegated duties at staff meetings.
   * Carrying out all house and Integrated Living, Inc. policies
   * MHA's are also responsible for any and all responsibilities delegated to them by the Supervisor.
   
   Job Type: Part-time
   
   Pay: $15.00 per hour

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right mental health aide for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with mental health aides they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit mental health aides who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your mental health aide job on Zippia to find and recruit mental health aide candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting mental health aides requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new mental health aide

   Once you've found the mental health aide candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new mental health aide first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a mental health aide?