How to hire a mental health clinician

How to hire a mental health clinician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step mental health clinician 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 clinician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new mental health clinician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a mental health clinician do?

Post a mental health clinician job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The mental health clinician 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

   A mental health clinician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, mental health clinicians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of mental health clinician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Mental Health Clinician	Description	Hourly rate
   Mental Health Clinician	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.	$17-38
   Primary Therapist	Primary therapists are the main point of contact for patients concerning wellness and overall mental health. Those who choose this career path will be expected to supervise and manage efficient treatment according to plan, and to manage between six and eight patients at a time, keeping in constant communication with these patients and various specialists.	$20-39
   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:

   • Social Work
   • Patients
   • Mental Health
   • Discharge Planning
   • Community Resources
   • Rehabilitation
   • Clinical Supervision
   • Treatment Services
   • Group Therapy Sessions
   • Community Agencies
   • Compassion
   • Clinical Services
   • Clinical Documentation
   • DSM

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work with children with autism and developmental impairment, providing weekly therapeutic sessions.
   • Provide individual and group psychotherapy for adult population with goal of rehabilitation and community reintegration.
   • Meet productivity standards comply with all DMH documentation standards and participate in on call crisis intervention rotation.
   • Provide psychotherapy with empathy and concern as indicated by supervisory observation and feedback from patients, family and fellow team members.
   • Provide clinical therapeutic services to patients, including individual and group therapy and coordination of treatment for participants with co-occurring disorders.
   • Assess, diagnose, provide psychotherapy and rehabilitation for seriously mentally ill adults, children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbance.

   More mental health clinician duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, mental health clinicians' average salary in arkansas is 57% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level mental health clinicians earn 55% less than senior-level mental health clinicians.
   • Certifications. A mental health clinician 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 clinician's salary.

   Average mental health clinician salary

   $54,359yearly

   $26.13 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level mental health clinician salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average mental health clinician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$80,166	$39
   2	New Jersey	$67,223	$32
   3	Oregon	$59,856	$29
   4	New York	$54,374	$26
   5	Connecticut	$51,898	$25
   6	Colorado	$51,548	$25
   7	Indiana	$47,202	$23
   8	Massachusetts	$39,818	$19
   9	Maine	$38,782	$19

   Average mental health clinician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	City and County of Denver Government	$88,901	$42.74	2
   2	CVS Health	$80,551	$38.73	241
   3	Wellpath	$79,548	$38.24	244
   4	Sutter Health	$75,998	$36.54	30
   5	Heartland Home Health Inc.	$74,116	$35.63	9
   6	Dignity Health	$73,019	$35.11	68
   7	Palomar Health	$70,759	$34.02	1
   8	Department of Public Social Services	$70,036	$33.67
   9	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$68,174	$32.78
   10	WakeMed	$67,379	$32.39
   11	Legacy Health	$67,235	$32.32	15
   12	Rutgers University	$65,839	$31.65	78
   13	HealthTrust	$65,793	$31.63	3
   14	Mt. San Antonio College	$65,694	$31.58	3
   15	LifePoint Health	$65,615	$31.55	141
   16	Ameriprise Financial	$64,969	$31.24
   17	Mendocino County Office of Education	$64,681	$31.10
   18	Community Health Connections	$64,342	$30.93	3
   19	American Psychological Association	$64,232	$30.88
   20	Baystate Health	$63,918	$30.73	21

4. Writing a mental health clinician job description

   A mental health clinician 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. Below, you can find an example of a mental health clinician job description:

   Mental health clinician job description example

   Looking for a Master's degree or PhD psychologist with 3-5 years experience. The position is primarily onsite at Memorial Sloan Kettering, with some remote options.
   Degrees: Master’s or PhD level education
   Must be licensed in NY
   Open to LPC, LCSW, LMHC, LMHP Provides direct support to organizations and their employees through the delivery of assessment, consultation, education and triage services. Uses knowledge of federal regulations to assist organizations in their appropriate handling of employee concerns and problems. Consults with employees and organizations on variety of workplace and work based issues. Provides clinical expertise in order to restore employees with diminished performance to healthy functioning. Provides employee consultation related to specific personal problems and concerns. Provides crisis assessment and intervention as needed. Completes clinical and administrative documentation and required forms in a clear and concise manner. Manages caseload and other tasks to meet both qualitative and quantitative performance expectations. Provides behavioral health assessments, accurate clinical diagnoses, and referral to appropriate level of care. Provides expert consultation to employees and/or supervisors on a variety of workplace and work based issues. Provides information and referral to community resources as appropriate. Provides clinical consultation/staffing in absence of EAP Manager Participates in activities as requested that help improve SBU and/or client performance, excellence and culture. Supports team members and participates in team activities to help build a high-performance team. Demonstrates flexibility in areas such as job duties and schedule to aid in better serving its members and help Magellan achieve its business and operational goals. Assists in efforts to continuously improve by assuming responsibility for identifying and bringing to the attention of responsible entities operations problems and/or inefficiencies. Meets productivity targets and quality management expectations. Develops effective working relationships with peers within and across organizational lines. Effectively resolves individual conflicts. Supports department mission and keeps management informed of team issues. Takes responsibility for own development and stays current on skills and techniques needed to perform job. Other Job Requirements Responsibilities Licensed Psychologist in the State of New York.
   3+ years post Ph D experience.
   Multicultural experience.
   Experience with post docs, residents, and research trainees in a medical setting.
   Clinical training must include instruction on chemical dependency, mental health and brief therapy.
   Must have understanding of workplace issues, how businesses function and a fundamental understanding of employee/ employer relationships.
   Must be capable of acquiring an understanding of EEO rules, ADA in the workplace, FMLA, and Drug Free Workplace Requirements.
   Must be able to provide accurate client assessment including level of risk, substance abuse and dependency, job performance issues and refer to appropriate level of care.
   Competent in crisis intervention.
   Demonstrates knowledge and expertise in solution-focused, brief therapy in outpatient setting.
   Strong customer service skills required. Must be able to sensitively, compassionately respond to callers.
   Excellent listening skills vital.
   Interacts effectively at all levels both within the company and with external customers.
   Analyzes and presents issues in a clear, concise, persuasive manner, both orally and in writing.
   Uses time to manage caseload and documentation effectively.
   Able to adjust well to new situations and changing priorities.
   Deals well with ambiguity and stress while handling a variety of assignments.
   Maintains a positive, achievement-oriented attitude and consistent in accomplishing expected objectives.
   Minimum 2 years' EAP Consultant experience with high performance ratings. General Job Information Title Part Time Mental Health Clinician supporting trainees at Preeminent Cancer Care Center - Hybrid Grade 26 Work Experience - Required Clinical, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Work Experience - Preferred Education - Required PhD - Psychology Education - Preferred License and Certifications - Required Current licensure required for this position that meets State, Commonwealth or customer-specific requirements - Care Mgmt, PsyD - Doctorate of Psychology - Care Mgmt License and Certifications - Preferred Salary Range Salary Minimum: $70,715 Salary Maximum: $113,145 This information reflects the anticipated base salary range for this position based on current national data. Minimums and maximums may vary based on location. Actual pay will be adjusted based on an individual's skills, experience, education, and other job-related factors permitted by law. This position may be eligible for short-term incentives as well as a comprehensive benefits package. Magellan offers a broad range of health, life, voluntary and other benefits and perks that enhance your physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing. Magellan Health, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and a Tobacco-free workplace. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled.
   Every employee must understand, comply with and attest to the security responsibilities and security controls unique to their position; and comply with all applicable legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements and internal policies and procedures.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find mental health clinicians for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit mental health clinicians, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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 clinician

   Once you've decided on a perfect mental health clinician candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new mental health clinician 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

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