How to hire a mental health counselor

How to hire a mental health counselor, step by step

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

What does a mental health counselor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your mental health counselor job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a mental health counselor for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect mental health counselor also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

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

   Type of Mental Health Counselor	Description	Hourly rate
   Mental Health Counselor	Mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists help people manage and overcome mental and emotional disorders and problems with family and other relationships. They listen to clients and ask questions to help the clients understand their problems and develop strategies to improve their lives.	$16-33
   Counselor Internship	When it comes to Counselor Internship, among the primary responsibilities is to assist in dealing with various activities such as preparing and verifying necessary documentation, observing consultations and outreach programs, guide clients and help develop multiple helpful strategies, and provide assessments. Furthermore, one can conduct counseling and consultation only under supervision... Show more	$14-31
   Alcohol And Drug Counselor	A drug alcohol counselor treats addicts in either one-on-one or group settings. They help by educating and developing possible treatment plans for patients to support them in coping with their addictive personalities... Show more	$14-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Patients
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Patient Care
   • Mental Health Issues
   • Rehabilitation
   • CPR
   • Family Therapy
   • Community Resources
   • Mental Health
   • Discharge Planning
   • Substance Abuse Issues
   • Therapeutic Environment
   • Intake Assessments

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
   • Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
   • Certify in CPI (crisis intervention technique).
   • Assist with crisis intervention, (CPI) maintains treatment activities.
   • Provide mental health assessment and evaluation of detainees refer by facility staff or identify by pre-screening (booking or nursing).
   • Assess for special needs during booking process.

   More mental health counselor duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, mental health counselors' average salary in south carolina is 33% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level mental health counselors earn 51% less than senior-level mental health counselors.
   • Certifications. A mental health counselor 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 counselor's salary.

   Average mental health counselor salary

   $49,471yearly

   $23.78 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level mental health counselor salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 17, 2026

   Average mental health counselor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$58,959	$28
   2	Nevada	$57,354	$28
   3	California	$55,358	$27
   4	Maryland	$55,185	$27
   5	Utah	$54,254	$26
   6	Connecticut	$54,069	$26
   7	Maine	$54,014	$26
   8	District of Columbia	$53,295	$26
   9	Oregon	$52,047	$25
   10	Texas	$51,555	$25
   11	New York	$50,656	$24
   12	Colorado	$47,887	$23
   13	Wyoming	$47,671	$23
   14	Ohio	$47,437	$23
   15	Louisiana	$46,769	$22
   16	New Hampshire	$45,830	$22
   17	Minnesota	$45,752	$22
   18	Florida	$44,967	$22
   19	North Carolina	$44,837	$22
   20	Pennsylvania	$44,351	$21

   Average mental health counselor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services	$90,470	$43.50	9
   2	The LCADA Way	$88,657	$42.62	4
   3	Apple	$84,233	$40.50	24
   4	Phoenix Counseling Center	$80,492	$38.70
   5	Wellpath	$75,777	$36.43	258
   6	City of Reno	$74,166	$35.66	1
   7	Child Guidance Center	$69,739	$33.53	2
   8	Hospice Buffalo	$69,283	$33.31	2
   9	Sandia National Labs	$68,980	$33.16
   10	Thriveworks	$66,766	$32.10	330
   11	PeaceHealth	$64,991	$31.25	27
   12	MaineGeneral Health	$62,937	$30.26	3
   13	Cure Healthcare Staffing	$62,725	$30.16
   14	Community Counseling and Mediation	$62,687	$30.14
   15	Mental Health Systems	$62,625	$30.11	33
   16	Tenet Healthcare	$62,278	$29.94	47
   17	Aurora Mental Health Center	$61,593	$29.61	4
   18	Halifax Health	$61,060	$29.36	5
   19	HealthRIGHT 360	$60,969	$29.31	125
   20	University of California-Berkeley	$60,861	$29.26	2

4. Writing a mental health counselor job description

   A job description for a mental health counselor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a mental health counselor job description:

   Mental health counselor job description example

   Consistent with the Iowa Board of Certification (IBC) Standards, the counselor is a member of the MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center multi-disciplinary treatment team and is accountable for the delivery of holistic, compassionate, individualized, and effective care demonstrated by the use of the core functions of practice associated with the counselor role.
   
   + Master's degree in addiction studies or related field or working on completion of degree.Licensure as a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) or Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) preferred. State certification as a substance abuse counselor or eligibility with completion of certification within one year following date of hire (tCADC, CADC, IADC, IAADC). Not required if licensed as a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) or Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC).
   
   + Minimum of two years of clinical counseling experience in a mental health or substance use disorder setting is preferred.
   
   + The counselor, if a recovering person, must have a minimum of three years continuous sobriety or freedom from mood altering chemicals.
   MercyOne offers:
   
   + competitive wages
   
   + generous paid time off (PTO) plan
   
   + flexible scheduling
   
   + comprehensive benefit package including - medical, dental, vision, life insurance and 403b retirement
   
   + an on-site childcare center
   
   We are dedicated to helping our patients live their best life, through all of life's journeys. Join us at MercyOne and be part of a Magnet team where colleagues have a strong voice about the delivery of quality patient care, a team where your skills, achievements and opinions are highly valued!
   
   Come join our circle of care as a Counselor in our Behavioral Health department!
   
   **Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion**
   
   Trinity Health is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians across 25 states. Because we serve diverse populations, our colleagues are trained to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and to apply that knowledge to produce positive health outcomes. We also recognize that each of us has a different way of thinking and perceiving our world and that these differences often lead to innovative solutions.
   
   Our dedication to diversity includes a unified workforce (through training and education, recruitment, retention, and development), commitment and accountability, communication, community partnerships, and supplier diversity.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find mental health counselors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any mental health counselors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level mental health counselors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit mental health counselors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 counselor

   Once you've found the mental health counselor 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.

   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 counselor 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 counselor?