How to hire a mental health practitioner

How to hire a mental health practitioner, step by step

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

What does a mental health practitioner do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your mental health practitioner 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 practitioner 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a mental health practitioner 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 practitioner that fits the bill.

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

   Type of Mental Health Practitioner	Description	Hourly rate
   Mental Health Practitioner	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.	$16-34
   Clinician	A clinician specializes in providing diagnosis, treatment, and direct care to patients with different illnesses. A clinician's duties mainly revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis, providing medical care through various therapies, and improving one's overall health condition... Show more	$16-49
   Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor	The primary role of a vocational rehabilitation counselor is to help disabled people to live fully and independently. Vocational rehabilitation counselors assist people with disabilities in securing employment... Show more	$15-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Patients
   • Mental Health
   • Family Therapy
   • Rehabilitation
   • In-Home
   • Autism
   • Substance Abuse
   • Therapeutic Interventions
   • Persistent Mental Illness
   • Mental Health Diagnosis
   • Group Therapy Sessions
   • Applied Behavior Analysis
   • Diagnostic Assessments

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage other MHA's in their duties and help them problem solving in tense and stressful situations.
   • Provide case management, crisis intervention and counseling for patients diagnose with co-occurring disorders in a residential treatment setting.
   • Case management, CBT/DBT, vocational rehabilitation, benefit supports and application processing.
   • Monitor patients prescribe psychotropic medications assure compliance and accuracy, and assess effectiveness and side effects.
   • Provide in-home services to diverse individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses, developmental disability and chemical dependency concerns.
   • Develop and facilitate a psycho-educational program for recovery from depression and PTSD.

   More mental health practitioner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your mental health practitioner job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A mental health practitioner salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a mental health practitioner in South Carolina may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level mental health practitioner usually earns less than a senior-level mental health practitioner. Additionally, a mental health practitioner with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average mental health practitioner salary

   $50,628yearly

   $24.34 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level mental health practitioner salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average mental health practitioner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$76,809	$37
   2	California	$68,120	$33
   3	Washington	$67,786	$33
   4	Oregon	$58,366	$28
   5	Minnesota	$54,043	$26
   6	Massachusetts	$52,791	$25
   7	Illinois	$52,320	$25
   8	Texas	$50,290	$24
   9	Florida	$41,919	$20
   10	Nebraska	$35,030	$17

   Average mental health practitioner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dignity Health	$72,304	$34.76	89
   2	Ramsey County	$67,311	$32.36
   3	Wilder Foundation	$60,650	$29.16	4
   4	Catholic Charities	$59,266	$28.49	102
   5	St. Charles Health System	$59,066	$28.40	7
   6	Boone Health	$57,451	$27.62
   7	Oregon Health & Science University	$56,863	$27.34	16
   8	Yale University	$56,190	$27.01	2
   9	University of Washington	$56,091	$26.97	24
   10	Family Service Rochester	$54,937	$26.41
   11	Park Nicollet Medical Center Inc	$54,931	$26.41
   12	Powell Valley Care Ctr	$54,665	$26.28
   13	Minnesota State Fair	$54,651	$26.27	37
   14	STG International	$54,598	$26.25	18
   15	University of Nebraska System	$54,584	$26.24
   16	Telecare	$54,346	$26.13	185
   17	Liberty Healthcare	$54,206	$26.06	15
   18	NHTC	$53,364	$25.66	22
   19	Minnesota Autism Center	$53,112	$25.53
   20	SANG	$53,038	$25.50

4. Writing a mental health practitioner job description

   A good mental health practitioner job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a mental health practitioner job description:

   Mental health practitioner job description example

   At Family Service Rochester (FSR) we believe that our employees are our greatest asset. We are guided by our values in where we believe that everyone needs to be understood and that partnership is a process. We believe that everyone desires respect and that partners share power. We believe that everyone has strengths and that judgements can wait. If you share in our values and desire to listen to what people need and together, build better lives we have an opportunity for you.
   
   Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children? Are you looking to work for an employee friendly agency with flexible hours? Family Service Rochester is seeking part-time positions to provide skills-based training to youth, families, &/or groups within Children's Therapeutic Support Services (CTSS) in Goodhue, Dodge, Steele, and Waseca Counties. These services are designed to support a child in learning skills needed to improve their daily functioning and are provided in homes or the community. Typical hours are non-traditional, including some evenings.
   
   The CTSS provider will build skills-based training to youth, families, &/or groups within Children's Therapeutic Support Services (CTSS). CTSS services are designed to improve a child's daily functioning to a developmentally appropriate level and are provided within homes and/or the community. Also, providing CTSS mental health services as assigned and when the employee is qualified as a clinical trainee by the State of Minnesota standards. As a provider you will provide CTSS skills training to youth as directed/documented in youth's treatment plan, always using positive behavior reinforcement. Provide skills training to the youth's family that supports skills needed to enhance the youth's skill development and to help the youth use the skills and develop or maintain a home environment that supports the youth's ongoing use of the skills, as directed/documented in youth's treatment plan. Provide/co-facilitate group skills training to multiple recipients who, because of the nature of their emotional, behavioral, or social dysfunction, can derive mutual benefit from interaction in a group setting, as directed/documented in youth's treatment plan. Provide/co-facilitate multi-family group directed toward meeting the identified treatment needs of each recipient as indicated in the youth's treatment plan. Collaborate with referral source and other service providers involved with the family system when appropriate.
   
   In addition, you will provide strength-based, intensive (depending on client program) mental health services to families, couples, individuals, and children utilizing the principles of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy complemented with Solution Focused Therapy as well as conduct client diagnostic assessments (including outcome related) and develop a CTSS treatment plan based on the evaluation.
   
   Successful candidates must hold a master's degree in one of the mental health disciplines, or is a graduate student in one of the mental health disciplines, or holds a bachelor's degree in a behavioral science/related field and has at least 2000 hours of supervised experience in the delivery of mental health services to recipients with mental illness. Must possess effective communication skills with clients and colleagues, computer literacy, a valid driver's license, dependable transportation, acceptable driving record based on agency driver's eligibility requirements, acceptable criminal background check based on agency and Department of Human Services guidelines. A working understanding of diverse cultures is preferred as well as bilingual capabilities.
   
   Knowledge of family systems and advanced principles of social work practice is required. Possess the ability to work effectively with all client and professional populations. Ability to work within a team environment, and effectively communicate with colleagues, co-workers, clients, and referral sources. Must possess computer literacy preferably in Microsoft Office.
   
   For your expertise, FSR will provide a collaborative and safe work environment where all identities are welcomed and valued. You can expect agency lead continuous improvement in understanding our own privileges and how that may impact our work with others.
   
   FSR offers a competitive compensation program and full benefits including free health insurance. Continuing education and professional development opportunities, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, EAP resources, flexible scheduling, 4 ½ weeks of PTO to start and 11 ½ paid holidays per year. We offer a culture of learning, listening and growth where employees regularly meet with senior leadership to provide ideas and feedback.
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5. Post your job

   To find mental health practitioners 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 practitioners they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level mental health practitioners 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 practitioner job on Zippia to find and recruit mental health practitioner candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with mental health practitioner candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 practitioner

   Once you have selected a candidate for the mental health practitioner position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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