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What is a mental health specialist and how to become one
A mental health specialist is an individual who provides support and treatment to individuals experiencing mental health issues. They work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, and private practice. Mental health specialists assess their clients' conditions, develop treatment plans, and offer counseling and therapy to help clients manage their symptoms. Mental health specialists must have strong communication skills, empathy, and an understanding of mental health conditions and treatments.
What general advice would you give to a mental health specialist?
Debra Minsky-Kelly
Director of Field Education / Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work, Carthage College
Avg. Salary $47,321
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 9%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%
Asian 3.12%
Black or African American 7.90%
Hispanic or Latino 7.90%
Unknown 6.24%
White 74.22%
Genderfemale 67.05%
male 32.95%
Age - 42American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 42Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
What are the pros and cons of being a mental health specialist?
Pros
Opportunity to make a positive impact on people's lives
Ability to help individuals improve their mental health and well-being
Variety of work settings and specialties available
Opportunities for professional growth and development
Competitive salaries and benefits packages in many areas
Cons
Work can be emotionally taxing and challenging
Dealing with clients who may not want to seek treatment or may be resistant to change
Risk of burnout due to high caseloads and workload demands
Difficulty balancing empathy and objectivity when working with clients
Limited job opportunities in some areas, particularly rural or underserved communities.
Mental health specialist career paths
Key steps to become a mental health specialist
Explore mental health specialist education requirements
Start to develop specific mental health specialist skills
Skills Percentages Patients 18.51% Social Work 10.82% Rehabilitation 6.06% Mental Health 5.22% CPR 4.84% Complete relevant mental health specialist training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New mental health specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a mental health specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real mental health specialist resumes.Research mental health specialist duties and responsibilities
- Provide individualize intervention for problematic behaviors using TCI techniques such as de-escalation, to prevent and/or manage crisis.
- Assist and encourage patients with ADL's including feeding, ambulating, and hygiene to promote patient care.
- Utilize rehabilitation principles to support individuals, families and communities in developing effective strategies to improve client mental health functioning.
- Provide psychological care to patients in an in-patient psych unit, including facilitating group activities, crisis intervention, implementing therapeutic approaches
Prepare your mental health specialist resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your mental health specialist resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a mental health specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable mental health specialist resume templates
Build a professional mental health specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your mental health specialist resume.
Apply for mental health specialist jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a mental health specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first mental health specialist job
Are you a mental health specialist?
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Average mental health specialist salary
The average mental health specialist salary in the United States is $47,321 per year or $23 per hour. Mental health specialist salaries range between $31,000 and $71,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do mental health specialists rate their job?
Mental health specialist reviews
Stressful, dangerous neighborhoods, sometimes parents are dangerous as well. Work life balance isn't good. Documentation is very time consuming and you will bring that home to finish. If your agency requires that you do your app recorded time sheets then that will prove ardously time consuming constaint that cuts right into your work/home life balance...it's terrible. Wear and tear on your car, no shows from parents upsetting children and paid mileage is horrible. Get ready to barely have a life.
The system is BROKEN! The clients are either entitled or not truly receiving the help they really need.
The (working) clients will always be the best part of this job. There are certain individuals who you can feel want to learn more about their conditions and to adopt healthier thinking patterns or lifestyles.
The insane amount of paperwork, the insurance/agency politics, the high expectations, the low amount of support. Burnout is very concerning for a profession where people in the frontline are the ones trying to make a difference. Individuals who work in this field need to have an incentive to keep pushing. I’m sorry but a kind heart and good intentions are not enough to sustain this type of career.
Mental health specialist FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
