How To Become A Mental Health Technician: What It Is and Career Path

Q: How do I become a certified behavioral health technician?

Becoming a certified behavioral health technician involves educational training and a high school diploma. Levels of post-high school education range from a certificate program to a bachelor's degree.

Q: How long does it take to become a behavioral health technician?

Certification for a behavioral health technician consists of a series of courses totaling 30 hours. After passing course exams, candidates may seek out work experiences to prepare them for work as health technicians.

Q: How much do mental health techs make an hour?

Mental health techs make approximately $17 an hour. A technician's wage can vary due to location of employment and education. While larger cities typically pay more for mental health technicians, not all large markets are the same. A mental health tech in Chicago can expect to earn approximately $18 per hour, while techs working in San Francisco will earn close to $21per hour. This discrepancy in the hourly wage reflects the cost of living in both cities.

Q: Is being a mental health technician a good job?

Yes, being a mental health technician can be a very good job. While rewarding, this job is also considered stressful by those working in the field. Mental health technicians work with individuals that have issues regarding their mental health. These issues include addiction and compulsive behaviors.

Q: What qualifications do you need to be a mental health worker?

The primary qualification needed to become a mental health worker is relevant education. Levels of acceptable education vary for mental health workers, but minimum standards are required to be considered for a position in this field.

What is a mental health technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Ron Precht

Mental health used to be a taboo; a topic that was rarely touched upon. However, more and more institutions are currently emphasizing the importance of speaking about mental health. According to the World Health Organization, around 264 million people suffer from some form of mental disorder, whether it be anxiety, bipolar disorder, or depression. Around 80 percent of people in low-income countries do not receive treatment, as medical resources and trained personnel are lacking. It is unequivocally true to say that the area of mental health requires more human resource coordination.

The primary role of a mental health technician is in providing operational assistance to doctors and patients. This includes tasks such as initiating treatment plans, administering medications, and conducting vital signs measurement. Besides that, they manage patient transportation and conduct nursing duties, such as bathing, feeding, and dressing.

Employers require mental health technicians to have a minimum high school diploma or G.E.D equivalent. Having a bachelor's degree relating to sociology, psychology, or human services would be preferred. This role earns, on average, $14 per hour and suits individuals who are passionate about mental health.

What general advice would you give to a mental health technician?

Ron Precht

Senior Manager, American Massage Therapy Association

Generally, metropolitan areas have had more openings for massage therapists. This is a report from the end of 2019 that has the most recent data we have available. Report

ScoreMental Health TechnicianUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,118

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.13%

Asian 6.43%

Black or African American 14.26%

Hispanic or Latino 20.09%

Unknown 6.17%

White 51.91%

Gender

female 64.01%

male 35.99%

Age - 30

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 30

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a mental health technician

Explore mental health technician education requirements

Most common mental health technician degrees

Bachelor's

52.5 %

Associate

18.5 %

High School Diploma

12.3 %

Start to develop specific mental health technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	25.75%
Vital Signs	7.06%
CPR	5.55%
Social Work	5.35%
Crisis Intervention	5.32%

Complete relevant mental health technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New mental health technicians 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 technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real mental health technician resumes.

Research mental health technician duties and responsibilities

Prevent and manage aggressive behavior among patients and administer CPR in emergency intervention.
Assist and organize workshops consisting of education, personal self-defense, CPR, and other techniques relating to mental health patients.
Assist in taking care of mental health patients, doing rounds on the ward, helping patients with compassion and care.
Apply immeasurable levels of compassion to preserve and safeguard the dignity of patients at all times.

Prepare your mental health technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your mental health technician 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 technician 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 technician resume templates

Build a professional mental health technician 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 technician resume.

Apply for mental health technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a mental health technician 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 technician job

Trevor Wallace

Mental Health Technician, Circles of care hypothesis children's center

My first job was at circus of care.I got involved at that job because of my best friend's mom.I needed a job to help pay bills. I didn't think the job was going to be my career at first I didn't think I was gonna actually like working site. I worked on the Jerry attribute for about 6 months. Then I worked on another unit which was psych for another 3 months. I worked RD tax program for about 6 months. And then I worked on kids 2 years before I left the job. Then I.
Left to become a behavioral health technician.At a job for about 6 months then I am working on becoming a registered behavior Tech. I am working at a school for behavioral kids.In that contract ends at the end of their school year.I have learned so much from that job.Learning kids backgrounds and why some of them act, the way they do.And it's very eye opening very difficult. But I love working with kids.I'm trying to get more contacts.Working with kids and getting more degrees and certifications to be dealing with kids. If I had to tell anyone first Working in psych is not to be scared.And don't let the patient see that And enjoy what you do because if you don't enjoy it , you're going to Have a miserable time trying to work. Make sure You're cordial with your coworkers and get to know them and learn everything that you can If your interest is in doing this for a career. It is definitely I opened it and it possibly could change your life for the better if you turn it into a career

How do mental health technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Mental health technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2022

Cons

Nothing

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2022

Cons

The system is BROKEN! The clients are either entitled or not truly receiving the help they really need.

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2022

Pros

taking care of people love it been doing it for 34 years and getting patient back home and be able to return to there daily activities

What is a mental health technician and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a mental health technician?

Mental health technician career paths

Key steps to become a mental health technician

Explore mental health technician education requirements

Most common mental health technician degrees

Start to develop specific mental health technician skills

Complete relevant mental health technician training and internships

Research mental health technician duties and responsibilities

Prepare your mental health technician resume

Choose from 10+ customizable mental health technician resume templates

Apply for mental health technician jobs

How did you land your first mental health technician job

Average mental health technician salary

How do mental health technicians rate their job?

Mental health technician reviews

Mental health technician FAQs

How do I become a certified behavioral health technician?

How long does it take to become a behavioral health technician?

How much do mental health techs make an hour?

Is being a mental health technician a good job?

What qualifications do you need to be a mental health worker?

Search for mental health technician jobs