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How to hire a mental health therapist

Mental health therapist hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring mental health therapists in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a mental health therapist is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per mental health therapist on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 193,994 mental health therapists in the US, and there are currently 114,386 job openings in this field.
  • Seattle, WA, has the highest demand for mental health therapists, with 58 job openings.

How to hire a mental health therapist, step by step

To hire a mental health therapist, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a mental health therapist:

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

What does a mental health therapist do?

The job of mental health therapists is to guide individuals, groups, couples, and families with problems that are impacting their well-being and mental health. Their duties and responsibilities include encouraging clients to talk about their experiences, examining issues that may affect mental health such as substance abuse and bullying, and assisting clients in defining their goals and action plans. Mental health therapists are also responsible for developing therapeutic processes, referring clients to other services or resources like psychologists, and helping them adjust to life changes.

Learn more about the specifics of what a mental health therapist does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    First, determine the employments status of the mental health therapist you need to hire. Certain mental health therapist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A mental health therapist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, mental health therapists 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.

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

    Type of Mental Health TherapistDescriptionHourly rate
    Mental Health TherapistSocial 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.$16-33
    ClinicianA 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
    Licensed Professional CounselorA licensed professional counselor is a healthcare professional who specializes in providing therapy and counseling to patients with emotional and mental health issues. They listen to their patients and utilize various techniques to address concerns and help through the healing procedures... Show more$35-58
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Social Work
    • Patients
    • Mental Health
    • Group Therapy Sessions
    • Mental Health Issues
    • Community Resources
    • Mental Illness
    • Therapeutic Services
    • Foster Care
    • Rehabilitation
    • Community Services
    • Therapeutic Interventions
    • Diagnostic Assessments
    • Intake Assessments
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Create and lead PTSD group for women, depression and stress management groups for men and women.
    • Collaborate with patients to develop individualize treatment plans and evaluate plans periodically to monitor progress towards achieving identify goals and objectives.
    • Provide clinical supervision for MFT intern and participate in peer to peer reviews.
    • Receive training in diagnoses, physical restraints and CPR.
    • Care for children with autism and document daily data collection.
    • Utilize therapy techniques from various modalities including EMDR, TF-CBT, and DBT
    More mental health therapist duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your mental health therapist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A mental health therapist 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 therapist in South Carolina may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level mental health therapist usually earns less than a senior-level mental health therapist. Additionally, a mental health therapist 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 therapist salary

    $50,259yearly

    $24.16 hourly rate

    Entry-level mental health therapist salary
    $35,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 17, 2026

    Average mental health therapist salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$72,888$35
    2Washington$65,075$31
    3New York$62,562$30
    4District of Columbia$62,248$30
    5New Hampshire$62,188$30
    6Minnesota$60,586$29
    7Virginia$55,903$27
    8Illinois$54,263$26
    9South Dakota$54,187$26
    10Maine$53,486$26
    11Massachusetts$52,378$25
    12Oregon$51,920$25
    13Utah$51,792$25
    14Colorado$50,510$24
    15Arizona$48,496$23
    16Maryland$48,078$23
    17Ohio$47,817$23
    18Iowa$47,295$23
    19Texas$46,119$22
    20Indiana$44,823$22

    Average mental health therapist salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Tykes And Teens$68,247$32.816
    2Sutter Health$67,368$32.3959
    3Everymind (formerly Mental Health Association Of Montgomery County)$66,936$32.18
    4Gotham$65,977$31.72614
    5Union of Pan Asian Communities-UPAC$65,760$31.62
    6Mission Regional Medical Center$64,673$31.0931
    7Suncoast Post-Tension$62,682$30.14
    8CrossroadsBHC$62,449$30.02
    9CentraState Healthcare System$62,289$29.95
    10Washington County$62,220$29.91
    11Promega$61,799$29.71
    12Wilder Foundation$61,547$29.59
    13Fairview Health Services$61,159$29.4072
    14Carilion Clinic$60,599$29.1333
    15Congreso de Latinos Unidos$60,520$29.10
    16Interim HealthCare$60,470$29.07234
    17Salt Lake County$60,422$29.051
    18Baylor Scott & White Health$60,319$29.008
    19Satanta District Hospital$60,272$28.981
    20Health Alliance$60,117$28.9017
  4. Writing a mental health therapist job description

    A mental health therapist 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 therapist job description:

    Mental health therapist job description example

    Among our many accolades, we have been designated 8 times the only A-Rated for Safety Hospital, awarded M a g n et Recognition for superior nursing, named Best Regional Hospital by US News and World Report and ranked among the 100 best places to work in healthcare (nationally). Jersey City Medical Center is also ideally located in the vibrant Jersey City waterfront community overlooking the harbor, just 10 minutes from New York City, with a grand view of the Statue of Liberty.

    Job Description

    Provides therapeutic group activities to patients based on clients needs identified by the treatment team ; completes initialassessments, engages client in case management, completes all required documentation, maintains contact with collateral sources asrequired by case management needs of client. Recreation Therapist will participate in annual facility and job specific competencytrainings.

    Additional Requirements

    Minimum Bachelors level education. 2 years experience in the field of human services with focus on expressive therapies. Certification in recognized recreational therapy field is required. Certification or successful completion of training will be done within three months of start date. Current BLS and successful completion of facility and department specific orientation programs is required. Appropriately uses supervision to problem solve around clinical issues. Develops treatment strategy and plan that is consistent with behaviorally specific long and short range goals. Facilitates all groups in a professional manner. Facilitates expressive therapy groups. Is able to identify Quality Assurance indicators and works toward achieving benchmarks. Is able to identify when treatment goals are met and when benefit of treatment have been maximized. Maintains regular collateral contact with agencies, and family members as appropriate. Provides appropriate referrals to other facilities to ensure continuum of care. Provides thorough intake assessments. Provides weekly case management sessions. Takes an active role in all team meetings. Volunteers for group coverage when necessary. Works well with all members of the treatment team.

    We are committed to High Reliability and consistent demonstration of our Safety Together behaviors and tools:

    S - Speak up for Safety

    A - Accurately communicate

    F - Focus on the task

    E - Exercise and accept a questioning attitude

    T - Thoughtfully interact

    Y - You and Me Together

    RWJBarnabas Health offers excellent-provided benefits which include: competitive compensation, comprehensive medical/dental benefits, 403 (B) savings plan, Flexible Spending Plans, PTO program, tuition reimbursement and so much more.

    Equal Employment Opportunity

  5. Post your job

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

    To successfully recruit mental health therapists, 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.

    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 therapist

    Once you've selected the best mental health therapist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new mental health therapist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

  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

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

There are different types of costs for hiring mental health therapists. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new mental health therapist employee.

You can expect to pay around $50,259 per year for a mental health therapist, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for mental health therapists in the US typically range between $16 and $33 an hour.

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