Great Jobs In Mental Health

One in four average adults suffers from mental illness. Many of these individuals aren’t actively seeking help. However, one of the most significant issues in this field is that there aren’t enough resources to go around.

If you are considering a career in mental health, you should be prepared for a job that is both challenging and rewarding.

Caring, diagnosing, and treating individuals with mental illnesses, emotional trauma, or behavioral problems can be a career that arms you with purpose and a new outlook on life and humanity.

To succeed in this career, it’s essential to be self-aware and understand the skills you bring to the table and the skills you may lack. For example, someone in the mental health field should have excellent listening, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Whether you’re passionate about making a change in your community or helping the individual, there are plenty of mental health careers that you can pursue. Below, we’ll explore the options within the mental health field where you can make a positive and lasting impact.

1. Psychiatrist Jobs (Overview)

2. Psychologist Jobs (Overview)

3. Counselor Jobs (Overview)

4. Social Worker Jobs (Overview)

5. Psychiatric Nurse Jobs (Overview)

5 Mental Health Jobs

1. Psychiatrist
   Average Annual Salary: $201,000

   Psychiatrists are typically the best of the best in the mental health field, meaning they have been the highest trained and usually have a full medical degree.

   Psychiatrists are individuals who can prescribe medication and may also be trained in cognitive behavioral therapy and other treatments.

   Psychiatrists are expected to do patient evaluations, diagnoses, and treatment plans. You might find them in private practices or hospitals, and they work closely with other doctors, nurses, and social workers.

   Find Psychiatrist jobs near me

2. Psychologist
   Average Annual Salary: $72,000

   Psychologists must have a four-year degree in psychology, plus two years in a post-graduate master’s degree or three-year clinical doctorate.

   However, there are a few different types of psychologists, including clinical psychologists, counseling psychologists, forensic psychologists, clinical neuropsychologists, and more.

   Despite their training, psychologists cannot prescribe medication or provide medical intervention. However, their training in non-medical interventions allows them to be skilled in what normal and abnormal psychology look like.

   Psychologists typically schedule 50-60 minute appointments and do an in-depth analysis of a specific issue or problem.

   Find Psychologist jobs near me

3. Counselor
   Average Annual Salary: $37,000

   If you are interested in less schooling, an opportunity as a counselor may be the right fit for you. Counselors are similar to some psychologists in that you must speak with clients regularly while supporting them.

   To become a counselor, you’ll typically be required to obtain a nationally-recognized diploma and decide which path you’d like to explore. Counselors can work in school settings or in individual offices where they take clients in a private setting.

   Either way, this type of work can be immensely rewarding as you’ll be able to help your clients navigate their difficult situation through support and different tactics to lessen their mental health burden.

   Find Counselor jobs near me

4. Social Worker
   Average Annual Salary: $51,000

   A social worker helps people trying to overcome challenges such as abuse, addiction, poverty, or mental illness.

   They are responsible for the welfare of underage children, and their primary role is to protect and support families who need help.

   Depending on what type of education they’ve received, they may also be qualified to diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.

   While social work can be one of the most rewarding jobs out there, it can also be extremely daunting, challenging, and emotionally stressful. You’ll have the ability to have an impact in many cases.

   Still, there may be other cases where you lack the control or authority to make certain decisions or impacts on the family or community. Do your research on this role before you commit.

   Find Social Worker jobs near me

5. Psychiatric Nurse
   Average Annual Salary: $61,000

   Psychiatric nurses are a significant contributor to community centers, private practices, and hospitals. These individuals provide care and support for people who may suffer from serious mental health disorders or conditions.

   Psychiatric nurses can also be tasked with helping the patient’s family navigate their loved one’s condition.

   Find Psychiatric Nurse jobs near me

What Is Mental Health?

Mental health jobs are any position where the main requirement is to serve a patient suffering from a mental health disorder. Before we understand how to get a job, we first should understand what mental health actually refers to.

According to MentalHealth.gov, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.”

To be put simply, mental health is the state of our mind and emotions. Having a healthy mind is essential in several different regards that impact your quality of life and even your physical well-being.

Mental health professionals work with individuals of all kinds, ranging from children to older adults. They support their clients through common issues like stress, self-esteem, family issues, grief, anger, abandonment, addiction, or substance abuse.

They also assist with more severe diagnosable mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and more.

How to Get a Job in Mental Health

If you have a true passion for positively impacting people’s overall lives and the way they view the world, then a career in mental health might be the right path for you.

There are a few things that are required for any role in this field, including:

• Genuine compassion and empathy. Compassion and empathy are the most important things you can bring to the table in this field. Feeling compassion or empathy means that you’re able to genuinely identify with the other person’s life and daily struggles.

  This means that you shouldn’t be immediately judgemental of any individual, and you should be able to put yourself in their shoes to a certain extent. This is one thing that can’t be faked, so it’s best to be self-aware enough to know if you possess this capability or not.

• The ability to actively listen. Mental health professionals should be skilled at active listening. Active listening is often a technique used when an individual participates in training for counseling or related endeavors.

  This means that the listener must be entirely concentrated on the speaker and respond while remembering what was said.

• Critical thinking and decision making skills. For mental health roles, especially ones required to make diagnoses and develop specific treatment plans for patients, individuals must possess critical thinking and decision making skills.

  For example, sessions with clients may not be black and white. Sometimes, what the patient doesn’t say is more important than what they do say.

• Patience. Working in the mental health field isn’t easy, and patients typically don’t make progress overnight.

  Since many patients have different experiences, mental health professionals must be patient with their progress and continue to provide care for as long as it takes.

Another consideration you’ll need to make for a full-time career in the mental health field is what type of education is necessary. You’ll typically be required to have your bachelor’s degree in a related field, but some professions require a master’s degree as well.

Depending on your lifestyle and financial situation, these considerations may play a role in your final decision.

For example, if you don’t want to spend the next few years in school, but you still want to help others in this field, you may opt to look for a role in counseling rather than psychiatry.

It’s also best practice to gain volunteer experience. This is beneficial for individuals interested in this career path, as it allows them the opportunity to explore related areas to decide what path they may want to choose.

It will give you insight into what the actual day-to-day could look like in this field, arming you with the pros and cons necessary to make a final decision.

Most mental health careers also require hands-on-training, typically in the form of an internship or residency, to gain hands-on experience with patients. This would be training beyond volunteer experience and even more adequately prepare you for this type of job.

You may have to decide on the type of individual you would like to work with, whether it be children, adults, or people with severe disabilities.

Finally, you’ll want to understand what your specific state requires in terms of licensing. In most US states, counselors, social workers, and psychologists all need to obtain a license for the ability to practice in their area.

However, the specific requirements will vary based on where you live, so be sure you understand this before you head down the path of pursuing this career.

Final Thoughts

Inserting yourself in the mental health career and pursuing a passion that has the purpose of making other people’s lives more prosperous and cheerful is a wonderful choice for a career path.

Be sure that you take everything listed above into consideration and do your research when considering your schooling, volunteering, and what you end up doing in your career.

Author

Caitlin Mazur

Caitlin Mazur is a freelance writer at Zippia. Caitlin is passionate about helping Zippia’s readers land the jobs of their dreams by offering content that discusses job-seeking advice based on experience and extensive research. Caitlin holds a degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.