Mental Health Hiring: Which Jobs Are Growing and What They Pay

Mental health hiring is running well ahead of the overall labor market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that jobs for substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors will grow 18% from 2025 to 2035, six times the 3% average for all occupations^[1].

That growth sits on a large base: counselors held about 533,400 jobs in 2025, and BLS expects the occupation to add 98,000 more by 2035^[1]. BLS attributes the demand to a growing number of people, including youths, with mental health and behavioral disorders and to continued need for addiction services, especially for opioid use disorder^[1]. For how many Americans live with a diagnosable condition, see our any mental illness data.

Growth is not the only source of vacancies. BLS projects about 50,500 counselor openings each year, and says many of them will come from workers who change occupations or leave the labor force^[1].

Federal workforce models point the same way. HRSA's National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projects 2038 shortfalls of 99,780 mental health counselors, 99,840 psychologists, 77,050 master's-level addiction counselors and 43,810 psychiatrists, all measured in full-time equivalents^[7]. Those projections and the rural gap behind them are covered in detail in our mental health workforce shortage analysis.

Psychiatric technicians lead on growth: BLS projects a 22% increase, from 161,500 jobs in 2025 to 197,500 in 2035^[5]. Psychiatric aides, the entry-level role beside them, are projected to grow just 2%^[5]. Our mental health technician guide covers the duties and training for that role.

Counselors follow at 18%^[1]. Marriage and family therapists are projected to grow 14%, from 76,300 to 86,600 jobs, with about 6,900 openings a year^[4].

Among psychologists, growth is concentrated in clinical practice. Clinical and counseling psychologist jobs are projected to grow 12%, while school psychologist jobs are projected to grow 1%, which BLS partly ties to declining school enrollment^[2].

Mental health and substance abuse social workers are projected to grow 10%, adding 14,300 jobs, faster than the 6% projected for social workers overall^[3]. Psychiatrist jobs are projected to grow 7%, from 30,000 to 32,100^[6].

Pay tracks training length. Psychiatrists had a median annual wage of $281,870 in May 2025, and clinical and counseling psychologists had a median of $100,580^[6][2].

Master's-level clinicians earn somewhat more than the median U.S. worker. Marriage and family therapists earned a median of $66,940, mental health and substance abuse social workers $60,280, and counselors $59,350, compared with $50,980 for all U.S. workers^[4][3][1].

The spread inside each occupation is wide. The lowest-paid 10% of counselors earned less than $38,940 and the highest-paid 10% more than $97,590; for marriage and family therapists the range ran from under $44,650 to over $123,730^[1][4].

Setting matters too. Counselors working in hospitals had a median of $63,310, against $49,660 in residential mental health and substance abuse facilities^[1]. Psychologists employed by government, outside schools and hospitals, had the highest industry median at $130,960^[2].

Entry-level roles pay less than the all-worker median: $45,130 for psychiatric technicians and $44,910 for psychiatric aides^[5].

Several hiring tracks do not require a master's degree. Psychiatric aides typically need a high school diploma, and psychiatric technicians typically need a postsecondary certificate from a community college or technical school^[5].

Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors typically need a bachelor's degree, but BLS notes that requirements range from a high school diploma to a master's degree depending on the position, state and employer^[1].

Peer support is the other fast-growing entry route. SAMHSA reports that the number of certified peer support specialists grew from about 30,000 to 82,000 over the past decade, and that almost all states have training and certification standards for the role^[8].

Licensure is the main gate for clinical hiring. All states require mental health counselors to be licensed, which means passing a national exam and completing supervised clinical work under a licensed counselor^[1]. Our guide to a master's in clinical mental health counseling walks through that sequence.

Clinical social workers need a master's degree, supervised clinical experience and a license from the state where they practice^[3]. Every state requires marriage and family therapists to be licensed, and clinical and counseling psychologists are licensed in every state, typically after earning a Ph.D. or Psy.D.^[4][2].

Physician roles take longest. Psychiatrists complete medical school and then a residency, which BLS says lasts 3 to 9 years depending on specialty^[6]. For how these professions divide the clinical work, see kinds of therapists and psychiatric mental health nursing.

Because licensure requires supervised clinical work after the degree, each state's required hours set how long a new graduate practices under supervision. BLS points applicants to CareerOneStop for each state's licensing board requirements^[1].

Counselors are spread across outpatient and community settings. In 2025, 20% worked in offices of other health practitioners, 16% in outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers, 15% in individual and family services, 8% in residential facilities and 7% in hospitals^[1].

BLS also lists prisons, probation and parole agencies and juvenile detention facilities as employers, and notes that inpatient and residential roles may require evening, night or weekend shifts^[1].

The work carries a known strain. BLS describes counselor work as often stressful, with large workloads and not always enough resources to meet demand^[1]. Survey data on that pressure is collected in our healthcare worker burnout statistics and on the healthcare workers population page.

Mental health hiring also refers to how employers treat applicants who have a condition themselves. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is illegal to reject someone for a job simply because they have a mental health condition^[9].

Before rejecting an applicant because of a condition, an employer must have objective evidence that the person cannot perform the job duties or would pose a significant safety risk, even with a reasonable accommodation^[9]. Employers cannot rely on myths or stereotypes in making that judgment^[9].

Pre-offer medical questions are limited. The EEOC says an employer may ask about mental health only in four situations: after a job offer and before work begins, if everyone entering the same job category gets the same questions; when the person requests an accommodation; for affirmative action tracking, where answering is voluntary; and on the job when there is objective evidence of a performance or safety problem^[9].

Any medical information disclosed must be kept confidential, even from co-workers^[9]. A person who believes they were discriminated against generally must file a charge within 180 days, or 300 days where a state or local law also applies^[9].

For what happens after hiring, see mental health in the workplace and FMLA and mental health. Prevalence data for working adults is on the employed population page.