Mental Health Therapist Job Description, Duties, and Responsibilities

This post presents detailed information on the mental health therapist job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements that you may be expected to meet to be hired for the mental health therapist role.

What Does a Mental Health Therapist Do?

Mental health therapists are trained professionals who are licensed to treat patients with emotional, behavioral, and mental disorders.

They work in tandem with other professionals such as psychologists and psychiatrists to treat mental disorders.

The mental health therapist job description entails carrying out daily routines such as listening to patients, counseling patients, and tracking the progress made by patients, and also drawing up treatment plans for patients.

Counseling could be one-on-one, group therapy or having sessions with family members.

People call for the help of a mental health therapist when they are undergoing stress, depression or grief in their lives.

People with special needs may also require the services of a mental health therapist.

A professional mental health therapist would intentionally allow the patient to share his or her emotions while the therapist only listens with a rapt attention.

His/her role involves counseling the patient afterward, including discussing with the patient, doing some testing, conducting a risk assessment session with the patient, and developing a treatment plan.

A good therapist will easily diagnose a patient’s mental illness and start a sequential treatment.

The mental health therapist work description also entails making sure that the records of their patients are well kept while monitoring their progress.

Mental health therapists use a combination of techniques to assist their patients.

To become a mental health therapist, students would take subjects such as addiction counseling, human development, mental health counseling, observation techniques, professional ethics, and counseling psychology.

A mental health therapist could be a social worker, psychiatrist, registered nurse, or a psychologist.

Mental Health Therapist Job Description Example/Sample/Template

Mental health therapists perform various functions in providing effective treatment to patients with mental or behavioral disorder.

The kind of duties, tasks, obligations, and responsibilities that commonly define mental health therapist job description are highlighted in the following work description example:

• Treat people diagnosed with mental disorders
• Provide counseling to mentally ill patients
• Carry out a thorough assessment to find out the main reason for a patient’s mental problem so as to develop a comprehensive treatment plan
• Conduct counseling sessions where patients are interviewed and evaluated
• Refer patients to psychologists and psychiatrists for further examination
• Proffer solutions and recommend ways patients with low self-esteem, family problems, addictions, and suicidal tendencies can overcome their health issues
• Keep accurate data of patients and also analyze the information gotten so as to determine a treatment method that suits a patient
• Work in concert with patients’ family members to monitor behavioral changes and treatment response
• Provide emotional assistance to patients
• Cooperate with other professionals such as psychiatrists and social workers to ensure patients’ quick recovery
• Intervene during patients’ crisis situations
• Advise patients’ families on the best ways to help patients to fully recover
• Give general advice to patients concerning the abuse of drugs and alcohol
• Attend conferences and seminars to improve skills or knowledge
• Supervise other junior therapists so as to ensure they discharge their duties creditably.

Mental Health Therapist Requirements – Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge for a Successful Career

To succeed in the mental health therapy career, there are certain qualities, skills, and abilities you will need to acquire and apply in performing your daily duties and responsibilities.

They are also what employers look for when hiring for the position, to be sure that candidates will be able to effectively perform the objectives, purpose, and obligations of the mental health therapist role.

Here are major requirements for the mental health therapist position that you might have to meet for your application to be considered by most employers:

• A Bachelor’s degree in mental health therapy
• Communication skills, especially in spoken form so as to be able to interact with patients in a very explicit manner
• Analytical skills are critical so as to be able to evaluate a patient’s condition for the purpose of bringing up an effective treatment plan
• Interpersonal skills are required in order to work harmoniously with other professionals, such as psychiatrists
• Excellent psychological skills for the purpose of advising a patient properly
• Master’s degree in mental health therapy will be an added advantage
• Attention to detail will be germane
• Observation skills are key to picking out a patient’s behavioral changes
• Should be stable emotionally and mentally so as to be able to offer patients with excellent emotional and mental support.

Conclusion

This post presents valuable and exhaustive information about the duties, tasks, and responsibilities of a mental health therapist, including a sample job description for the role that employers, HR managers, or recruiters can apply in making an effective description of the position for their organization.

They will be able to attract the best candidates for the mental health therapist job by making and publishing a detailed description of the role.

This article is also useful to individuals needing information to guide them about the mental health therapy career.

They will be able to increase their knowledge of what mental health therapist do and what is required to gain employment and succeed in the career.