Mental Health Counselor Job Description, Duties, and Responsibilities

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

It also highlights the major requirements you may be expected to fulfill to be hired for the mental health counselor role by most recruiters/employers.

What Does a Mental Health Counselor Do?

Mental health counselors provide primary health care and assistance to patients diagnosed with mental disorders.

The mental health counselor job description entails providing counseling/medications to treat mental illness and promote optimum mental health.

Mental health counselors carry out assessments to identify the root cause of patients’ mental condition in order to develop treatment plan.

They organize personal/group counseling sessions during which they interview clients to evaluate their issues.

They also refer patients to psychologists or psychiatrics for further examination and intervention.

In performing their duties, mental health counselors proffer solutions and recommendations to health issues that border on self-esteem, family problems, addictions, and suicidal impulses.

Their role also involves maintaining accurate record of patient information and analyzing them to determine suitable procedure for treatment.

They also collaborate with family members of patients to monitor behavioral changes and response to treatment.

As part of their responsibilities, mental health counselors offer emotional assistance to clients going through difficult times or adjusting to traumatic changes such as divorce or job layoff.

They offer advice to clients looking to take huge decisions about their future. They also help patients to develop skills and strategies to cope with and change their behavior/condition.

Usually, the work of mental health counselors also entails collaborating with professionals such as medical doctors and social workers to ensure the effective recovery of patients.

They adjust treatment plans as necessary to match observed changes in clients’ recovery process.

They may act as client advocate to intervene in crisis situations and help resolve emergency issues.

In fulfilling their role, mental health counselors educate patient family members on ways they can assist patients through the recovery process.

They also conduct campaigns to reduce abuse of substances such as alcohol and drugs.

Organizing and leading programs to address the mental health need of a community is also part of mental health counselor description.

To get into this career requires a Master’s degree in counseling or marriage/family therapy.

Some qualities you need to succeed as a mental health counselor include communication, analytical, and interpersonal skills.

Mental Health Counselor Job Description Example/Template

The role of a counselor on mental health care involves performing various functions to assist patients with mental disorder find the right treatment.

Here is an example of a typical job description, showing the main tasks, duties, and responsibilities, normally assigned to mental health counselors:

• Interview clients to obtain information regarding their medical history, background, and issues
• Create and maintain an up-to-date client profile to effectively track patient treatment process
• Proffer recommendations and solutions to address health issues such as depression, stress, suicide impulse, and anger
• Liaise with the families of patients to monitor and assist patients through the recovery process
• Assist clients to take appropriate decisions concerning their career, marriage, and relationship
• Refer clients to psychiatrics or psychologists for proper medical attention
• Organize group/personal counseling sessions to advise and assist individual(s) struggling with dependencies or adjusting to harsh circumstances
• Help clients cultivate skills and coping mechanisms necessary in overcoming their challenges
• Develop and implement treatment plans/procedures effective in resolving patients’ issues
• Track the progress of treatment to determine the need for plan adjustment
• Carry out assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of counseling programs in resolving patients’ problems
• Monitor and regulate the intake/use of medication by patients
• Organize programs to educate the community on ways to improve mental health conditions
• Supervise junior/trainee counselors to ensure services provided are up to acceptable standards
• Participate in conferences and seminars to improve job knowledge/skill.

Requirements – Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge – for Mental Health Counselor Job

If you are interested in working as a counselor to help people with mental health challenges, then here are major qualification requirements you will be expected to meet by most employers to access the job:

• Education and Training: To become a mental health counselor, you require a Bachelor’s degree in courses such as psychology, sociology, or biology, or in other related field. This allows for entry into a Master’s degree program in counseling, social work or psychology. Mental health counselors are usually required to pass a licensing exam in order to obtain licensure for practice
• Communication Skill: Mental health counselors are able to interact with clients using clear and understandable language
• Analytical Skill: They are able to thoroughly evaluate patient condition to determine suitable plan for treatment
• Interpersonal Skill: They are well versed in working with various clients, psychiatrics, and psychologists.

Conclusion

If you are in need of a job description for use in hiring for the position of mental health counselor in your facility, you can make use of the sample work description for the role provided in this post.

The information in this article can help you make a detailed mental health counselor job description that can get you the best people for the job

The complete information about the duties and responsibilities of mental health counselors provided in this article is also useful to people interested in the career. They will be able to learn a lot about what it entails.