Mental Health Counselors
Counsel and advise individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health, with an emphasis on prevention. May help individuals deal with a broad range of mental health issues, such as those associated with addictions and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; or aging.
$59,350 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 67%
- 33%
- 0%
Anthropic's data does not cover this job.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 61%. Today's estimate: 65%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 27 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 12% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Encourage clients to express their feelings and discuss what is happening in their lives, helping them to develop insight into themselves or their relationships.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 10% | 42 min25 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Develop and implement treatment plans based on clinical experience and knowledge.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 10% | 1.7 h50 min to 2.5 h | 97%Half by now | |
| Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 9% | 42 min25 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Collect information about clients through interviews, observation, or tests.Done several times a day by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 50 min38 min to 2.1 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling programs on clients' progress in resolving identified problems and moving towards defined objectives.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 1.3 h33 min to 2.5 h | 94%Half by now | |
| Evaluate clients' physical or mental condition, based on review of client information.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Prepare and maintain all required treatment records and reports.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Fill out and maintain client-related paperwork, including federal- and state-mandated forms, client diagnostic records, and progress notes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Modify treatment activities or approaches as needed to comply with changes in clients' status.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Plan, organize, or lead structured programs of counseling, work, study, recreation, or social activities for clients.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Maintain confidentiality of records relating to clients' treatment.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers21% now, 44% by 2028
- Marriage and Family Therapists57% now, 65% by 2028
- Healthcare Social Workers42% now, 62% by 2028
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists39% now, 65% by 2028
- Rehabilitation Counselors66% now, 79% by 2028
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers35% now, 52% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
- Offices of Other Health Practitioners106,780 people
- Outpatient Care Centers98,150 people
- Individual and Family Services80,530 people
- Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities47,510 people
- Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals28,270 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.