A mental health counselor smiles while speaking with a client

Mental Health Counselors: Finding the Right Support

Date: May 20, 2025 | 8 Minute Read

Mental health counselors are trained professionals who help individuals work through emotional struggles, life transitions, trauma, and ongoing mental health concerns. Their expertise is built on years of education and clinical experience, shaping the thoughtful care they provide every day. Read on to learn more about mental health counselors, and how they can help.

What Is a Mental Health Counselor?

A mental health counselor is a trained professional whom people can turn to when struggling with life changes, emotional issues, trauma, or ongoing mental health concerns. While their training, specialties, and therapeutic modalities may differ, their focus is to help support people in managing emotional and psychological challenges and improve their overall well-being.

Mental health counselors use proven and well-studied methods to support healing, develop healthy coping skills, and facilitate personal growth.

Education and licensure for most mental health counselors typically include:

  • At least a master’s degree in counseling, psychology, or a related field
  • Completing at least two years of a rigorous clinical training program
  • 700 hours in roles and settings with clients supervised

After graduation, they complete their national and/or state licensing exam. Then, most states require an average of 2,000 to 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience by a licensed mental health supervisor. Once supervision hours are completed, they become fully licensed and no longer require supervision.

Fully licensed mental health counselors carry titles like Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), or Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC). No matter the letters, licensing guarantees everyone has a standard basic level of training, skills, and ethical standards at both state and national levels they must follow.

Try Therapy Online with BetterHelp

How Are Mental Health Counselors Different from Other Mental Health Professionals?

Due to some overlap in functions of mental health treatment, mental health counselors can often be confused with psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers.

However, each has different training, and each can play a different role in mental health treatment. For example:

  • Psychiatrists are medical doctors (MDs or DOs) with a specialty in psychiatry. They are primarily trained in medication management related to mental health symptoms. However, some psychiatrist will integrate therapy as part of their treatment.
  • Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs)are advanced practice nurses with a master’s degree or doctorate in nursing who specialize in mental health medication management. Nurse practitioners may or may not practice directly under a psychiatrist.
  • Psychologists (PhDs or PsyDs) are also trained in skills to provide therapy, typically with a heavy emphasis on assessment and research. While they may provide mental health therapy, they often focus on psychological testing and diagnosis.
  • Social Workers (LCSWs or LMSWs) can also be clinically trained to provide therapy but are strongly grounded in advocacy and often take a systems-based approach, considering family, community, and social factors.

Mental health counselors are unique in that their training is highly focused on evidence-based interventions and building strong therapeutic relationships with clients.

What Do Mental Health Counselors Do?

Mental health counselors can have many roles within counseling, including supporting people in some of the most difficult times of their lives. Their work can vary depending on the population they serve, their areas of specialization, and their clinical style.

Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Counselors typically begin with an initial intake session. This session allows the mental health counselor to gather background information, helping them understand the client’s history, struggles, strengths, and goals.

Through this clinical interview, they can diagnose a wide range of mental health conditions including anxiety and depressive disorders, PTSD, OCD, and ADHD.

A mental health counselor speaks with a patient during an appointment

If a diagnosis is made, the mental health counselor will create a treatment plan. The treatment plan outlines the client’s therapeutic goals they want to achieve during treatment.

Examples could be learning healthy coping skills to manage depression, reducing panic attacks, navigating a life transition by implementing small habits, or practicing grounding techniques to decrease trauma symptoms.

Types of Therapy Provided

Mental health counselors use many different therapy approaches that they adapt to each client’s unique needs. Some commonly used methods include:

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Recognizes and changes negative thought patterns and behaviors
  • Trauma Therapy: Includes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Somatic Experiencing (SE), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), which helps to resolve trauma symptoms
  • Talk Therapy: Helps improve understanding of self through expressing feelings, examining relationships
  • Mindfulness-Based Therapy: Encourages focus on the present moment to reduce stress and anxiety.
  • Solution-Focused Therapy: Often brief, centers on finding solutions, rather than dwelling on the problem.

Mental health counselors can integrate different techniques and approaches, so the therapy can change as the client grows.

Try Therapy Online with BetterHelp

The Importance of Choosing a Licensed Mental Health Counselor

When searching for support, it is important to choose a mental health counselor who is licensed.

A licensed mental health counselor means that the mental health counselor has met the educational, clinical, and ethical standards required by their state’s licensing board. This includes:

  • Earning a master’s or doctoral degree
  • Completing thousands of supervised clinical hours
  • Passing a comprehensive and rigorous licensing exam
  • Engaging in continuing education to stay up to date on topics in the field

Being a licensed mental health counselor acts as a safeguard, helping ensure that the counselor is qualified to provide competent and ethical care.

Working with a licensed professional counselor means:

  • Ethical Standards: Licensed professional counselors must follow ethics codes and rules from their licensing boards and professional organizations, like the American Counseling Association.
  • Accountability: If something happens, there is a process for filing complaints to make sure that counselors are held responsible if they violate any of their ethical codes. Licensing boards are there to help protect the public from malpractice or wrongdoing.
  • Quality Assurance: To ensure the highest level of care, licensing boards oversee education, supervision, and ongoing training.

It is important to note that licensing requirements vary by state. Some states use different licensing titles, allow temporary licenses, or grant provisional licenses during the supervisory period. Make sure to verify the counselor’s license on the state board’s website.

FAQs

What’s the difference between ADD and ADHD?

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is an outdated term and is no longer used. The correct diagnosis is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which has three types:

  1. Inattentive Type (formerly called ADD): Trouble with focus, forgetfulness, distractibility
  2. Hyperactive-Impulsive Type: Restlessness, fidgeting, impulsivity
  3. Combined Type: A mix of inattentive and hyperactive symptoms
Why are ADHD Symptoms in Women Often Missed or Misdiagnosed?

ADHD was historically thought of as a young boy’s disorder, and the research reflects this. Girls are also socialized to “mask” symptoms more than boys, leading to later diagnoses.

ADHD in women often presents as inattentiveness, rather than hyperactivity. This can be mistaken for anxiety or depression, especially because women tend to internalize symptoms.

Is ADHD Medication Necessary, or are There Effective Non-Medication Treatments?

Medication can be necessary and effective in managing ADHD symptoms, but is not the only option available. Coaching, therapy, mindfulness, exercise, and dietary changes can be helpful.

Certain supplements like Omega-3s, green tea, and saffron have also been shown to improve ADHD symptoms. An integrative approach implementing several options tends to work the best.

Is ADHD a Real Sisability, or Just an Excuse for Poor Behavior?

ADHD is a very real neurodevelopmental disorder recognized by the American Psychiatric Association.

It can be debilitating and cause an individual significant problems with their daily functioning. ADHD affects executive functioning, attention, emotional regulation, and more. Dismissing it as an “excuse” only adds to the stigma and stops people from getting the help they need.

How Accurate are Online ADHD Tests?

While online ADHD tests can help reflect on symptoms, they are not diagnostic tools. Only a trained professional can administer a full ADHD assessment, which could involve a clinical interview, evidence-based assessments, and interviewing other people in your life.

Try Therapy Online with BetterHelp

How Mental Health Counselors Support Therapy and Well-Being

Therapy isn’t just for someone when they are in crisis. Mental health counselors help individuals understand themselves, manage stress, heal from pain, improve communication in relationships, and grow through life’s challenges.

Counselors also help manage mental health conditions, such as:

  • Anxiety: Challenging irrational fears and learning calming strategies.
  • Depression: Shifting negative thought patterns and reconnecting with meaning
  • Trauma: Offering a safe space to process, reduce symptoms, and heal.
  • Relationship struggles: Exploring communication, boundaries, and repair.

Some people come to therapy for a brief time, while others may stay for years. Long-term therapy can help unpack patterns, process complex trauma, and provide a consistent, safe, supportive space for continued growth.

How to Find a Mental Health Counselor Near Me

An older couple speaks with a mental health counselor

If you are searching for “find mental health counselors near me”, it can be difficult to know where to start. Helpful resources include:

  • Online Directories: Some websites allow individuals to search for mental health counselors based on certain criteria, such as location, specialty, or other preferences.
  • Insurance Provider Lists: Most insurances will have a list that will allow you to search for in-network counselors by location or specialty.
  • Referrals: Ask your doctor, friends, or coworkers if they know someone they trust.
  • Professional Organizations: Check out state or national counseling websites to find providers and verify licensure.

Some considerations when choosing a mental health counselor include:

  • Specialization: Do they have experience with what you’re going through (ADHD, trauma, grief, etc.)?
  • Modality: Are you looking for someone who offers CBT, EMDR, or another type of therapy?
  • Insurance and Fees: Check if they accept your insurance or have sliding scale rates.
  • Fit: The therapeutic relationship is one of the biggest predictors of success in therapy. Don’t be afraid to ask for a consultation to ask questions and see if it feels right before scheduling.

Mental health counselors are caring, trained professionals who help others become improved, more authentic versions of themselves. Whether you’re dealing with something like ADHD or need support during a difficult time, a licensed professional counselor can make a big difference in your journey to feeling better.

Try Therapy Online with BetterHelp