Description
Provide psychotherapy and counseling to individuals, couples, families, and groups to address mental, emotional, and behavioral concerns. Assess needs through interviews, observation, and standardized screenings; develop and implement evidence-based treatment plans; and support clients' personal, social, educational, and vocational functioning. Collaborate with healthcare and community providers, coordinate referrals, manage risk, and may design behavior-change programs.
- • Gather client information through interviews, histories, observations, and validated screening tools.
- • Provide individual, couple, family, and group therapy to address mental, emotional, and behavioral concerns.
- • Help clients manage crises, clarify goals, and develop realistic action plans.
- • Document session notes, progress, recommendations, and treatment plans in compliance with regulations.
- • Develop collaborative, person-centered treatment plans based on clients' strengths, needs, and preferences.
- • Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and, when permitted by license, diagnose disorders.
- • Deliver evidence-based interventions (e.g., CBT, DBT, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, play therapy).
- • Maintain required records and write clinical reports and summaries.
- • Consult and coordinate care with physicians, psychiatrists, therapists, and other providers.
- • Obtain and review medical, social, educational, and family histories from clients and collateral sources.
- • Monitor treatment effectiveness and modify goals, interventions, or diagnoses as needed.
- • Administer and interpret screening instruments and outcome measures within scope of practice.
- • Educate clients about counseling processes, treatment options, and self-help strategies.
- • Specify type, frequency, intensity, and duration of services in individualized treatment plans.
- • Collaborate with schools, agencies, and community resources to support client care.
- • Refer clients to specialists, community services, or higher levels of care when indicated.
- • Stay current with research, best practices, and legal/ethical standards.
- • Use professional literature and supervision to inform case formulation and treatment approaches.
- • Observe client behavior and interaction patterns to assess functioning and developmental needs.
- • Provide psychoeducation, prevention workshops, or outreach to community groups and organizations.
- • Support clients with educational, vocational, or occupational planning related to mental health goals.
- • Contribute to the development and improvement of counseling programs and group curricula.
- • Supervise, mentor, or coordinate activities of interns or support staff, as assigned.
- • Develop and deliver training for staff, students, or community partners on mental health topics.
- • Offer consulting services to organizations on mental health policies, programs, or complex cases.
- • Participate in quality improvement, program evaluation, or practice-based research initiatives.
- • Track outcomes and contribute to case reports, protocols, or practice guidelines.
- • Assess and manage risk for harm to self or others; create and implement safety plans.
- • Provide clinical summaries, progress letters, or recommendations for schools, employers, or courts within ethical and legal limits.
- • Provide supervision and training to clinicians in training and other counselors, where permitted.
Related specializations
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Interview options
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Available on paid plans only
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Related Pathways
Healthcare & Human Services
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
