How much do mental health workers make per hour?

Mental health workers make $17.72 an hour, on average ($36,000 a year). There is some range in the earning potential of a mental health worker - starting from as little $12.82 to as much as $26.92 an hour. Factors such as location and company impact how much a mental health worker can make.

What qualifications do you need to be a mental health worker?

The primary qualification needed to become a mental health worker is relevant education. Levels of acceptable education vary for mental health workers, but minimum standards are required to be considered for a position in this field.

How To Become A Mental Health Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a mental health associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Logan Lamprecht Ph.D.

Mental health associates assist medical professionals in diagnosing and treating mental, developmental, and behavioral disorders in people. They work in hospitals, mental institutions, nursing homes, schools, and many more.

A big part of this job includes mediating between patients, nurses, and doctors. You will be responsible for helping patients with daily activities, such as hygiene routines, social programs, and the like. Occasionally you might be tasked with conducting therapy sessions or facilitating interventions as well.

Formal education is generally required to be considered for this position, like a degree in psychology or social work. Gaining experience in the field by doing internships or volunteering can also boost your chances of getting accepted to work at a relevant facility.

What general advice would you give to a Mental Health Associate?

Logan Lamprecht Ph.D.

Clinical Assistant Professor, Counseling Clinic Director, Idaho State University

As they are starting their careers as professional counselors, most counseling graduates will likely work in a community practice, which I think is invaluable for continued professional development. I have seen several graduates try to go right into the private way, which can be enticing, due to the pay difference, but can challenge the trajectory of the student's growth - in addition to cutting themselves off from collegiality and informal consultation opportunities that are built into a team environment in community practice. There are several challenges to being professional, away from the support of a training environment, and having healthy boundaries and acceptable self-care practices in place are vital to the practitioner's longevity and ability to provide competent care.

ScoreMental Health AssociateUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,510

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.3

Growth Rate 9%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.12%

Black or African American 7.90%

Hispanic or Latino 7.90%

Unknown 6.24%

White 74.22%

Gender

female 66.99%

male 33.01%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

9.3

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.5

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a mental health associate

Explore mental health associate education requirements

Most common mental health associate degrees

Bachelor's

66.0 %

Master's

12.7 %

Associate

11.1 %

Start to develop specific mental health associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	23.91%
Customer Service	9.22%
Vital Signs	7.36%
CPR	5.71%
Safety Checks	4.46%

Complete relevant mental health associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New mental health associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a mental health associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real mental health associate resumes.

Research mental health associate duties and responsibilities

Lead a number of psychotherapy groups including DBT.
Manage other MHA's in their duties and help them problem solving in tense and stressful situations.
Respond to and assist in behavioral codes working as a team member to successfully manage patient using methods obtain in CPI training
Require to participate as an interdisciplinary treatment team member and assist patients in managing activities of daily living.

Prepare your mental health associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your mental health associate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a mental health associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Mental Health Associate Resume templates

Build a professional Mental Health Associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Mental Health Associate resume.

Apply for mental health associate jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a mental health associate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do mental health associates rate their job?

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Mental Health Associate reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2022

Cons

The system is BROKEN! The clients are either entitled or not truly receiving the help they really need.