Career Atlas
Community & Social Service

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Counselors

SOC 21-1018

Counsel people through addiction and mental health struggles toward recovery.

Median pay
$59k
$47k to $77k typical range
Outlook
Growing fast
51k openings / yr
Education
Bachelor's
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person · our model, not a benchmark
Works with AI
10/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
56th pct
More exposed than 56% of occupations · modeled estimate · 63th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
68/100

Key skills

Where this ranks

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.