Community & Social · SOC 21-1014
Mental health counseling is built on human presence and therapeutic trust — documentation support is where AI will contribute most.
Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
Timeline: AI documentation assistants will reduce administrative burden within a few years, but mental health counseling's therapeutic core depends on human empathy, presence, and licensure — displacement risk is very low.
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$58,570 median pay
Community & Social
$63,780 median pay
$60,060 median pay
$51,030 median pay
$54,840 median pay
AI job-risk card
Mental Health Counselors is resilient on AIFear. Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
AIFear.com
Our AI Fear Score for Mental Health Counselors is 25/100 (Resilient). Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
25 out of 100, based on an AI-model review of this occupation's O*NET tasks against what current AI can actually do.
Most exposed: Preparing and maintaining treatment records and reports, Evaluating treatment program effectiveness using outcome data, Planning community health program content and curricula. Harder to automate: Individual and group counseling and therapy sessions, Performing crisis interventions and safety planning, Maintaining confidentiality and therapeutic alliance, Adapting care in real-time to client emotional state.
Lean into Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Motivational interviewing, Suicide risk assessment, Trauma-informed care, Telehealth counseling. Consider roles such as Licensed professional counselor (supervisor) or Clinical psychologist or Psychiatric nurse practitioner.
Tasks, skills and AI-exposure for this role were reviewed by an AI model against its O*NET task profile (curated roles use published research anchors). Pay and employment, where shown, are U.S. BLS OEWS (May 2024) figures. This is an estimate, not a prediction about any individual's job. Compare all occupations.