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Counseling Careers
Counseling careers range from clinical roles, such as mental health and substance abuse counseling, to education roles, such as school, college and career counseling, and to specialized work with children, grief, crisis, rehabilitation, military families and faith communities. The 11 career guides below explain what each type of counselor does and how to become one. For how licensure works in your state, see our counseling licensure guide. If you are also weighing therapy or psychology, see how counseling, therapy and psychology careers compare.
Counseling Salary
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports pay for broad counseling occupations rather than for each specialty covered on this page. According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025, national employment and median annual wages for the counseling occupations it reports were:
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BLS occupation | Employment, May 2025 | Median annual wage, May 2025 |
|---|---|---|
Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors | 491,930 | $59,350 |
Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors | 353,310 | $64,330 |
Rehabilitation counselors | 94,740 | $46,850 |
Marriage and family therapists | 66,740 | $66,940 |
Counselors, all other | 28,580 | $50,860 |
The median is the midpoint wage across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and the employment figures count wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Of these occupations, marriage and family therapists had the highest median annual wage and rehabilitation counselors the lowest.
Pay also varies by work setting. For substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, the May 2025 median annual wage was $67,870 in local government, excluding schools and hospitals, compared with $49,330 in residential intellectual and developmental disability, mental health, and substance abuse facilities. For more on counselor pay, see our counselor salary guide.
Types of Counseling Careers
Mental Health Counselor
Mental health counselors provide therapeutic support to clients faced with mental, emotional and/or behavioral health issues, such as anxiety, depression, stress, low self-esteem and other concerns.
School Counselor
Professional school counselors provide services to students to support their academic, personal, and social development while working with teachers, administrators and parents.
Career Counselor
Career counseling helps individuals understand themselves and the world of work to make solid occupational, education, and life decisions.
Child Counselor
Child and adolescent counselors help children and teens with physical, emotional, or mental roadblocks that impede healthy development.
College Counselor
College counselors provide students with a variety of supports to promote overall academic, mental, and behavioral wellness.
Grief Counselor
Grief counselors support client growth from profound loss, death of a loved one, debilitating injury, terminal illness, divorce, or other personal bereavements.
Military Counselor
Military counselors assist active duty, veterans and their families on mental, emotional and social concerns related to the military lifestyle and experience.
Pastoral Counselor
In pastoral settings, counselors combine therapy with theological training to offer patients a unique and integrated approach to sessions.
Rehabilitation Counselor
For individuals with physical, mental, developmental, and/or emotional disabilities, rehabilitation counselors assist them in leading fulfilling and successful independent lives.
Substance Abuse Counselor
Substance abuse and addiction counselors work with clients to support their mental and physical health in order to accurately provide a holistic treatment of substance abuse disorders.
Frequently Asked Questions About Counseling Careers
It depends on the role. Among four-digit NAICS industry groups with published BLS estimates for May 2025, the largest employers of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors were private offices of other health practitioners (106,780 counselors), outpatient care centers (98,150) and individual and family services (80,530). Most educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors worked in elementary and secondary schools (173,950) or colleges, universities, and professional schools (95,050), according to the same BLS data.
Information last updated: October 2026