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Mental Health Counsellor

Healthcare

Counsel and advise individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health, with an emphasis on prevention. May help individuals deal with a broad range of mental health issues, such as those associated with addictions and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; or aging.

Allied Health

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Maintain confidentiality of records relating to clients' treatment.
  2. 2Encourage clients to express their feelings and discuss what is happening in their lives, helping them to develop insight into themselves or their relationships.
  3. 3Counsel clients or patients, individually or in group sessions, to assist in overcoming dependencies, adjusting to life, or making changes.
  4. 4Assess patients for risk of suicide attempts.
  5. 5Fill out and maintain client-related paperwork, including federal- and state-mandated forms, client diagnostic records, and progress notes.
  6. 6Perform crisis interventions to help ensure the safety of the patients and others.
  7. 7Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems.
  8. 8Perform crisis interventions with clients.
  9. 9Prepare and maintain all required treatment records and reports.
  10. 10Develop and implement treatment plans based on clinical experience and knowledge.
  11. 11Collect information about clients through interviews, observation, or tests.
  12. 12Modify treatment activities or approaches as needed to comply with changes in clients' status.
  13. 13Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling programs on clients' progress in resolving identified problems and moving towards defined objectives.
  14. 14Evaluate clients' physical or mental condition, based on review of client information.
  15. 15Supervise other counselors, social service staff, assistants, or graduate students.
  16. 16Refer patients, clients, or family members to community resources or to specialists as necessary.
  17. 17Discuss with individual patients their plans for life after leaving therapy.
  18. 18Act as client advocates to coordinate required services or to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations.
  19. 19Collaborate with mental health professionals and other staff members to perform clinical assessments or develop treatment plans.
  20. 20Learn about new developments in counseling by reading professional literature, attending courses and seminars, or establishing and maintaining contact with other social service agencies.
  21. 21Plan, organize, or lead structured programs of counseling, work, study, recreation, or social activities for clients.
  22. 22Gather information about community mental health needs or resources that could be used in conjunction with therapy.
  23. 23Monitor clients' use of medications.
  24. 24Counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, or supporting clients or patients.
  25. 25Plan or conduct programs to prevent substance abuse or improve community health or counseling services.
  26. 26Meet with families, probation officers, police, or other interested parties to exchange necessary information during the treatment process.
  27. 27Coordinate or direct employee workshops, courses, or training about mental health issues.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • BSS
  • LPC
  • CMHC
  • LMHC
  • LCMHC
  • Clinician
  • Counselor
  • Case Manager
  • EAP Consultant
  • Elder Counselor

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationMaster's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BiologyDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Sports ScienceDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BusinessDraws directly on Administrative — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Electrical & Electronic Eng. StudiesDraws directly on Telecommunications — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Therapy and Counseling100%

    BiologySports Science

  • Psychology99%
  • Customer and Personal Service90%
  • English Language86%

    English

  • Sociology and Anthropology83%
  • Education and Training75%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersA little
  • Handling conflict situationsOften
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Guide clients in the development of skills or strategies for dealing with their problems and coping with triggering factors.
  • Respond to client communications by monitoring voicemail and email, returning phone calls, and making follow-up calls for missed appointments.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

12%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.46%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: School / Career Counsellor

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Mental Health Counselors

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue