Mental health professional
A mental health professional is a health care practitioner or social and human services provider who offers services for the purpose of improving an individual's mental health or to treat mental disorders. This broad category was developed as a name for community personnel who worked in the new community mental health agencies begun in the 1970s to assist individuals moving from state hospitals, to prevent admissions, and to provide support in homes, jobs, education, and community. These individuals were the forefront brigade to develop the community programs, which today may be referred to by names such as supported housing, psychiatric rehabilitation, supported or transitional employment, sheltered workshops, supported education, daily living skills, affirmative industries, dual diagnosis treatment, individual and family psychoeducation, adult day care, foster care, family services and mental health counseling.
Psychiatrists - physicians who use the biomedical model to treat mental health problems - may prescribe medication. The term counselors often refers to office-based professionals who offer therapy sessions to their clients, operated by organizations such as pastoral counseling and family counselors. Mental health counselors may refer to counselors working in residential services in the field of mental health in community programs.
As community professionals
As Dr. William Anthony, father of psychiatric rehabilitation, described, psychiatric nurses, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, mental health counselors, professional counselors, pharmacists, as well as many other professionals are often educated in "psychiatric fields" or conversely, educated in a generic community approach. However, his primary concern is education that leads to a willingness to work with "long-term services and supports" community support in the community to lead to better life quality for the individual, the families and the community.The community support framework in the US of the 1970s is taken-for-granted as the base for new treatment developments which tend to be free-standing clinics for specific "disorders". Typically, the term "mental health professional" does not refer to other categorical disability areas, such as intellectual and developmental disability. Psychiatric rehabilitation has also been reintroduced into the transfer to behavioral health care systems.
As certified and licensed (across institutions and communities)
These professionals often deal with the same illnesses, disorders, conditions, and issues ; however, their scope of practice differs and more particularly, their positions and roles in the fields of mental health services and systems. The most significant difference between mental health professionals are the laws regarding required education and training across the various professions. However, the most significant change has been the Supreme Court Olmstead decision on the most integrated setting which should further reduce state hospital utilization; yet with new professionals seeking right for community treatment orders and rights to administer medications.In 2013, new mental health practitioners are licensed or certified in the community by states, degrees and certifications are offered in fields such as psychiatric rehabilitation, BA psychology to MA licensing is now more popular, BA mid-level program management, qualified civil service professionals, and social workers remain the mainstay of community admissions procedures in the US. Surprisingly, state direction has moved from psychiatry or clinical psychology to community leadership and professionalization of community services management.
Entry level recruitment and training remain a primary concern, and the US Direct Support Workforce includes an emphasis on also training of psychiatric aides, behavioral aides, and addictions aides to work in homes and communities. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare have new provisions for "self-direction" in services and new options are in place for individual plans for better life outcomes. Community programs are increasingly using health care financing, such as Medicaid, and Mental Health Parity is now law in the US.
Professional distinctions
Comparison of American mental health professionals
| Occupation | Degree | Common licenses | Prescription privilege | Average income |
| Psychiatrist | MD/DO | Physician | Yes | $275,000 |
| Psychiatric Rehabilitation Counselor | Master of Rehabilitation Sciences PhD Doctor of Philosophy | Similar to Related Personnel, Rehabilitation Counselors | No | $50,000 |
| Clinical Psychologist | PhD/PsyD | Psychologist | Varies by State | $85,000 |
| School Psychologist | Doctoral level PhD/EdD/PsyD Post-master's terminal degree EdS Doctoral degrees, PhD Inclusion educators Master's level MA/MS | Certified School Psychology, National Certified School Psychologist | No | $78,000 |
| Counselor/Psychotherapist | PhD/EdD/DMFT | Psychologist | No | $45,000-$75,000 |
| Counselor/Psychotherapist/Rehabilitation/Mental Health | MA/MS/MC plus two to three years of post-master's supervised clinical experience | Mental health counselors/LMFT/LCPC/LPC/LPA/LMHC | No | $49,000 |
| Clinical or Psychiatric Social Worker | MSW/DSW/PhD plus two to three years of post-master's supervised clinical experience | LCSW/LMSW/LSW | No | $50,700 |
| Social Worker | MSW/DSW/PhD | LMSW/GSW/LSW | No | $46,170-$70,000 |
| Social Worker | BSW or SSW | RSW, RSSW, SWA, social work assistant | No | $35,000 |
| Occupational therapist | MOT, MSOT, OTD, ScD, PhD | Related supervised community personnel in physical, speech and communication, OTR, COTA | No | $45,000-69,630 |
| Licensed behavior analysts Licensed dual inclusion educators Behavior analyst, substance abuse and behavioral disorders, "inclusion educator" | PhD/EdD/MS/MEd/MA | LBA/LBS/BCBA/BCBA-D Dual Licensed inclusion educator | No | $60,000, $80,000 up for inclusion educator |
| Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner | MSN/DNP/PhD | PMHNP-BC | Yes | $128,000 |
| Physician assistant | MPAS/MHS/MMS/DScPA | PA/PA-C/APA-C/RPA/RPA-C | Yes | $124,000 |
| Expressive Therapist/Creative Arts Therapist | MA/ATR/ATR-BC | ATR-BC/MT-BC/BC-DMT/RDT/CPT | No | $30,000-70,000 |
Additional Sources/Clarifications: now operating programs with health care financing in the community. Higher paid medical and health services manager which only operates facilities, considered to be easier than dispersed services management in the community for long-term services and supports often by disability NGOs or state governments.
The Mental Health Professional Class has often not been included in these occupational schemas in which Occupational Handbooks often separate Human Service Management Classes and Professional Classes from the term Health Care. Common salary ranges are in the $30,000-40,000 for the higher professional at the small community agency. The professionals are considered to be part of the federal Health and Human Services Professions. Their responsibilities at the high gates are greater than a psychiatrist assistant who is responsible, to date, only to the psychiatrist. The occupational therapist is considered as an aide to that professional level, as is a behavioral specialist as hired by the agency and the nurse practitioner. Mental health workers in the community may still be termed Community Support Workers with diverse degrees and qualifications .
Children's professionals in the field of mental health include inclusion educators who have been cross-educated in the fields, and "residential treatment" personnel which need dual reviews of credentials.
Treatment diversity and community mental health
Mental health professionals exist to improve the mental health of individuals, couples, families and the community-at-large. Because mental health covers a wide range of elements, the scope of practice greatly varies between professionals. Some professionals may enhance relationships while others treat specific mental disorders and illness; still, others work on population-based health promotion or prevention activities. Often, as with the case of psychiatrists and psychologists, the scope of practice may overlap often due to common hiring and promotion practices by employers.As indicated earlier, community mental health professionals are involved in the origination and operation of community programs which include ongoing efforts to improve life outcomes, including through long term services and support. Termed functional or competency-based programs, this service also stressed decision making and self-determination or empowerment as critical aspects. Community mental health professionals may also serve children who have different needs, as do families, including family therapy, financial assistance and support services. Community mental health professionals serve people of all ages from young children with autism, to children with emotional needs, to grandma who has Alzheimer's or dementia and is living at home after dad dies.
Most qualified mental health professionals will refer a patient or client to another professional if the specific type of treatment needed is outside of their scope of practice. The main community concern is "zero rejection" from community services for individuals who have been termed "hard to serve" in the population or who have additional needs such as mobility and sensory impairments. Additionally, many mental health professionals may sometimes work together using a variety of treatment options such as concurrent psychiatric medication and psychotherapy and supported housing. Additionally, specific mental health professionals may be utilized based upon their cultural and religious background or experience, as part of a theory of both alternative medicines and of the nature of helping and ethnicity.
Primary care providers, such as internists, pediatricians, and family physicians, may provide initial components of mental health diagnosis and treatment for children and adults; however, family physicians in some states refuse to even prescribe a psychotropic medication deferring to separately funded "medication management" services. Community programs in the categorical field of mental health were designed to have a personal family physician for every client in their programs, except for institutional settings and nursing facilities which have only one or two for a large facility.
In particular, family physicians are trained during residency in interviewing and diagnostic skills, and may be quite skilled in managing conditions such as ADHD in children and depression in adults. Likewise, many pediatricians may be taught the basic components of ADHD diagnosis and treatment during residency. In many other circumstances, primary care physicians may receive additional training and experience in mental health diagnosis and treatment during their practice years.