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Couple meeting counselor

Occupations: Counselors

Counselors

Overview of the profession:

Counselors play a vital role in the healthcare system by providing a broad array of essential services, including mental health therapy, addiction recovery, career guidance, and job-adaptivity support to individuals and families facing emotional, psychological, and social issues. Counselors specialize in techniques that emphasize problem-solving and equip patients with the tools and strategies to overcome challenges and meet their goals. To practice as a Counselor in Michigan, individuals must hold a Professional Counselor License (LPC) or a Marriage & Family Therapy (LMFT) license through the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). To be eligible for an LPC, individuals must complete a master-level counseling program accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling-Related Educational Programs (CACREP), accrue 3,000 hours of post-degree supervised work, and pass one of three national exams accepted by LARA. Individuals seeking an LMFT license must complete a master's or doctoral-level marriage, couple, and family counseling program that is state-approved or accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Education (COAMFTE). Then, master-trained individuals must accrue 1,000 post-degree supervised hours, and doctoral and master's licensure applicants must pass the National Marital and Family Therapy exam. Once licensed as an LPC or LMFT, Counselors work in clinics, private practice, community mental health agencies, rehabilitation and substance use recovery facilities, government agencies, and employment agencies, among many others. Counselors' role in empowering patients to set goals and develop coping strategies is crucial in creating positive patient mental health and societal-integration outcomes and contributing to a holistic healthcare system that better serves the community's physical and mental health needs.

 

MHC Insight collapsed three Counselor occupations and subspecialties into one counseling group for clarity of analysis surrounding the counseling labor force. The counseling subspecialties included under the counseling grouping are Marriage & Family Therapists, Rehabilitation Counselors, and Substance Abuse, Behavior Disorder & Mental Health Counselors.

 

Note: School Counselors are not included in the Counselor Outlook, although brief information regarding state licensure is included in the Career Pathway. For more in-depth information about School Counselors and the overall Counselor occupation, check out the Counselor Career Pathway Navigation Guide developed by MHC in partnership with MDE.

Overview

Senate Bill 1142 (SB 1142)

This bill would modify requirements for renewal of a school counselor credential.

Policy

Policy Highlights

Includes recent proposed legislation.
Data

Current Workforce Data

We've provided the latest data from Lightcast below. Click on the images to enlarge them and review them in further detail.

2024 Hourly Wages

10th Percentile
25th Percentile
Median
75th Percentile
90th Percentile
$15.59
$18.50
$23.42
$29.18
$37.90

Top Posted Job Titles

  • Licensed Therapists

  • Behavioral Health Therapists

  • Mental Health Therapists

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists

  • Licensed Medical Social Workers

  • Licensed Professional Counselors

  • Child and Adolescent Therapists

  • Licensed Mental Health Therapists

  • Telehealth Therapists

  • Licensed Mental Health Counselors

Index Ranking

#31

Ranked 31st (out of 36) "healthiest" profession according to the 2024 Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index.
Learn more here.

2024 Employment: 16,159

Projected 2034 Employment: 18,175 (+12%)

Highlighted Workforce Initiatives

Name: Mi-ELSiS​

Prosperity Region: Statewide
Description: Michigan Earn, Learn, and Serve in Schools (Mi-ELSiS) is a program that recruits graduate students studying School Social Work, School Psychology, and School Counseling to complete their field-work and a year-long service obligation at a school in a high-need local educational agencies in Michigan. Graduate students in the Mi-ELSiS program receive a $20,000 stipend that can be used to pay for their tuition, transportation, or other related expenses. Supervisors at the high-need schools will also receive a stipend for helping to train the graduate students.The goals of the program are to increase the number of school mental health providers in four high-need local educational agencies in Michigan and to retain those providers by hiring around half of the graduate students after the completion of the program.​

Name: Interprofessional Peer Education and Evidence for Recovery (I-PEER) Program​

Prosperity Region: 8
Description: The Interprofessional Peer Education and Evidence for Recovery (I-PEER) Program is a HRSA-funded program at Western Michigan University that trains masters-level students in their last year of their Social Work or Counselor Education program to provide culturally- and developmentally-appropriate, integrated, team-based care for adolescents and young adults in Michigan. Student participants receive a $10,000 stipend and are placed in rural counties or mental health professional shortage areas for their final placement or internship. Students are also trained on SBIRT, motivational interviewing, suicide prevention and goal attainment solutions. The purpose of the program is to increase the number of behavioral health workers who treat adolescents and young adults in Michigan. Licensed, community partners can also participate in self-paced trainings. 

Name: Central Michigan CMHA Workforce Retention Initiatives​

Prosperity Region: 5
Description: Central Michigan CMHA engages with local universities to strengthen the talent pipeline through internships and student education. Additionally, Central Michigan CMHA offers several workforce retention incentives, such as flexible work schedules, an employee referral program, sign-on bonuses for difficult-to-fill positions, and an enhanced benefits package. 

Initiatives
Career Pathway

Career Pathway

What’s needed to work as a Counselor in Michigan?

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To work as a Counselor in Michigan, individuals need to be licensed through either the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) or the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), depending on the specialty. Individuals who pursue a non-school-based counseling specialty (e.g., addiction, clinical mental health, rehabilitation, etc.) must complete a master’s-level counseling program accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling Related

Counseling Outlook.png

Educational Programs (CACREP). To be eligible to apply for licensure through LARA, they must also accrue 3,000 hours of post-degree supervised work and pass one of three national exams: the National Counselor exam, the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification exam or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling exam. Individuals specializing in marriage, couple & family counseling must complete a master’s or decorate program approved by the state or accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). To be eligible for LARA licensure, master’s trained Marriage, Couple, & Family Counselors must accrue 1,000 post-degree supervised hours, and both doctoral and master’s applicants must pass the National Marital and Family Therapy exam.

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​To work as a School Counselor, individuals must complete a state-approved school counseling program, complete a 600-hr practicum (of which 300 hours must take place in a school setting), and pass the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification School Counselor exam. Once they have completed these requirements, individuals can apply for licensure through MDE. Some School Counselors are also educators who hold a School Counselor (NT) endorsement. For more information on NT endorsements or counseling licensure generally, check out the Counselor Career Navigation Guide, developed in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education.

News

Featured Resources

Career Navigator Guide: Counselor Pathway

This guide is intended to be a resource for school counselors and other career professionals interested in helping high school students explore a career in counseling.

Latest Counselor News

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