Become A Mental Health Counselor - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Become A Mental Health Counselor

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

A mental health counselor assesses and treats mental and emotional health disorders caused by relationship issues or life challenges.

According to World Health Organization, mental health conditions are increasing globally. Mental disorders involve a significant disturbance in thinking, emotional regulation, or behavior.

To become a mental health counselor, learn various psychotherapy skills so you can identify triggers and help patients to cope with negative emotions and reduce symptoms of mental disorder.

Becoming a mental health counselor requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell mental health service, or selling mental health service online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

market size
$2.1B
starting costs
$11.7K
gross margin
90%
time to build
210 days
growth
Organic social media
business model
Subscriptions
time investment
Full time

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Office Space Expenses

$0

$7,000

Employee & Freelancer Expenses

$150

$250

Website Costs

$223

$7,015

Business Formation Fees

$600

$4,700

Software Expenses

$162

$2,894

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$0

$1,400

Total Startup Costs

$1,135

$23,259

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

Anxiety, depression and suicide prevention support

beyondblue.org.au

82,628

Cardinal Innovations Healthcare

cardinalinnovations.org

85,335

NeuroGym

myneurogym.com

95,844

Marin Health and Human Services

marinhhs.org

117,177

Heights

yourheights.com

263,431

Self Improvement Blog

invajy.com

305,630

Trillium Health Resources

trilliumhealthresources.org

433,447

Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services Grand Rapids, MI

pinerest.org

479,298

HSA Home

santacruzhealth.org

497,610

Skyland Trail

skylandtrail.org

573,925

Mercy Health

mercyhealth.com.au

603,225

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Little startup costs required

The cost to start a mental health counselor costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 23,259.

Rewarding work

Starting a mental health counselor can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

No overhead costs

To get your mental health counselor started, there are no costs associated with overhead, storage, packaging, etc. This will save you a lot of time and money!

Cons Description

Crowded Space

Competition is high when it comes to your mental health counselor, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.

Longer Sales Process

A mental health counselor can be a big time and money investment for your customer, so it's important you plan and predict a longer conversion funnel and stay in communication with potential customers.

Work can be inconsistent

As a mental health counselor, the amount of work assigned to you and schedule tends to be more inconsistent, which may make your income less stable. It's important to set boundaries and budget accordingly based on the amount of work you plan to have.

Lack of benefits

With a mental health counselor, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.

Isolation

Often times, as a mental health counselor, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members.

Taxes

As a mental health counselor, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.