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About Mental Health
You'll become
Average Salaries
Mental Health workers may earn between $40,000 and $74,000 per year
Make a real difference in someone else’s life and play a leading role in the challenging and rewarding health sector by studying a mental health course.
You love connecting with people and want a career where you can make a real difference. Now, learn the essential skills required to help people engaging meaningfully with all aspects of society by studying a mental health course.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in five Australians experiences poor mental health, but only a third of those people seek assistance. With figured predicted to rise, there’s a clear need for skilled professionals to bridge the gap and connect with people, to ensure all Australians are living the vibrant, fulfilling lives they deserve.
If you’re empathetic, enjoy listening, and want to use your career to make a difference in the lives of other people, a career in mental health is for you.
You may pursue a career in mental health by studying a psychology course or a counselling or social work course as a certificate or diploma course or as a bachelor’s or master’s degree. While counsellors, social workers and youth workers use the same cognitive and behavioural tools in their work as psychologists do, they do not undergo the same rigorous training and regulation as registered psychologists and psychiatrists.
After completing a mental health course, you may choose to train further in order to qualify as a psychologist or psychiatrist, or may work as a youth worker, social worker, school counsellor, drug and alcohol counsellor, family counsellor or welfare worker.
Working in similar ways to psychologists, mental health workers offer support and assistance to people suffering emotional distress, and provide people with practical tools and information to work through issues in their lives, careers and relationships. If you want to channel your natural empathy and kind ear into a rewarding and in-demand career, studying a mental health course is your next career step.
What do mental health graduates do?
Mental health workers work closely with clients to provide information and support and to help clients work through social environmental and cognitive issues in their lives, careers and relationships.
Mental health workers may work in a variety of industries, including working in school counselling, drug and alcohol counselling, rehabilitation counselling and relationship counselling. As such, the nature of your work and the issues you discuss with clients will vary, depending on your role.
However, you can generally expect to perform tasks like:
- Meeting with clients and asking questions to determine their background, environment and emotional and social issues;
- Examining and recording information relevant to the client and assessing client needs and goals;
- Providing information and resources to the client, including career advice, study and employment options, skills training, resources for drug and alcohol abuse, and information about other services;
- Conducting group or couple interviews with client and other family members, partners and relevant stakeholders;
- Assisting clients and stakeholders with understanding and adjusting attitudes, expectations and behaviours to develop more effective interpersonal relationships;
- Providing and demonstrating cognitive behaviour tools and therapies;
- Discussing avenues for behaviour change;
- Consulting with clients to develop rehabilitation plans, taking into account the broader societal context of the client’s environment, and their specific emotional and social needs;
- Providing general information, understanding and advice to clients.
Career Outcomes
Career Outcomes
After completing a mental health course, you’ll be qualified to seek employment in a range of roles that involve advising and counselling people
Get qualified to work as a:
- Counsellor
- Human Resources Manager
- Youth Worker
- Social Worker
- Advertising Strategist
- Market Research Analyst
- Marketer/Marketing Manager
- Medical Device Developer
- Business Management
- Community Outreach Worker
- Research and Education
- Secondary School Teacher
- Primary Teacher
- Forensic Psychologist
- Clinical Psychologist
- Program Manager
- Community Worker
- Family Support Worker
- Welfare Worker
- Case Manager
- Case Coordinator
- Program Coordinator
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Is mental health right for you?
You’ll thrive working in the mental health sector if you:
- Are empathetic
- Are resilient
- Have excellent listening skills
- Are highly organised
- Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Want to help people in your work
- See people’s potential
- Have excellent administrative skills
- Like solving problems
- Are a good listener
- Are patient
- Care deeply about others’ well-being
Job opportunities
According to the Australian Government’s Job Outlook, the mental health sector in Australia is large and steadily growing. Job Outlook reports that job opportunities in the sector have increased strongly over the last decade, and predicts that this trend will continue until at least 2020. Currently, approximately 60,900 people are employed as mental health workers in Australia, and Job Outlook reports this will increase to approximately 72,500 people by 2020.
Average Salaries
According to PayScale, mental health support workers can expect to earn between $40,000 and $74,000 per year, with an average annual salary of approximately $54,000. PayScale notes that nearly two thirds of all mental health support workers have fewer than five years of professional experience, indicating that people move on from this role as their careers progress. PayScale reports that a case manager may earn between $42,000 and $82,000 per year, with an annual average salary of approximately $63,000.