Employment of mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists is expected to grow by 37 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. Employment of mental health counselors is expected to grow by 36 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. Employment of marriage and family therapists is expected to grow by 41 percent over the same period, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Insurance companies increasingly provide for reimbursement of counselors and marriage and family therapists as a less costly alternative to psychiatrists and psychologists. People seeking mental health treatment are more likely to see a mental health counselor or a marriage and family therapist over other providers.
Furthermore, more people are expected to seek treatment for problems with mental and emotional problems than in earlier decades. As the population grows, the number of individuals entering therapy is expected to increase as well. This trend will cause a continued demand for counselors in mental health centers, hospitals, and colleges.
From 2010 to 2020, employment growth of mental health counselors in industries employing the most mental health counselors is expected to be as follows:
| Individual and family services | 50% |
| Residential mental health and substance abuse facilities | 44 |
| Outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers | 34 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 17 |
| State and local government, excluding education and hospitals | 12 |
From 2010 to 2020, employment growth for marriage and family therapists in industries employing the most marriage and family therapists is expected to be as follows:
| Offices of mental health practitioners (except physicians) | 96% |
| Individual and family services | 51 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 46 |
| Outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers | 34 |
| State and local government, excluding education and hospitals | 12 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition