Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Salary Information

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Many people choose a career based on what will make them “happy” or give them the most satisfaction in the job itself. Wisdom dictates that thought-provoking research should be done when considering professional counseling as a career. Because of the nature of the profession, the individual performing the counseling tends to be “pouring out” quite a bit of the time. One must weigh out salary ranges and benefits with this type of exhaustive profession to make sure all monetary aspects are considered.

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Salaries

As with many professions, the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor salary and demand for position will range from state to state; even nation-to-nation. Credibility and experience in the field count for much. Facilitative employment or private practice may make the difference in salary as well. Government employment venues such as Veterans’ Affairs or not-for-profit organizations will perhaps have a much different pay scale than that of private practice or a large group that practices in semi-private fashion.

According to Salary.com, the average Licensed Professional Counselor working in Cambridge, Massachusetts makes $39,778 a year. Depending on research and personal effort put into a business plan and long term goals, there may be a better way to determine the final outcome of this daunting figure.

Marketing seems to be paramount. Analyzing some theoretical figures, this may help get a different perspective on the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor’s salary.

The average intake appointment for a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with a Master’s Degree is about $100.00 per 45 minutes session. (This figure is based on third party or insurance reimbursement norms.) Follow-up appointments will pay anywhere from $75.00 to $85.00.

At an estimate of $80.00 per session for 35 clients a week, with 45 minutes sessions, one could conclude actual counseling time to be 26.25 hours per week.

Vacation time must be considered and it can be calculated as anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks depending on personal need. Some figures to be considered in estimation of this information alone:

$80.00 x 35 clients = $2,800.00 per week or
48 weeks x $2,800.00 = $134,400 per year (based on 4 weeks vacation)

Private Practice Counseling

Private practice counseling seems to be the best way to advance into this profession, causing autonomy and gratifying salary with an extremely small amount of overhead. A small office that is easily accessible, along with minimal equipment for record-keeping will all be tax-deductible expense in favor of the professional. The professional counselor might also prefer to hire a billing company rather than spend the extra time in the office.

Perhaps the most expensive aspect of private practice counseling is marketing. There is no magic figure to assign to the marketing expense column. Perhaps an accurate estimation of 6% of an annual gross salary, $134,400, could be plugged into the equation.

Across the United States, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor employment outlook in hospitals, outpatient clinics, family service organizations, and private practices are growing at a rate of 29%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported the median Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor’s salary to be $41,500 per year.