Mental Health Counsellor Salary in Canada | Breakdown by Province
In 2025, the median Mental Health Counsellor salary in Canada is $34 per hour. Entry-level customer care positions start at roughly $23 per hour, while top-tier, experienced attendants make up to $50 per hour. Pay scales vary depending on your province and technical skill level.
Mental Health Counsellors in Canada: job prospects, employment requirements, licensing.
In Canada, mental health counsellors are classified under NOC 41301 as therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies, provide individual and group counselling to help clients address personal, emotional, behavioural and mental health issues, develop coping strategies, and achieve personal goals in private practice, community agencies, hospitals, schools and employee assistance programs. Approximately 69,900 people worked in this occupation in 2023. Job prospects are balanced nationally through 2033, with about 33,300 projected job openings relatively similar to the expected 33,900 job seekers, supported by strong demand for mental health services, population needs, and replacement demand.
Median hourly earnings stand at about 34.00 Canadian dollars nationally, with typical ranges from 23.00 to 50.00 dollars per hour depending on experience, location, province, practice setting and whether the role is salaried or fee-for-service. Most positions require a master’s degree in counselling, psychology or a related field, supervised clinical experience, and provincial registration or certification where applicable, with work conditions generally involving full-time or part-time office or virtual roles with flexible but often irregular hours including evenings and weekends to accommodate clients in emotionally demanding, client-centred environments focused on confidentiality and therapeutic support.
Licensing
Compare Nurse wages across Canada.
Mental Health Counsellor Salary by Province
| MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELLOR (NOC 41301) | |||
| 2025 | Wages/hr | ||
| Community/Area | Low | Median | High |
| Canada | 23.00 | 34.00 | 50.00 |
| Newfoundland and L | 26.00 | 31.00 | 43.96 |
| Prince Edward Island | 20.00 | 31.50 | 43.34 |
| Nova Scotia | 20.00 | 30.67 | 43.00 |
| New Brunswick | 18.90 | 32.00 | 48.81 |
| Quebec | 27.30 | 38.00 | 48.00 |
| Ontario | 23.00 | 33.00 | 48.00 |
| Manitoba | 24.61 | 36.00 | 51.37 |
| Saskatchewan | 25.00 | 37.00 | 53.00 |
| Alberta | 22.45 | 38.46 | 54.00 |
| British Columbia | 25.00 | 39.50 | 51.15 |
| Yukon Territory | 31.90 | 47.69 | 50.30 |
| Northwest Territories | 28.89 | 53.15 | 70.12 |
| Nunavut | 42.00 | 54.95 | 60.00 |
| Source: Job Bank. 2026 | |||
