Psychiatric Technicians
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · SOC 29-2053
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 29-2053 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 57/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $45,130
- H-1B offered wage $41,600; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- 7,500
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +20.0%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 5
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 18,450 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Care for individuals with mental or emotional conditions or disabilities, following the instructions of physicians or other health practitioners. Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report to medical staff. May participate in rehabilitation and treatment programs, help with personal hygiene, and administer oral or injectable medications.
Common titles: BHT (Behavioral Health Technician), Health Care Technician (Health Care Tech), LPT (Licensed Psychiatric Technician), Mental Health Associate, Mental Health Specialist, Mental Health Technician (MHT)
Representative Tasks
- •Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.
- •Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.
- •Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.
- •Lead prescribed individual or group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures.
- •Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Care for patients with mental illnesses.
- •Treat patients using psychological therapies.
- •Administer intravenous medications.
- •Administer non-intravenous medications.
- •Encourage patients or clients to develop life skills.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 5.4% |
| Outlook | Bright ↗ | 62% Bright |
| Median Salary | $45,130 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |