Life as a provider
How much do therapists make in Massachusetts?
Whether you’re considering becoming a therapist or are already in practice, you may be curious about the average salary of providers here.
February 6, 2026
4 min read
How much a therapist makes depends on many factors, from license type and years of experience to where you practice and whether you accept insurance. Understanding how these pieces fit together can help you make informed decisions about your career path, your caseload, and the kind of practice you want to build. It also helps you stay grounded in why you became a therapist in the first place.
Below, learn more about how much therapists can make in Massachusetts, and how Headway helps providers earn higher salaries without administrative stress.
Key insights
1
Therapists in Massachusetts can earn anywhere from $43,000 to more than $100,000 a year, depending on license type.
2
Psychiatrists in Massachusetts can earn anywhere from $77,500 to $300,000+ a year.
3
Factors such as license type, specialties, location, and work setting all play a role in determining a mental health provider’s income.
4
Headway can help therapists earn more by negotiating better insurance rates, ensuring regular, bi-weekly payment, and taking the administrative burden so providers can focus more on seeing clients.
How much you can make in Massachusetts depends on your license type
License type has a strong impact on mental healthcare providers’ salaries. Along with the amount of education received, license types influence how and where a provider can practice (which in turn affects pay). Below, find some of the most common license types and potentially salary ranges in Massachusetts, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT): $47,760–$90,070
- Licensed professional counselor: $43,220–$91,260
- Clinical social worker: $49,280–$100,110
- Psychologist: $52,870–$132,840
- Psychiatrist: $77,500–$300,000+
How much do therapists make per hour in Massachusetts?
A therapist’s hourly rate, much like salary, varies based on geographic location, work setting, and insurance billing practices. As with overall salary, license type tends to play the most important role in hourly rate. On average, LMFTs, counselors, and social workers typically earn $30-35 an hour in Massachusetts. Psychologists can make around $50 an hour, and psychiatrists can make more than $100 an hour. These differences reflect variations in training, scope of practice, and clinical responsibility across license types.
Overall, when it comes to hourly rates or reimbursement rates, the dollar amount refers to what providers receive when they get individually credentialed with certain insurance plans. Headway makes credentialing with a range of plans easy, allowing you to focus on your clients instead of paperwork.
How much do therapists make in Boston?
Therapists in urban settings like Boston can often earn more than therapists in suburban or rural areas due to demand for services. The average salary for a licensed counselor in Boston is $65,330, and the average salary for a psychologist in Boston is around $116,000.
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What influences how much therapists make in Massachusetts?
In Massachusetts, therapists tend to make higher than the national average. In addition to level of education and the ability to prescribe medication, therapist earnings in Massachusetts are also shaped by experience and specialization. Experience plays a meaningful role, with clinicians who have spent more years in practice often able to command higher rates than those earlier in their careers. Specialization also matters. Therapists with advanced training in areas such as trauma, substance use disorders, or niche modalities like art or play therapy may see higher earning potential due to increased demand for their expertise.
Location is another key driver, as compensation tends to be higher in large metropolitan areas with higher costs of living. Finally, practice setting can significantly affect income. Community mental health and hospital-based roles often offer lower salaries but provide stability and benefits, while group practices and private practice models typically offer greater earning potential. Therapists who operate their own private practices, in particular, may earn more if they build a strong local reputation and maintain consistent client demand.
How much can therapists make with Headway?
As we’ve established, a therapist’s salary depends on numerous factors. One of the most important elements is whether or not a therapist bills insurance. Along with making it easy for therapists of all backgrounds and license types to get credentialed with insurance payers, Headway negotiates competitive rates and ensures consistent, biweekly payment for all providers.
By doing the legwork to develop partnerships with insurance companies, Headway allows providers to access negotiated reimbursement rates without sacrificing a portion of their earnings or taking on additional administrative burden.
How Headway helps you build a profitable practice
Headway makes it easier for therapists to build practices that are both financially stable and professionally fulfilling. By negotiating strong insurance rates and managing billing, credentialing, and claims, Headway removes many of the barriers that can limit earning potential.
Providers benefit from predictable, bi-weekly payments and fewer administrative expenses, helping create steady cash flow. With less time spent on paperwork and insurance logistics, therapists can focus on delivering high-quality care while maintaining a practice that supports long-term growth.
This content is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute clinical, legal, financial, or professional advice. All decisions should be made at the discretion of the individual or organization, in consultation with qualified clinical, legal, or other appropriate professionals.
© 2025 Therapymatch, Inc. dba Headway. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.
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