Psychiatric Technician
West Hills College Coalinga · Coalinga, CA
- Cost
- $5,400
- Length
- 57 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 100%
Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 24
Small group — treat with caution
- Finished the program
- 100%Based on 24 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- 100%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $9,012A single quarter of earnings, roughly three months, not a yearly salary. Do not compare it directly with the yearly pay shown for the occupation.Typical California program: $10,900 of 1,339 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
No regional figures for this program's city
Coalinga is not one of the metropolitan or rural areas California names when it publishes wages and openings. A neighbouring area's figures would look exactly like a correct answer, so none are shown and the statewide figures stand alone. About half of California's programs are in this position.
Psychiatric Technicians
Job ads may call this: Residential Aide (RA) · Mental Health Associate · Mental Health Specialist · MHW (Mental Health Worker)
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.
- Administer oral medications or hypodermic injections, following physician's prescriptions and hospital procedures.
- 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.
Show 2 more things this job involves
- Lead prescribed individual or group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures.
- Issue medications from dispensary and maintain records in accordance with specified procedures.
- Typical pay in California
- $50,516per year
- Projected openings
- 16,680
- Projected change
- +27.5%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary non-degree award
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- Under 5 years in a related job
- Training after you are hired
- Under a month
Employers usually expect some time in a related job as well as the training. Ask the provider what their graduates did before they were hired.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: Four-year degree — 32% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: Postsecondary non-degree award. That is not one of the steps below, so there is no way to count how many people meet it.
- No high school diploma
- 2%
- High school diploma
- 15%
- Started college, no degree
- 27%
- Two-year degree
- 13%
- Four-year degree
- 32%
- Master's degree
- 10%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 1%
This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job. It is also measured on a different scale from “Usually needs” above, so the two cannot be subtracted from one another.
Psychiatric Aides
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Psychiatric Aide · Developmental Aide · Psychiatric Assistant · Mental Health Aide (MHA)
- Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.
- Provide patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.
- Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.
- Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.
Show 2 more things this job involves
- Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.
- Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, treatments, or discharge plans.
- Typical pay in California
- $48,703per year
- Projected openings
- 5,580
- Projected change
- +5.3%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- Under a month
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 37% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 7% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 7%
- High school diploma
- 37%
- Started college, no degree
- 27%
- Two-year degree
- 11%
- Four-year degree
- 14%
- Master's degree
- 4%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.8%
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
A program that prepares individuals under the supervision of psychiatrists psychologists nurses and other mental health care professionals to provide direct patient care services assist in developing and implementing treatment plans administer medications and perform related administrative functions. Includes instruction in mental health theory applied psychopathology patient communication and management crisis intervention psychotropic medication mental health treatment procedures substance abuse record-keeping clinical administrative skills and applicable standards and regulations.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.
The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator
No America's Job Center is within about 25 miles of this program's city. There is one further away — the finder below searches the whole state.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →