Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Lake Forest, CA (2026)

Updated August 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Lake Forest, California has 24 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $9,329 to $64,984 per year for indexed programs. Lake Forest has a population of about 85,846. Median household income is $131,378 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $99,250 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Lake Forest

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer mental health counseling programs near Lake Forest, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lake Forest city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Lake Forest. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of Massachusetts Global

Aliso Viejo, CA 5.6 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
44.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,703
Avg net price $32,654/yr
Tuition
In‑state$12,540
Out‑of‑state$12,540
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 52%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, CA 35.8 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
96.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 92%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,816
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of Redlands

Redlands, CA 40.2 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
66.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 83%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,690
Avg net price $30,031/yr
Tuition
In‑state$60,878
Out‑of‑state$60,878
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

The Chicago School at Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 43.0 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
32.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,899
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 33%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Northcentral University

San Diego, CA 65.5 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
35.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,414
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Palo Alto University

Palo Alto, CA 361.3 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
92.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $83,187
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 4

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 389.1 miles from Lake Forest
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
78.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,077
Avg net price $12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California mental health counseling page.

Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Lake Forest

Lake Forest is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$51,910Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$45,695
Marriage and Family Therapist$71,110Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$62,597
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$99,250Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$87,368
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$78,410Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$69,023

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Lake Forest at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population85,846Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$131,378Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+50.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Lake Forest-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Lake Forest, CA?

Our directory has 24 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Lake Forest. The closest is University of Massachusetts Global in Irvine, CA (5.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of the West (35.6 miles). 6 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying mental health counseling roles near Lake Forest?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Lake Forest are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($99,250), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($78,410), Marriage and Family Therapist ($71,110). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Mission Viejo instead of Lake Forest?

Mission Viejo, CA is 3.7 miles from Lake Forest and has its own set of local mental health counseling programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Lake Forest an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Lake Forest’s median household income of $131,378 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lake Forest while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Mental Health Counseling Programs

Other Programs Available in Lake Forest

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Lake Forest:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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