Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between behavioral specialists and therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a therapist has an average salary of $55,943, which is higher than the $42,029 average annual salary of a behavioral specialist.
The top three skills for a behavioral specialist include mental health, autism and applied behavior analysis. The most important skills for a therapist are social work, patients, and group therapy sessions.
| Behavioral Specialist | Therapist | |
| Yearly salary | $42,029 | $55,943 |
| Hourly rate | $20.21 | $26.90 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 74,968 | 159,770 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
A behavioral specialist is a psychological expert providing guidance and counseling to people who have behavioral issues affecting their abilities to learn and socialize with other people. Behavioral specialists assess the level of patients' behavior and make treatment plans to help them cope. They monitor the patient's progress and keep treatment reports, improving or adjusting treatment plans as needed. They also communicate with the patients' family and friends for treatment support, as well as coordinate with other health professionals for additional assistance.
A therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients. Some of their duties include diagnosing patient's problems, performing counseling services, monitoring medication progress, customizing therapy activities for pain management, and consulting other health professionals as needed. Therapists must have extensive knowledge with the medical industry to detect patients' conditions easily and provide effective medications.
Behavioral specialists and therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavioral Specialist | Therapist | |
| Average salary | $42,029 | $55,943 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $61,000 | Between $39,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Barbarian | Childhelp |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Government |
There are a few differences between a behavioral specialist and a therapist in terms of educational background:
| Behavioral Specialist | Therapist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between behavioral specialists' and therapists' demographics:
| Behavioral Specialist | Therapist | |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |