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Behavioral therapist vs social services assistant

The differences between behavioral therapists and social services assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a behavioral therapist, becoming a social services assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a behavioral therapist has an average salary of $37,881, which is higher than the $37,445 average annual salary of a social services assistant.

The top three skills for a behavioral therapist include autism, social work and behavior analysis. The most important skills for a social services assistant are social work, patients, and rehabilitation.

Behavioral therapist vs social services assistant overview

Behavioral TherapistSocial Services Assistant
Yearly salary$37,881$37,445
Hourly rate$18.21$18.00
Growth rate14%12%
Number of jobs91,976152,760
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age3943
Years of experience612

What does a behavioral therapist do?

A behavioral therapist is responsible for supporting patients with various developmental disorders and behavioral difficulties. Behavioral therapists conduct counseling to the patients, identifying their personal and social challenges, and administering treatment plans to modify unusual behaviors. They also coordinate with other medical professionals to plan activities and therapy sessions for patients' needs. A behavioral therapist maintains a record of the patients' progress, help them on developing social engagement, and adjust treatment strategies depending on the patients' noticeable changes.

What does a social services assistant do?

A social services assistant is responsible for supporting the social needs of citizens within society. Social services assistants work within the community office or health institutions to assist patients and their families in processing their needs and obtaining medical information. They also coordinate with other organizations to gather additional resources and financial assistance to plan community programs that will be beneficial for society. A social services assistant provides counseling to the families to identify the services and referrals they needed.

Behavioral therapist vs social services assistant salary

Behavioral therapists and social services assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Behavioral TherapistSocial Services Assistant
Average salary$37,881$37,445
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $51,000Between $29,000 And $47,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYTacoma, WA
Highest paying stateNew YorkWashington
Best paying companyGeorge C. Grape Community HospitalResearch Foundation of The City University of New York
Best paying industryEnergyGovernment

Differences between behavioral therapist and social services assistant education

There are a few differences between a behavioral therapist and a social services assistant in terms of educational background:

Behavioral TherapistSocial Services Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorPsychologySocial Work
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachSUNY at Binghamton

Behavioral therapist vs social services assistant demographics

Here are the differences between behavioral therapists' and social services assistants' demographics:

Behavioral TherapistSocial Services Assistant
Average age3943
Gender ratioMale, 23.6% Female, 76.4%Male, 17.0% Female, 83.0%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%
LGBT Percentage12%11%

Differences between behavioral therapist and social services assistant duties and responsibilities

Behavioral therapist example responsibilities.

  • Manage behavioral program for each client assign (CPI training).
  • Modele self-help and independent skills to assist autistic and developmentally delay children achieving their establish goals.
  • Assist the BCBA in assessing new clients, supervising line therapists, providing parent training, and formulating client specific programs.
  • Analyze and interpret results through graphing data collect from individual sessions.
  • Work collaboratively with BCBA's and direct line staff to ensure care plan and procedures are being implement consistently and uniformly.
  • Communicate with school administration, school teacher's and teaching assistants with helping create IEP's and behavior plans for individuals.
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Social services assistant example responsibilities.

  • Initial triage of members, administrative intake of members and managing the admission/discharge information post-notification.
  • Assist individuals and families in need with applications for food stamps, Medicaid, Medicare, cash assistance and housing.
  • Develop, organize and conduct programs to prevent and resolve problems relevant to substance abuse, human relationships and rehabilitation.
  • Verify Medicare coverage/ benefits/ obtain prior authorization.
  • Process specialize Medicaid applications receive from government agencies and social service organizations which require urgent processing.
  • Establish, maintain and generate military and community contacts structure to address various services available to respective patients.
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Behavioral therapist vs social services assistant skills

Common behavioral therapist skills
  • Autism, 15%
  • Social Work, 12%
  • Behavior Analysis, 11%
  • Patients, 10%
  • Provide ABA, 6%
  • Applied Behavior Analysis, 5%
Common social services assistant skills
  • Social Work, 17%
  • Patients, 15%
  • Rehabilitation, 9%
  • Discharge Planning, 6%
  • Term Care, 6%
  • Community Resources, 3%

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