Bereavement counselor vs mental health counselor

The differences between bereavement counselors and mental health counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a bereavement counselor and a mental health counselor. Additionally, a bereavement counselor has an average salary of $64,298, which is higher than the $49,471 average annual salary of a mental health counselor.

The top three skills for a bereavement counselor include social work, patients and mental health. The most important skills for a mental health counselor are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.

Bereavement counselor vs mental health counselor overview

	Bereavement Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Yearly salary	$64,298	$49,471
Hourly rate	$30.91	$23.78
Growth rate	4%	9%
Number of jobs	29,323	110,752
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Bereavement counselor vs mental health counselor salary

Bereavement counselors and mental health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bereavement Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Average salary	$64,298	$49,471
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $79,000	Between $34,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Longview, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between bereavement counselor and mental health counselor education

There are a few differences between a bereavement counselor and a mental health counselor in terms of educational background:

	Bereavement Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Long Beach

Bereavement counselor vs mental health counselor demographics

Here are the differences between bereavement counselors' and mental health counselors' demographics:

	Bereavement Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 25.3% Female, 74.7%	Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	15%	15%

Differences between bereavement counselor and mental health counselor duties and responsibilities

Bereavement counselor example responsibilities.

Manage a caseload of individuals in programs design to provide vocational rehabilitation and other services to the developmentally disable.
Provide individual/family/group counseling and psycho-educational programs for a diverse population of hospice patients, families and couples.
Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of health care professionals to provide counseling support for terminally ill patients and their families.
Provide individual assessments, treatment planning and psychotherapy services to culturally diverse adult female population in need of rehabilitation services.
Collaborate with peers in leadership capacity at recreational summer camp leading, coordinating and organizing daily activities and weekly field trips.

Mental health counselor example responsibilities.

Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Certify in CPI (crisis intervention technique).
Assist with crisis intervention, (CPI) maintains treatment activities.
Provide mental health assessment and evaluation of detainees refer by facility staff or identify by pre-screening (booking or nursing).
Assess for special needs during booking process.

Bereavement counselor vs mental health counselor skills

Common bereavement counselor skills

Social Work, 34%
Patients, 24%
Mental Health, 5%
Community Resources, 4%
Medicare, 3%
Bereavement Services, 3%

Common mental health counselor skills

Social Work, 17%
Patients, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Patient Care, 6%
Mental Health Issues, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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Bereavement Counselor
Bereavement Counselor vs Mental Health Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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