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Child and family therapist vs educator

The differences between child and family therapists and educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a child and family therapist has an average salary of $55,339, which is higher than the $43,760 average annual salary of an educator.

The top three skills for a child and family therapist include social work, diagnosis and mental health. The most important skills for an educator are customer service, product knowledge, and patients.

Child and family therapist vs educator overview

Child And Family TherapistEducator
Yearly salary$55,339$43,760
Hourly rate$26.61$21.04
Growth rate14%4%
Number of jobs120,15228,019
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4142
Years of experience4-

What does a child and family therapist do?

Child and family therapists are therapists who specialize in treating traumatized children due to neglect or abuse. They always formulate various techniques and activities to treat their patients and help improve the affected family's quality of living while maintaining confidentiality and following HIPAA laws and agency policies and procedures. During treatment, they monitor the progress of their patients and adjust the treatment accordingly. They also train youth counselors to maintain open communication with their families to know the cause and resolve problems faster.

What does an educator do?

An educator is responsible for teaching students and contributes to their learning development. Duties of an educator include creating learning modules and materials, developing engaging activities, and facilitating learners' discussions. They are also in charge of monitoring the learners' progress, evaluating learners' knowledge by providing a series of assessments, helping a learner to gain self-confidence, and encouraging the learners to reach their maximum potential. An educator should have excellent communication and adaptation skills, especially on adjusting to different learning methods and approaches that the students will need.

Child and family therapist vs educator salary

Child and family therapists and educators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Child And Family TherapistEducator
Average salary$55,339$43,760
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $81,000Between $29,000 And $65,000
Highest paying CitySan Rafael, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateAlaskaNew York
Best paying companyEverymind (formerly Mental Health Association Of Montgomery County)Google
Best paying industryFinanceEducation

Differences between child and family therapist and educator education

There are a few differences between a child and family therapist and an educator in terms of educational background:

Child And Family TherapistEducator
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorPsychologyEducation
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachUniversity of Pennsylvania

Child and family therapist vs educator demographics

Here are the differences between child and family therapists' and educators' demographics:

Child And Family TherapistEducator
Average age4142
Gender ratioMale, 19.2% Female, 80.8%Male, 28.9% Female, 71.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage6%9%

Differences between child and family therapist and educator duties and responsibilities

Child and family therapist example responsibilities.

  • Develop and lead DBT base therapy groups for children and adolescents in residential treatment.
  • Train in HIPAA as well as an understanding of BCBA professional standards.
  • Create, implement, and monitor behavior programs under supervision of a BCBA.
  • Conduct psychological testing for social security disability, vocational rehabilitation, and hospital inpatient populations.
  • Perform occasional psychosocial rehabilitation services.
  • Perform occasional psychosocial rehabilitation services.

Educator example responsibilities.

  • Manage classroom behavior, oversee instruction for under-performing, over-achieving and ESL students, and lead private tutoring lessons.
  • Manage revolving caseload of students with IEP team including initials, transfer placements, manifestation determinations.
  • Develop curriculum and teach PC, GED and ABE adult education classes.
  • Involve in new employee orientation to the facility as well as teaching BLS and ACLS
  • Collaborate with math professionals in reinforcing concepts acquire within the student's primary learning environment.
  • Help meet WIC program participation goals.
  • Show more

Child and family therapist vs educator skills

Common child and family therapist skills
  • Social Work, 21%
  • Diagnosis, 8%
  • Mental Health, 6%
  • Individual Therapy, 6%
  • Community Resources, 5%
  • Behavioral Health, 5%
Common educator skills
  • Customer Service, 20%
  • Product Knowledge, 10%
  • Patients, 8%
  • Classroom Management, 8%
  • Curriculum Development, 5%
  • Professional Development, 5%

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