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The differences between child and family therapists and mental health clinicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a child and family therapist and a mental health clinician. Additionally, a child and family therapist has an average salary of $55,339, which is higher than the $54,359 average annual salary of a mental health clinician.
The top three skills for a child and family therapist include social work, diagnosis and mental health. The most important skills for a mental health clinician are social work, patients, and mental health.
| Child And Family Therapist | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Yearly salary | $55,339 | $54,359 |
| Hourly rate | $26.61 | $26.13 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 120,152 | 91,347 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 51% | Master's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A Mental Health Clinician provides psychotherapeutic and rehabilitation services for patients with mental health problems. They manage the treatment of clients and help them to obtain stable physical health.
Child and family therapists and mental health clinicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child And Family Therapist | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Average salary | $55,339 | $54,359 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $81,000 | Between $36,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Rafael, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Everymind (formerly Mental Health Association Of Montgomery County) | City and County of Denver Government |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Education |
There are a few differences between a child and family therapist and a mental health clinician in terms of educational background:
| Child And Family Therapist | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 51% | Master's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between child and family therapists' and mental health clinicians' demographics:
| Child And Family Therapist | Mental Health Clinician | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.2% Female, 80.8% | Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 15% |