Child life specialist vs play therapist

The differences between child life specialists and play therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a child life specialist, becoming a play therapist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a play therapist has an average salary of $92,351, which is higher than the $55,201 average annual salary of a child life specialist.

The top three skills for a child life specialist include patients, child development and patient care. The most important skills for a play therapist are social work, children birth, and cognitive behavioral.

Child life specialist vs play therapist overview

	Child Life Specialist	Play Therapist
Yearly salary	$55,201	$92,351
Hourly rate	$26.54	$44.40
Growth rate	12%	14%
Number of jobs	90,517	23,449
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	41
Years of experience	12	4

Child life specialist vs play therapist salary

Child life specialists and play therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Child Life Specialist	Play Therapist
Average salary	$55,201	$92,351
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $96,000	Between $61,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	L.E.K. Consulting	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between child life specialist and play therapist education

There are a few differences between a child life specialist and a play therapist in terms of educational background:

	Child Life Specialist	Play Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	California State University - Long Beach

Child life specialist vs play therapist demographics

Here are the differences between child life specialists' and play therapists' demographics:

	Child Life Specialist	Play Therapist
Average age	43	41
Gender ratio	Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1%	Male, 11.9% Female, 88.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%	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%
LGBT Percentage	11%	6%

Differences between child life specialist and play therapist duties and responsibilities

Child life specialist example responsibilities.

Observe activities and respond accordingly including emergency situations such as evacuation, CPR, or first aid.
Experience working with kids diagnose with bipolar, schizophrenia, autism, ADHD, depression among other disorders.
Provide valuable technical assistance to early childhood educators seeking resources on developing quality childcare environment.
Detail knowledge of Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Compile monthly statistical data on ADL caseload progress.
Exhibit patience, care, and compassion towards others.

Play therapist example responsibilities.

Manage ventilator and BiPAP's and create or update care plans per patient needs.
Organize and perform behavioral therapies for a child with autism.
Work with identify pre-school handicap children in order to meet the goals and objectives of their IEP's.
Perform occasional psychosocial rehabilitation services.
Perform occasional psychosocial rehabilitation services.

Child life specialist vs play therapist skills

Common child life specialist skills

Patients, 25%
Child Development, 9%
Patient Care, 9%
Child Life Services, 5%
Social Work, 5%
CCLS, 4%

Common play therapist skills

Social Work, 21%
Children Birth, 17%
Cognitive Behavioral, 14%
Autism, 11%
Therapy Services, 3%
Language, 3%