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The differences between clinical social workers and mental health consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clinical social worker, becoming a mental health consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a clinical social worker has an average salary of $63,056, which is higher than the $51,006 average annual salary of a mental health consultant.
The top three skills for a clinical social worker include social work, patients and behavioral health. The most important skills for a mental health consultant are healthcare, substance abuse, and patients.
| Clinical Social Worker | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $63,056 | $51,006 |
| Hourly rate | $30.32 | $24.52 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 124,816 | 127,233 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A clinical social worker is an individual in social work, which provides help to individuals in need of improving their lives and their well-being. Clinical social workers must work with different individuals to help them address difficulties that they are trying to overcome. To perform counseling services, clinical social workers must take and pass the professional licensure examination. They also help disadvantaged individuals connect to resources and services that they may benefit from.
A mental health consultant is responsible for providing counseling and emotional support to manage a client's issue and control behaviors. Mental health consultants must have excellent communication and listening skills to understand and assess the client's situation and evaluate the level of their emotional and psychological distress. They also need to monitor progress on the client's state and use different psychotherapy methods and treatment plans. A mental health consultant should also reach out to other health professionals to ask assistance for any recovery options as needed.
Clinical social workers and mental health consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Social Worker | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Average salary | $63,056 | $51,006 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $92,000 | Between $34,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Tucson Electric Power | Guidehouse |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between a clinical social worker and a mental health consultant in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Social Worker | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between clinical social workers' and mental health consultants' demographics:
| Clinical Social Worker | Mental Health Consultant | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3% | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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 | 13% | 15% |