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Clinician vs clinical counselor

The differences between clinicians and clinical 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 clinician and a clinical counselor. Additionally, a clinician has an average salary of $60,150, which is higher than the $54,191 average annual salary of a clinical counselor.

The top three skills for a clinician include social work, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a clinical counselor are social work, patients, and foster care.

Clinician vs clinical counselor overview

ClinicianClinical Counselor
Yearly salary$60,150$54,191
Hourly rate$28.92$26.05
Growth rate9%17%
Number of jobs105,023146,133
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4541
Years of experience44

What does a clinician do?

A clinician specializes in providing diagnosis, treatment, and direct care to patients with different illnesses. A clinician's duties mainly revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis, providing medical care through various therapies, and improving one's overall health condition. Furthermore, a clinician must obtain and analyze a patient's complete medical history, provide diagnostic tests, always monitor the effects of treatment on a patient, provide prognosis and consider the overall impact on a patient's health and well-being.

What does a clinical counselor do?

A Clinical Counselor interviews clients to assess their mental health and behavioral problems. They examine issues such as substance abuse, depression, stress, aging and self-image.

Clinician vs clinical counselor salary

Clinicians and clinical counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

ClinicianClinical Counselor
Average salary$60,150$54,191
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $103,000Between $43,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CABethesda, MD
Highest paying stateNevadaMaryland
Best paying companyPace UniversityNovo Nordisk
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between clinician and clinical counselor education

There are a few differences between a clinician and a clinical counselor in terms of educational background:

ClinicianClinical Counselor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Clinician vs clinical counselor demographics

Here are the differences between clinicians' and clinical counselors' demographics:

ClinicianClinical Counselor
Average age4541
Gender ratioMale, 24.3% Female, 75.7%Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage15%15%

Differences between clinician and clinical counselor duties and responsibilities

Clinician example responsibilities.

  • Perform thorough substance abuse assessments incorporating instruments such as ASAM, SASSI and urine drug screens; provide individual therapy.
  • Spearhead the development of rehabilitation programs serving adults with chemical dependency and mental health diagnoses with the manager.
  • Follow all ethical CARF standards when treating the residential client.
  • Facilitate stabilization, assessment, care and compassion for those in critical need.
  • Provide CBT and motivational interviewing for individual and group therapy to clients' who are on methadone.
  • Used motivational interviewing to lead recovery and therapy groups for IOP and PHP programs in the evenings and on weekends.
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Clinical counselor example responsibilities.

  • Manage a caseload of individuals in programs design to provide vocational rehabilitation and other services to the developmentally disable.
  • Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
  • Perform client intake assessments and conduct monthly assessments to identify progress of patients and determine individuals ready to graduate from program.
  • Review charts to ensure that they are in compliance with OASAS standards.
  • Initial assessment, diagnosis, ASAM criteria, treatment planning , 3rd party contact, group and individual therapy.
  • Maintain appropriate documentation per NYS OASAS regulations and APG guidelines
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Clinician vs clinical counselor skills

Common clinician skills
  • Social Work, 26%
  • Patients, 14%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Individual Therapy, 4%
  • Mental Health, 4%
  • Mental Illness, 3%
Common clinical counselor skills
  • Social Work, 36%
  • Patients, 8%
  • Foster Care, 7%
  • Independent Living, 6%
  • Child Abuse, 4%
  • Clinical Services, 3%

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