Post job

Clinician vs crisis intervention specialist

The differences between clinicians and crisis intervention specialists 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 crisis intervention specialist. Additionally, a clinician has an average salary of $60,150, which is higher than the $54,678 average annual salary of a crisis intervention specialist.

The top three skills for a clinician include social work, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a crisis intervention specialist are social work, patients, and substance abuse.

Clinician vs crisis intervention specialist overview

ClinicianCrisis Intervention Specialist
Yearly salary$60,150$54,678
Hourly rate$28.92$26.29
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs105,02380,817
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4545
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 crisis intervention specialist do?

A crisis intervention specialist provides counseling services and intervention to patients in high-stress situations. Their responsibilities include conducting assessments to understand the clients' conditions, studying their medical histories and personal background, developing treatment plans, and regularly monitoring their behavior and progress. They may also coordinate with the patients' families or guardians, provide care advice, or refer patients to other specialists when necessary. Moreover, a crisis intervention specialist gives emotional support and guidance to patients, helping them deal with stress.

Clinician vs crisis intervention specialist salary

Clinicians and crisis intervention specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

ClinicianCrisis Intervention Specialist
Average salary$60,150$54,678
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $103,000Between $40,000 And $73,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAHoboken, NJ
Highest paying stateNevadaNew Jersey
Best paying companyPace UniversityLegacy Health
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between clinician and crisis intervention specialist education

There are a few differences between a clinician and a crisis intervention specialist in terms of educational background:

ClinicianCrisis Intervention Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Clinician vs crisis intervention specialist demographics

Here are the differences between clinicians' and crisis intervention specialists' demographics:

ClinicianCrisis Intervention Specialist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 24.3% Female, 75.7%Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage15%15%

Differences between clinician and crisis intervention specialist 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.
  • Show more

Crisis intervention specialist example responsibilities.

  • Provide clinical assessments, crisis intervention and supportive counseling for patients who are involuntary admissions.
  • Provide content lead support on mathematics assessment projects/contracts.
  • Provide mathematics content expertise and consultation to meet and support customer specify goals.
  • Prepare, arrange, and facilitate involuntary and voluntary inpatient psychiatric hospitalization placement for patients when clinically indicate.
  • Provide individual counseling, weekly psycho-educational groups in DBT and substance abuse prevention, crisis intervention and administration of clinical intakes.
  • Author and review items for ESL assessments, including TOEFL and TOEIC tests.
  • Show more

Clinician vs crisis intervention specialist skills

Common clinician skills
  • Social Work, 26%
  • Patients, 14%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Individual Therapy, 4%
  • Mental Health, 4%
  • Mental Illness, 3%
Common crisis intervention specialist skills
  • Social Work, 15%
  • Patients, 12%
  • Substance Abuse, 7%
  • Community Resources, 5%
  • Crisis Stabilization, 5%
  • Triage, 4%

Browse community and social services jobs