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The differences between community health counselors and mental health practitioners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a community health counselor and a mental health practitioner. Additionally, a mental health practitioner has an average salary of $50,628, which is higher than the $43,304 average annual salary of a community health counselor.
The top three skills for a community health counselor include social work, behavioral health and patients. The most important skills for a mental health practitioner are social work, patients, and mental health.
| Community Health Counselor | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Yearly salary | $43,304 | $50,628 |
| Hourly rate | $20.82 | $24.34 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 131,804 | 140,365 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A community health counselor typically provides health and welfare support to the disadvantaged members of a community. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to reach out to community members, coordinating with schools and other institutions, and building positive relationships with the communities that they serve. They may also provide counseling sessions to individuals of all ages, conduct observations and assessments, perform interventions, and identify any signs of abuse or neglect, reporting to the authorities right away. Furthermore, they may refer families or individuals to other social services unit if necessary.
Mental health practitioners are medical professionals who work with patients who have mental health issues such as schizophrenia, split personality disorder, and depression. These practitioners are required to develop and implement patient care plans for adults with severe mental disabilities while providing mental health services to attain improved mental health. They must make sure that patients did not spit out their medicines by observing post medication administration with the nurse. Mental health practitioners must also manage therapeutic activities that will teach patients about functional living skills.
Community health counselors and mental health practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Health Counselor | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Average salary | $43,304 | $50,628 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $63,000 | Between $35,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Apple | Dignity Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a community health counselor and a mental health practitioner in terms of educational background:
| Community Health Counselor | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between community health counselors' and mental health practitioners' demographics:
| Community Health Counselor | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% | Male, 24.1% Female, 75.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 15% | 15% |