Counseling psychologist vs psychiatrist

The differences between counseling psychologists and psychiatrists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a counseling psychologist and a psychiatrist. Additionally, a psychiatrist has an average salary of $229,034, which is higher than the $80,294 average annual salary of a counseling psychologist.

The top three skills for a counseling psychologist include mental health, crisis intervention and behavioral health. The most important skills for a psychiatrist are patients, diagnosis, and patient care.

Counseling psychologist vs psychiatrist overview

	Counseling Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Yearly salary	$80,294	$229,034
Hourly rate	$38.60	$110.11
Growth rate	14%	7%
Number of jobs	12,337	29,979
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Average age	43	48
Years of experience	6	6

Counseling psychologist vs psychiatrist salary

Counseling psychologists and psychiatrists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Counseling Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Average salary	$80,294	$229,034
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $116,000	Between $133,000 And $393,000
Highest paying City	Berkeley, CA	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	Yuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between counseling psychologist and psychiatrist education

There are a few differences between a counseling psychologist and a psychiatrist in terms of educational background:

	Counseling Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Most common major	Psychology	Medicine
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Counseling psychologist vs psychiatrist demographics

Here are the differences between counseling psychologists' and psychiatrists' demographics:

	Counseling Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Average age	43	48
Gender ratio	Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0%	Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.0% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	12%	10%

Differences between counseling psychologist and psychiatrist duties and responsibilities

Counseling psychologist example responsibilities.

Conduct and write triennial and initial assessments, participate and lead IEP meetings, functional behavioral assessments, behavior support plans.
Advance training in DBT and EMDR.
Establish a join ADHD clinic with one of the local pediatricians.
Provide psycho-diagnostic and psycho therapeutic services to cancer patients.
Develop a team orient treatment plan for patients producing quantitative measurable results.
Develop training materials for alcohol abuse treatment & rehabilitation services, including prevention of domestic violence, child abuse and homelessness.

Psychiatrist example responsibilities.

Provide psychiatric evaluations, diagnosis and treatment, including prescribing and administering psychotropic medications, conduct individual and group psychotherapy.
Case load includes children, adolescents and adults.
Provide accurate, timely and complete documentation in the EMR.
Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.
Work closely with Medicaid in areas of compliance needs and information of the clients.
Create multidisciplinary team (psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse, marriage family therapist) to spear head new veterans parenting class.

Counseling psychologist vs psychiatrist skills

Common counseling psychologist skills

Mental Health, 27%
Crisis Intervention, 18%
Behavioral Health, 9%
Social Work, 7%
Psychological Services, 7%
Rehabilitation, 5%

Common psychiatrist skills

Patients, 32%
Diagnosis, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Mental Illness, 5%
Psychiatric Services, 5%
EMR, 4%

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Counseling Psychologist vs Psychiatrist

Updated January 8, 2025

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