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The differences between counselors and mental health counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mental health counselor has an average salary of $49,471, which is higher than the $36,225 average annual salary of a counselor.
The top three skills for a counselor include patients, crisis intervention and substance abuse. The most important skills for a mental health counselor are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.
| Counselor | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,225 | $49,471 |
| Hourly rate | $17.42 | $23.78 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 77,536 | 110,752 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Often, counselors are known to be the go-to person in times we are in need of emotional and psychological support. They help people to manage and overcome the issues which affect their mental health and well-being. Counselors face different kind of situations which may involve trauma, addiction, disabilities, abuse, suicide, anger management, career, and even personal relationships. They provide care, counseling, rehabilitation, and support services. Every counseling requires collaborative effort both from the counselor and client to become effective.
A mental health counselor is responsible for helping patients deal with their emotional and mental disorders by developing treatment plans and conducting regular counseling to track the patient's progress and condition. Mental health counselors encourage active communication from their patients, provide coping strategies for triggering situations, seek advice from other health care professionals, and guide patients on doing other activities that would help them relax. A mental health counselor must have excellent knowledge of the mental health disciplines to assist patients in their healthy lifestyle development.
Counselors and mental health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Counselor | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Average salary | $36,225 | $49,471 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $67,000 | Between $34,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Longview, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a counselor and a mental health counselor in terms of educational background:
| Counselor | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between counselors' and mental health counselors' demographics:
| Counselor | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 3.5% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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 Percentage | 9% | 15% |