Crisis worker vs crisis intervention specialist

The differences between crisis workers 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 crisis worker and a crisis intervention specialist. Additionally, a crisis intervention specialist has an average salary of $54,678, which is higher than the $33,805 average annual salary of a crisis worker.

The top three skills for a crisis worker include patients, social work and mental health crisis. The most important skills for a crisis intervention specialist are social work, patients, and substance abuse.

Crisis worker vs crisis intervention specialist overview

	Crisis Worker	Crisis Intervention Specialist
Yearly salary	$33,805	$54,678
Hourly rate	$16.25	$26.29
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	99,201	80,817
Job satisfaction	4	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

What does a crisis worker do?

A crisis worker is a mental health professional specializing in providing counseling and support services to individuals under emotional distress often caused by mental and behavioral issues, conducting interventions as needed. They are usually assigned in institutions or medical facilities, sometimes working for crisis hotlines where they must answer phone calls from clients, remain calm and rational during conversations, offer advice, and refer them to other support agencies to prevent them from taking drastic measures. A crisis worker engages with clients of all ages, requiring them to be proactive at all times.

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.

Crisis worker vs crisis intervention specialist salary

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

	Crisis Worker	Crisis Intervention Specialist
Average salary	$33,805	$54,678
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $49,000	Between $40,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Hoboken, NJ
Highest paying state	New York	New Jersey
Best paying company	Northwestern Medicine	Legacy Health
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Professional

Differences between crisis worker and crisis intervention specialist education

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

	Crisis Worker	Crisis Intervention Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Crisis worker vs crisis intervention specialist demographics

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

	Crisis Worker	Crisis Intervention Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6%	Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4%
Race ratio	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%	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%

Differences between crisis worker and crisis intervention specialist duties and responsibilities

Crisis worker example responsibilities.

Find placements for patients needing inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations, and provide community referrals to those requiring lower levels of care.
Conduct psychiatric screenings in hospital settings to determine if patients meet the criteria for involuntary/voluntary commitment as mandated by state laws.
Coordinate care with community providers for follow up if patient are discharged, prepare documentation for admission to inpatient psychiatry unit.
Complete MDS assessments to determine mood and cognitive functioning, relaying information to interdisciplinary team and families.

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.

Crisis worker vs crisis intervention specialist skills

Common crisis worker skills

Patients, 21%
Social Work, 18%
Mental Health Crisis, 5%
Compassion, 5%
CPR, 3%
Rehabilitation, 3%

Common crisis intervention specialist skills

Social Work, 15%
Patients, 12%
Substance Abuse, 7%
Community Resources, 5%
Crisis Stabilization, 5%
Triage, 4%

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Community and Social Services Industry
Crisis Worker
Crisis Worker vs Crisis Intervention Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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