Crisis worker vs social worker

The differences between crisis workers and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a crisis worker, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, 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 social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Crisis worker vs social worker overview

	Crisis Worker	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$33,805	$50,102
Hourly rate	$16.25	$24.09
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	99,201	77,340
Job satisfaction	4	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	2

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 social worker do?

Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.

Crisis worker vs social worker salary

Crisis workers and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Crisis Worker	Social Worker
Average salary	$33,805	$50,102
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $49,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	New York	Oregon
Best paying company	Northwestern Medicine	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Government

Differences between crisis worker and social worker education

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

	Crisis Worker	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Crisis worker vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between crisis workers' and social workers' demographics:

	Crisis Worker	Social Worker
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
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, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	15%	13%

Differences between crisis worker and social worker 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.

Social worker example responsibilities.

Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

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Crisis worker vs social worker skills

Common crisis worker skills

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

Common social worker skills

Social Work, 30%
Patients, 15%
Patient Care, 5%
MSW, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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