What Does a Family Therapist Do?

We looked at the average Family Therapist annual salary and compared it with the average of a Substance Abuse Counselor. Generally speaking, Substance Abuse Counselors receive $1,745 higher pay than Family Therapists per year.

While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both Family Therapists and Substance Abuse Counselors positions are skilled in Treatment Plans, Group Therapy, and Mental Health.

There are some key differences in responsibilities as well. For example, a Family Therapist responsibilities require skills like "Trauma," "Child Abuse," "Clinical Supervision," and "FFT." Meanwhile a typical Substance Abuse Counselor has skills in areas such as "Chemical Dependency," "Relapse Prevention," "Methadone," and "Drug Screens." This difference in skills reveals how truly different these two careers really are.

Substance Abuse Counselors really shine in the Government industry with an average salary of $64,773. Whereas Family Therapists tend to make the most money in the Non Profits industry with an average salary of $49,115.

On average, Substance Abuse Counselors reach lower levels of education than Family Therapists. Substance Abuse Counselors are 28.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 3.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

The next role we're going to look at is the Intensive In-Home Counselor profession. Typically, this position earns a lower pay. In fact, they earn a $1,184 lower salary than Family Therapists per year.

While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both Family Therapists and Intensives In-Home Counselor are known to have skills such as "Treatment Plans," "Group Therapy," and "Mental Health. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are worth noting. For example, Family Therapist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "Trauma," "Child Abuse," "Clinical Supervision," and "FFT." Meanwhile, a Intensive In-Home Counselor might be skilled in areas such as "Individual Service Plans," "In-Home," "Independent Living," and "Medication Administration." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Intensives In-Home Counselor may earn a lower salary than Family Therapists, but Intensives In-Home Counselor earn the most pay in the Health Care industry with an average salary of $42,443. On the other side of things, Family Therapists receive higher paychecks in the Non Profits industry where they earn an average of $49,115.

On the topic of education, Intensives In-Home Counselor earn lower levels of education than Family Therapists. In general, they're 24.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

The third profession we take a look at is Mental Health Professional. On an average scale, these workers bring in higher salaries than Family Therapists. In fact, they make a $8,045 higher salary per year.

While looking through the resumes of several Family Therapists and Mental Health Professionals we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "Treatment Plans," "Group Therapy," and "Mental Health," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from Family Therapist resumes include skills like "Trauma," "Child Abuse," "FFT," and "Family Systems," whereas a Mental Health Professional might be skilled in "CPR," "Clinical Staff," "Direct Care," and "MHP. "

Mental Health Professionals make a very good living in the Hospitality industry with an average annual salary of $50,266. Whereas Family Therapists are paid the highest salary in the Non Profits industry with the average being $49,115.

Mental Health Professionals typically study at lower levels compared with Family Therapists. For example, they're 15.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Alcohol And Drug Counselors tend to earn a higher pay than Family Therapists by about $2,663 per year.

According to resumes from both Family Therapists and Alcohol And Drug Counselors, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "Treatment Plans," "Group Therapy," and "Mental Health. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a Family Therapist might have more use for skills like "Trauma," "Child Abuse," "Clinical Supervision," and "FFT." Meanwhile, some Alcohol And Drug Counselors might include skills like "Chemical Dependency," "Asam," "Measurable Goals," and "Relapse Prevention" on their resume.

Now, let's take a closer look at the financials in each career. The Non Profits industry tends to pay more for Alcohol And Drug Counselors with an average of $39,761. While the highest Family Therapist annual salary comes from the Non Profits industry.

In general, Alcohol And Drug Counselors reach lower levels of education when compared to Family Therapists resumes. Alcohol And Drug Counselors are 36.0% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 4.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.