Group therapist vs clinical counselor

The differences between group therapists and clinical counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a group therapist and a clinical counselor. Additionally, a group therapist has an average salary of $58,892, which is higher than the $54,191 average annual salary of a clinical counselor.

The top three skills for a group therapist include social work, patients and group therapy sessions. The most important skills for a clinical counselor are social work, patients, and foster care.

Group therapist vs clinical counselor overview

	Group Therapist	Clinical Counselor
Yearly salary	$58,892	$54,191
Hourly rate	$28.31	$26.05
Growth rate	14%	17%
Number of jobs	113,813	146,133
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Group therapist vs clinical counselor salary

Group therapists and clinical counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Group Therapist	Clinical Counselor
Average salary	$58,892	$54,191
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $85,000	Between $43,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	Bethesda, MD
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	Novo Nordisk
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between group therapist and clinical counselor education

There are a few differences between a group therapist and a clinical counselor in terms of educational background:

	Group Therapist	Clinical Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Group therapist vs clinical counselor demographics

Here are the differences between group therapists' and clinical counselors' demographics:

	Group Therapist	Clinical Counselor
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 27.6% Female, 72.4%	Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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	6%	15%

Differences between group therapist and clinical counselor duties and responsibilities

Group therapist example responsibilities.

Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Provide group psychotherapy to adult patients diagnose with a chronic mental illness at a partial hospitalization program on Saturday mornings.
Participate in weekly DBT consultation team.
Complete DUI evaluations that focuse on past and current alcohol and drug use, specifically as it relates to driving history.
Facilitate and provide psycho educational services to mandate DUI offenders.
Evaluate patients for competency and criminal responsibility on forensic cases refer by state courts; provide judicial testimony in guardianship cases.

Clinical counselor example responsibilities.

Manage a caseload of individuals in programs design to provide vocational rehabilitation and other services to the developmentally disable.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Perform client intake assessments and conduct monthly assessments to identify progress of patients and determine individuals ready to graduate from program.
Review charts to ensure that they are in compliance with OASAS standards.
Initial assessment, diagnosis, ASAM criteria, treatment planning , 3rd party contact, group and individual therapy.
Maintain appropriate documentation per NYS OASAS regulations and APG guidelines

Group therapist vs clinical counselor skills

Common group therapist skills

Social Work, 19%
Patients, 16%
Group Therapy Sessions, 10%
Crisis Intervention, 6%
Substance Abuse, 6%
Eating Disorders, 5%

Common clinical counselor skills

Social Work, 36%
Patients, 8%
Foster Care, 7%
Independent Living, 6%
Child Abuse, 4%
Clinical Services, 3%