Group therapist vs mental health therapist

The differences between group therapists and mental health therapists 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 mental health therapist. Additionally, a group therapist has an average salary of $58,892, which is higher than the $50,259 average annual salary of a mental health therapist.

The top three skills for a group therapist include social work, patients and group therapy sessions. The most important skills for a mental health therapist are social work, patients, and mental health.

Group therapist vs mental health therapist overview

	Group Therapist	Mental Health Therapist
Yearly salary	$58,892	$50,259
Hourly rate	$28.31	$24.16
Growth rate	14%	9%
Number of jobs	113,813	114,386
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Master's Degree, 49%
Average age	41	45
Years of experience	4	4

Group therapist vs mental health therapist salary

Group therapists and mental health therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Group Therapist	Mental Health Therapist
Average salary	$58,892	$50,259
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $85,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	Tykes And Teens
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between group therapist and mental health therapist education

There are a few differences between a group therapist and a mental health therapist in terms of educational background:

	Group Therapist	Mental Health Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Master's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Group therapist vs mental health therapist demographics

Here are the differences between group therapists' and mental health therapists' demographics:

	Group Therapist	Mental Health Therapist
Average age	41	45
Gender ratio	Male, 27.6% Female, 72.4%	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
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, 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	6%	15%

Differences between group therapist and mental health therapist 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.

Mental health therapist example responsibilities.

Create and lead PTSD group for women, depression and stress management groups for men and women.
Collaborate with patients to develop individualize treatment plans and evaluate plans periodically to monitor progress towards achieving identify goals and objectives.
Provide clinical supervision for MFT intern and participate in peer to peer reviews.
Receive training in diagnoses, physical restraints and CPR.
Care for children with autism and document daily data collection.
Utilize therapy techniques from various modalities including EMDR, TF-CBT, and DBT

Group therapist vs mental health therapist skills

Common group therapist skills

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

Common mental health therapist skills

Social Work, 35%
Patients, 10%
Mental Health, 6%
Group Therapy Sessions, 5%
Mental Health Issues, 3%
Community Resources, 3%

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Group Therapist
Group Therapist vs Mental Health Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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