Health psychologist vs mental health counselor

The differences between health psychologists and mental health counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a health psychologist has an average salary of $81,412, which is higher than the $49,471 average annual salary of a mental health counselor.

The top three skills for a health psychologist include patients, behavioral health and APA. The most important skills for a mental health counselor are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.

Health psychologist vs mental health counselor overview

	Health Psychologist	Mental Health Counselor
Yearly salary	$81,412	$49,471
Hourly rate	$39.14	$23.78
Growth rate	6%	9%
Number of jobs	58,741	110,752
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	47	41
Years of experience	-	4

What does a health psychologist do?

A health psychologist deals with the emotional and psychological aspects of health and illness. They lend support to those who are chronically ill. One of their foremost responsibilities is to find ways to encourage patients to improve their health. They conduct clinical interviews, complete behavioral assessments on patients, study patients' responses to ailments, and develop ways to incentivize patients to follow medical advice.

What does a mental health counselor do?

A mental health counselor is responsible for helping patients deal with their emotional and mental disorders by developing treatment plans and conducting regular counseling to track the patient's progress and condition. Mental health counselors encourage active communication from their patients, provide coping strategies for triggering situations, seek advice from other health care professionals, and guide patients on doing other activities that would help them relax. A mental health counselor must have excellent knowledge of the mental health disciplines to assist patients in their healthy lifestyle development.

Health psychologist vs mental health counselor salary

Health psychologists and mental health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Psychologist	Mental Health Counselor
Average salary	$81,412	$49,471
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $118,000	Between $34,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Longview, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between health psychologist and mental health counselor education

There are a few differences between a health psychologist and a mental health counselor in terms of educational background:

	Health Psychologist	Mental Health Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	California State University - Long Beach

Health psychologist vs mental health counselor demographics

Here are the differences between health psychologists' and mental health counselors' demographics:

	Health Psychologist	Mental Health Counselor
Average age	47	41
Gender ratio	Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3%	Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 4.2% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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	20%	15%

Differences between health psychologist and mental health counselor duties and responsibilities

Health psychologist example responsibilities.

Provide a broad array of psychological services for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families.
Administer and interpret psychological tests, provide crisis intervention and orientation for new patients.
Utilize CBT, EMDR, client centered & humanitarian approaches.
Utilize biofeedback, CBT therapy, behavioral-change exercises, etc.
Work directly with physiatrists in developing patient's treatment plan for rehabilitation.
Support clients with psychiatry referral, aide in medication understanding and management.

Mental health counselor example responsibilities.

Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Certify in CPI (crisis intervention technique).
Assist with crisis intervention, (CPI) maintains treatment activities.
Provide mental health assessment and evaluation of detainees refer by facility staff or identify by pre-screening (booking or nursing).
Assess for special needs during booking process.

Health psychologist vs mental health counselor skills

Common health psychologist skills

Patients, 28%
Behavioral Health, 13%
APA, 9%
Patient Care, 5%
Rehabilitation, 5%
Substance Abuse, 5%

Common mental health counselor skills

Social Work, 17%
Patients, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Patient Care, 6%
Mental Health Issues, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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Health Psychologist vs Mental Health Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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