Health therapist vs social worker

The differences between health therapists 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 health therapist, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a health therapist has an average salary of $55,274, which is higher than the $50,102 average annual salary of a social worker.

The top three skills for a health therapist include social work, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Health therapist vs social worker overview

	Health Therapist	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$55,274	$50,102
Hourly rate	$26.57	$24.09
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	104,056	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	2

What does a health therapist do?

Health Therapists are healthcare workers who help patients overcome their physical, mental, or emotional challenges. They create treatment plans for patients depending on their specialization. They consider the patient's medical history as well as the risk factors. Health Therapists are actively involved in the patient's recovery. They monitor the progress of the treatment plan, schedule therapy sessions, provide activities during each session, and encourage them along the way. Health Therapists help improve the lives of their patients and ease them into their new realities.

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.

Health therapist vs social worker salary

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

	Health Therapist	Social Worker
Average salary	$55,274	$50,102
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $75,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Los Angeles, CA	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	Baptist Health Care	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between health therapist and social worker education

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

	Health Therapist	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Health therapist vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between health therapists' and social workers' demographics:

	Health Therapist	Social Worker
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2%	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 health therapist and social worker duties and responsibilities

Health therapist example responsibilities.

Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Work with children who have autism by providing direct services.
Provide acute therapeutic intervention to adult and geriatric patients presenting with varying mental health diagnoses, seeking support and stabilization.
Record and maintain daily activities and rehabilitation progress for medical evaluation.
Facilitate therapy groups with adults and adolescents on acute psychiatric units and chemical dependency rehabilitation programs.
Facilitate transfer of patients to appropriate levels of care as determined by interdisciplinary team during or after completing treatment.

Show more

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.

Show more

Health therapist vs social worker skills

Common health therapist skills

Social Work, 33%
Patients, 20%
Patient Care, 7%
Substance Abuse, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Clinical Documentation, 3%

Common social worker skills

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

Health Therapist vs. similar jobs

Health Therapist related careers

Health Therapist related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z