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Lead therapist vs child life therapist

The differences between lead therapists and child life therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead therapist has an average salary of $75,043, which is higher than the $50,768 average annual salary of a child life therapist.

The top three skills for a lead therapist include patients, social work and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a child life therapist are patients, direct care, and social work.

Lead therapist vs child life therapist overview

Lead TherapistChild Life Therapist
Yearly salary$75,043$50,768
Hourly rate$36.08$24.41
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs96,11578,428
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age4141
Years of experience--

Lead therapist vs child life therapist salary

Lead therapists and child life therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Lead TherapistChild Life Therapist
Average salary$75,043$50,768
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $124,000Between $37,000 And $69,000
Highest paying CitySan Jose, CA-
Highest paying stateCalifornia-
Best paying companyUniversity of Maryland Medical System-
Best paying industryRetail-

Differences between lead therapist and child life therapist education

There are a few differences between a lead therapist and a child life therapist in terms of educational background:

Lead TherapistChild Life Therapist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachDuke University

Lead therapist vs child life therapist demographics

Here are the differences between lead therapists' and child life therapists' demographics:

Lead TherapistChild Life Therapist
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 29.7% Female, 70.3%Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 11.4% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 11.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between lead therapist and child life therapist duties and responsibilities

Lead therapist example responsibilities.

  • Help manage meetings in IEP settings with school staff and other therapy providers.
  • Help am individuals with autism learn to communicate and manage undesire behavior.
  • Train line therapists on implementing treatment plans; using apply behavior analysis (ABA) techniques and procedures.
  • Provide in-home behavior treatment program employing apply behavior analysis techniques working with children diagnose with autism.
  • Collaborate with regular education teachers assign to ABA students.
  • Develop and organize individualize vision therapy programs for all patients and assist other therapist on their patient developmental programs.
  • Show more

Child life therapist example responsibilities.

  • Train and experience at managing challenging classroom situations using CPI methods and positive behavior reinforcement practices.
  • Work with clinical staff to implement clients' rehabilitation plans.
  • Serve on interdisciplinary team responsible for the treatment of acute psychiatric and mentally-ill chemically-addict veterans on an acute unit.
  • Attend CFT and IEP meetings for clients; advocate for client's best interest.
  • Develop individual educational plans (IEP) design to promote educational, physical and social development.

Lead therapist vs child life therapist skills

Common lead therapist skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Social Work, 13%
  • Crisis Intervention, 6%
  • Autism, 6%
  • ABA, 5%
  • Substance Abuse, 5%
Common child life therapist skills
  • Patients, 25%
  • Direct Care, 19%
  • Social Work, 17%
  • Physical Therapy, 12%
  • Therapeutic Recreation, 6%
  • Emotional Support, 5%

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