Licensed professional counselor vs psychiatrist

The differences between licensed professional counselors and psychiatrists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a licensed professional counselor, becoming a psychiatrist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a psychiatrist has an average salary of $229,034, which is higher than the $94,675 average annual salary of a licensed professional counselor.

The top three skills for a licensed professional counselor include patients, social work and LPC. The most important skills for a psychiatrist are patients, diagnosis, and patient care.

Licensed professional counselor vs psychiatrist overview

	Licensed Professional Counselor	Psychiatrist
Yearly salary	$94,675	$229,034
Hourly rate	$45.52	$110.11
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	153,612	29,979
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 48%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Average age	41	48
Years of experience	4	6

What does a licensed professional counselor do?

A licensed professional counselor is a healthcare professional who specializes in providing therapy and counseling to patients with emotional and mental health issues. They listen to their patients and utilize various techniques to address concerns and help through the healing procedures. Their duties entail conducting interviews and evaluations, performing research and assessments, studying the patients' medical histories, providing consultations, and developing treatment plans that suit every patients' needs. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor monitors and records their patients' progress, adjusting treatments and medications as necessary.

What does a psychiatrist do?

A Psychiatrist is a medical practitioner specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. They treat patients utilizing psychotherapeutic methods and medications.

Licensed professional counselor vs psychiatrist salary

Licensed professional counselors and psychiatrists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Licensed Professional Counselor	Psychiatrist
Average salary	$94,675	$229,034
Salary range	Between $73,000 And $122,000	Between $133,000 And $393,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	New York	Alaska
Best paying company	Bloomberg	Yuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industry	Real Estate	Health Care

Differences between licensed professional counselor and psychiatrist education

There are a few differences between a licensed professional counselor and a psychiatrist in terms of educational background:

	Licensed Professional Counselor	Psychiatrist
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 48%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Most common major	Psychology	Medicine
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Licensed professional counselor vs psychiatrist demographics

Here are the differences between licensed professional counselors' and psychiatrists' demographics:

	Licensed Professional Counselor	Psychiatrist
Average age	41	48
Gender ratio	Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2%	Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.0% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	15%	10%

Differences between licensed professional counselor and psychiatrist duties and responsibilities

Licensed professional counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Provide clinical supervision to LPC candidates, contract clinicians and counseling psychology practicum/internship students.
Assign, direct, and provide supervision of screening assessment complete by LPC and LCSW.
Conduct intakes and assessments on new admissions and recommend placement into services base on ASAM criteria.
Coordinate with the patient's family, attending physician, other hospitals and agencies following HIPAA standards.
Specialize in OCD and animal assist psychotherapy.

Psychiatrist example responsibilities.

Provide psychiatric evaluations, diagnosis and treatment, including prescribing and administering psychotropic medications, conduct individual and group psychotherapy.
Case load includes children, adolescents and adults.
Provide accurate, timely and complete documentation in the EMR.
Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.
Work closely with Medicaid in areas of compliance needs and information of the clients.
Create multidisciplinary team (psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse, marriage family therapist) to spear head new veterans parenting class.

Licensed professional counselor vs psychiatrist skills

Common licensed professional counselor skills

Patients, 13%
Social Work, 12%
LPC, 10%
Real Estate, 10%
Individual Therapy, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 6%

Common psychiatrist skills

Patients, 32%
Diagnosis, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Mental Illness, 5%
Psychiatric Services, 5%
EMR, 4%

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Licensed Professional Counselor vs Psychiatrist

Updated January 8, 2025

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