Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between marriage and family therapists and mental health practitioners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a marriage and family therapist and a mental health practitioner. Additionally, a marriage and family therapist has an average salary of $57,856, which is higher than the $50,628 average annual salary of a mental health practitioner.
The top three skills for a marriage and family therapist include social work, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a mental health practitioner are social work, patients, and mental health.
| Marriage And Family Therapist | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Yearly salary | $57,856 | $50,628 |
| Hourly rate | $27.82 | $24.34 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 114,361 | 140,365 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Marriage and family therapists are health professionals who are licensed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders of married couples and families. These therapists are required to treat patients with issues such as child and adolescent behavioral problems, depression and anxiety, and marital conflicts. They must observe the interaction of people within units while evaluating and resolving their issues with relationships. Marriage and family therapists must also guide their clients to go through transitional crises such as divorce or death.
Mental health practitioners are medical professionals who work with patients who have mental health issues such as schizophrenia, split personality disorder, and depression. These practitioners are required to develop and implement patient care plans for adults with severe mental disabilities while providing mental health services to attain improved mental health. They must make sure that patients did not spit out their medicines by observing post medication administration with the nurse. Mental health practitioners must also manage therapeutic activities that will teach patients about functional living skills.
Marriage and family therapists and mental health practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Marriage And Family Therapist | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Average salary | $57,856 | $50,628 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $80,000 | Between $35,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bensalem, PA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New York |
| Best paying company | Henderson Behavioral Health | Dignity Health |
| Best paying industry | Government | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a marriage and family therapist and a mental health practitioner in terms of educational background:
| Marriage And Family Therapist | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between marriage and family therapists' and mental health practitioners' demographics:
| Marriage And Family Therapist | Mental Health Practitioner | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7% | Male, 24.1% Female, 75.9% |
| 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% |