Mental health clinician vs primary therapist

The differences between mental health clinicians and primary therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a mental health clinician and a primary therapist. Additionally, a primary therapist has an average salary of $59,826, which is higher than the $54,359 average annual salary of a mental health clinician.

The top three skills for a mental health clinician include social work, patients and mental health. The most important skills for a primary therapist are patients, social work, and group therapy sessions.

Mental health clinician vs primary therapist overview

	Mental Health Clinician	Primary Therapist
Yearly salary	$54,359	$59,826
Hourly rate	$26.13	$28.76
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	91,347	85,127
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 49%	Master's Degree, 49%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

What does a mental health clinician do?

A Mental Health Clinician provides psychotherapeutic and rehabilitation services for patients with mental health problems. They manage the treatment of clients and help them to obtain stable physical health.

What does a primary therapist do?

Primary therapists are the main point of contact for patients concerning wellness and overall mental health. Those who choose this career path will be expected to supervise and manage efficient treatment according to plan, and to manage between six and eight patients at a time, keeping in constant communication with these patients and various specialists.

Mental health clinician vs primary therapist salary

Mental health clinicians and primary therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mental Health Clinician	Primary Therapist
Average salary	$54,359	$59,826
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $80,000	Between $43,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Thousand Oaks, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	City and County of Denver Government	Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Best paying industry	Education	Finance

Differences between mental health clinician and primary therapist education

There are a few differences between a mental health clinician and a primary therapist in terms of educational background:

	Mental Health Clinician	Primary Therapist
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 49%	Master's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Mental health clinician vs primary therapist demographics

Here are the differences between mental health clinicians' and primary therapists' demographics:

	Mental Health Clinician	Primary Therapist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7%	Male, 27.1% Female, 72.9%
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, 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	15%	15%

Differences between mental health clinician and primary therapist duties and responsibilities

Mental health clinician example responsibilities.

Work with children with autism and developmental impairment, providing weekly therapeutic sessions.
Provide individual and group psychotherapy for adult population with goal of rehabilitation and community reintegration.
Meet productivity standards comply with all DMH documentation standards and participate in on call crisis intervention rotation.
Provide psychotherapy with empathy and concern as indicated by supervisory observation and feedback from patients, family and fellow team members.
Provide clinical therapeutic services to patients, including individual and group therapy and coordination of treatment for participants with co-occurring disorders.
Assess, diagnose, provide psychotherapy and rehabilitation for seriously mentally ill adults, children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbance.

Primary therapist example responsibilities.

Case managing, intakes, group and individual session, treatment plans, OASAS standards
Provide clinical therapy for severely emotionally disturb adolescents and their families to aid in the rehabilitation process.
Perform crisis intervention, including management of difficult or resistant patients, utilizing clinically appropriate accept techniques and methods.
Assist in development of extend hour IOP and PHP program.
experience, IOP, individual sessions, assessments, case management.
Assist in developing and assessing progress on individual rehabilitation plans.

Mental health clinician vs primary therapist skills

Common mental health clinician skills

Social Work, 28%
Patients, 15%
Mental Health, 5%
Discharge Planning, 3%
Community Resources, 3%
Rehabilitation, 2%

Common primary therapist skills

Patients, 17%
Social Work, 14%
Group Therapy Sessions, 8%
Eating Disorders, 7%
Patient Care, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 5%

Mental Health Clinician vs. similar jobs

Mental Health Clinician related careers

Mental Health Clinician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
Mental Health Clinician
Mental Health Clinician vs Primary Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs