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The differences between mental health clinicians and psychiatric 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 mental health clinician, becoming a psychiatric social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a psychiatric social worker has an average salary of $59,144, 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 psychiatric social worker are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.
| Mental Health Clinician | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $54,359 | $59,144 |
| Hourly rate | $26.13 | $28.43 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 91,347 | 57,284 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 49% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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.
A psychiatric social worker specializes in providing mental health treatments and other services to patients and their families, referring them to other agencies and programs as needed. They conduct assessments and interviews to determine the condition of patients, devise specific treatment and care plans, update and maintain patient records, conduct regular counseling sessions, and monitor the progress of every patient to ensure their health and welfare. They may also provide interventions, train junior psychiatric social workers, and conduct reviews and evaluations on existing care plans.
Mental health clinicians and psychiatric social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Clinician | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Average salary | $54,359 | $59,144 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $80,000 | Between $43,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | City and County of Denver Government | Highmark |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between a mental health clinician and a psychiatric social worker in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Clinician | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 49% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Social Work |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between mental health clinicians' and psychiatric social workers' demographics:
| Mental Health Clinician | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7% | Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2% |
| 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% |