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The differences between mental health consultants and assessment specialists 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 consultant and an assessment specialist. Additionally, an assessment specialist has an average salary of $64,402, which is higher than the $51,006 average annual salary of a mental health consultant.
The top three skills for a mental health consultant include healthcare, substance abuse and patients. The most important skills for an assessment specialist are social work, patients, and edition.
| Mental Health Consultant | Assessment Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,006 | $64,402 |
| Hourly rate | $24.52 | $30.96 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 127,233 | 90,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A mental health consultant is responsible for providing counseling and emotional support to manage a client's issue and control behaviors. Mental health consultants must have excellent communication and listening skills to understand and assess the client's situation and evaluate the level of their emotional and psychological distress. They also need to monitor progress on the client's state and use different psychotherapy methods and treatment plans. A mental health consultant should also reach out to other health professionals to ask assistance for any recovery options as needed.
An assessment specialist is an administrative professional who is responsible for designing and conducting assessment tests for a variety of academic clients. Assessment specialists are required to coordinate and implement the student testing program, which includes assessing an individual child's needs, potentials, and limitations. They must monitor special education or talent and gifted (TAG) staff to ensure that objectives are met. Assessment specialists must also need to know state laws and federal that pertain to educational assessments.
Mental health consultants and assessment specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Consultant | Assessment Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,006 | $64,402 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $75,000 | Between $47,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Trenton, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Guidehouse | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between a mental health consultant and an assessment specialist in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Consultant | Assessment Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between mental health consultants' and assessment specialists' demographics:
| Mental Health Consultant | Assessment Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% | Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4% |
| 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% |