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The differences between mental health consultants and licensed professional counselors 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 a licensed professional counselor. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor has an average salary of $94,675, 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 a licensed professional counselor are patients, social work, and LPC.
| Mental Health Consultant | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $51,006 | $94,675 |
| Hourly rate | $24.52 | $45.52 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 127,233 | 153,612 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Master's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| 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.
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.
Mental health consultants and licensed professional counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Consultant | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Average salary | $51,006 | $94,675 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $75,000 | Between $73,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Guidehouse | Bloomberg |
| Best paying industry | Government | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a mental health consultant and a licensed professional counselor in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Consultant | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Master's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between mental health consultants' and licensed professional counselors' demographics:
| Mental Health Consultant | Licensed Professional Counselor | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |