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The differences between mental health consultants and mental health 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 mental health counselor. Additionally, a mental health consultant has an average salary of $51,006, which is higher than the $49,471 average annual salary of a mental health counselor.
The top three skills for a mental health consultant include healthcare, substance abuse and patients. The most important skills for a mental health counselor are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.
| Mental Health Consultant | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $51,006 | $49,471 |
| Hourly rate | $24.52 | $23.78 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 127,233 | 110,752 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| 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 mental health counselor is responsible for helping patients deal with their emotional and mental disorders by developing treatment plans and conducting regular counseling to track the patient's progress and condition. Mental health counselors encourage active communication from their patients, provide coping strategies for triggering situations, seek advice from other health care professionals, and guide patients on doing other activities that would help them relax. A mental health counselor must have excellent knowledge of the mental health disciplines to assist patients in their healthy lifestyle development.
Mental health consultants and mental health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Consultant | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Average salary | $51,006 | $49,471 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $75,000 | Between $34,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Longview, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Guidehouse | Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a mental health consultant and a mental health counselor in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Consultant | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between mental health consultants' and mental health counselors' demographics:
| Mental Health Consultant | Mental Health Counselor | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% |
| 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% |