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The differences between mental health counselors and community 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 counselor and a community health counselor. Additionally, a mental health counselor has an average salary of $49,471, which is higher than the $43,304 average annual salary of a community health counselor.
The top three skills for a mental health counselor include social work, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a community health counselor are social work, behavioral health, and patients.
| Mental Health Counselor | Community Health Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $49,471 | $43,304 |
| Hourly rate | $23.78 | $20.82 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 110,752 | 131,804 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A community health counselor typically provides health and welfare support to the disadvantaged members of a community. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to reach out to community members, coordinating with schools and other institutions, and building positive relationships with the communities that they serve. They may also provide counseling sessions to individuals of all ages, conduct observations and assessments, perform interventions, and identify any signs of abuse or neglect, reporting to the authorities right away. Furthermore, they may refer families or individuals to other social services unit if necessary.
Mental health counselors and community health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Counselor | Community Health Counselor | |
| Average salary | $49,471 | $43,304 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $70,000 | Between $29,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | Longview, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a mental health counselor and a community health counselor in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Counselor | Community Health Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between mental health counselors' and community health counselors' demographics:
| Mental Health Counselor | Community Health Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |